Durham Art Walk (Holiday Market)

What it is: This past weekend, we headed to downtown Durham for the Art Walk and Holiday Market.  I didn't quite know what to expect and didn't know if it would be kid-friendly.  However, it turned out to be great fun for the whole family!

For the Art Walk, stores and businesses downtown open their doors to local artist and the general public.  It happens twice a year, the fall and the spring.  You can wander around downtown and stop by different location to see a wide variety of art and purchase some beautiful pieces from local artists.   This time there were over 200 artists to choose from.

What we liked:  We stopped by several locations with just a couple of artists which was fun because you had the chance to really get to know the artists individually. We also stopped by the Durham Armory and Durham Arts Council where there were collections of many artists to see all in one place.  That was also a great way to see a lot of art without much leg work.  We were able to purchase a couple of unique gifts for really reasonable prices and get out and about in the Durham community at the same time.  My toddler loved riding around the streets of downtown Durham in the stroller.  It was a great mix of taking in the outdoor scenery and shopping for him.  Whenever he would get tired, it would be time to go somewhere else and he would be refreshed.

What we would change:  Sometimes there was quite a distance between the various stores.  So, a stroller for toddler transportation was a must for us.  In addition some of the artwork was fragile so you do have to watch out for roaming toddler hands. It's a shame that it only happens once in the fall and once in the spring, and it's a shame you can't have this experience more often.

Website: http://www.durhamartwalk.com/

Photos:  

Views of some of the artwork at the armory