In early spring, long before New York thaws and San Francisco’s fog lifts, the magnolias take over Durham, North Carolina, covering the town in a blanket of pink petals and soft smells. The season turns the town—best known for its proximity to Raleigh and for housing Duke University—into something straight from the Pleasantville playbook. But Durham is much more than a sister city and a college town—it’s become a destination in its own right, thanks to a booming food and drink scene, a whole host of outdoorsy activities, and even a place where you can hang out with some lemurs. And with its scruffy, artistic sensibility, it’s more like a scrappy little southern Portland. But what really makes the town special is what James Beard Award-winning chef Andrea Reusing describes as the “extreme hospitality.”

“Just twenty-four hours a day,” she says. “There are so many spaces you can walk into, and there’s so much to do.” The city punches above its weight, according to Reusing—which is exactly why you should hop on the next flight to RDU and make a weekend of it. Here’s how to make the most out of your time in Bull City.

Where to stay

Tiny though the downtown is, lodging here packs a punch at all price points. If you’re looking for an effortlessly cool, no-frills vibe, check out The Durham, a former bank that was carefully converted into one of the region’s coolest hotels. Reusing serves as the chef and creative director at the restaurant and the rooftop bar, and her menu is a refreshing take on the often stale concept of American hotel food: think perfect roast chicken, chips and dip, and a no-holds-barred burger. Reusing says the hotel “looks like it was dropped from outer space” owing, in large part, to the teeth—the jutting, towering concrete columns that hug the building’s exterior. On the inside, it’s more like a Louis Kahn dreamscape, with a mid-century modern sensibility: decorated with bold, geometric carpeting straight from The Shining, custom furniture, local art, and bauble lanterns hanging in homage to the famous Okura Hotel in Tokyo. The hotel is all line and curve and light, and while there, you should grab a cocktail and some fresh oysters at their rooftop bar, which is packed with locals and travelers alike on any sunny day.

21c Museum Hotel Courtesy of 21c Museum Hotels 21c Museum Hotel Courtesy of 21c Museum Hotels

If pampering (and old-timey bank heisting) is more your thing, check out 21c Museum Hotel, a sleek, modern outfit with a bank vault in the basement and a two-story art gallery. Walk around and enjoy the art with a dry martini from the long, lean, classic hotel bar. (You can even post up on a couch in the aforementioned vault.) Or treat yourself to a steam in the sauna and a massage in the spa and then have a meal at the Counting House, the hotel’s highly-rated restaurant.

What to do

Durham is a full-on dream for anyone who packs hiking boots and wind-resistant fleece wherever they go: from March through October, you can hike, bike, swim, kayak, canoe, and check out varying sports teams pretty much any day of the week.

If it’s hot enough, go sun yourself on the cliffs overlooking Neuse River and then cool down in the refreshing water. (You can also rent canoes or kayaks if you’re into that sort of thing.) Or check out the Eno River Quarry, a deep swimming hole that is as beautiful as it is dangerous. (The quarry is a favorite of Reusing and her family.) If you’re looking to sweat a little bit and you feel like taking a drive through some winding country roads, head an hour south to Raven’s Rock, a popular hiking spot on Cape Fear River that has giant, moss-covered rock formations straight out of a Tolkien story. If you’d rather hike without having to rent a car, head to Duke Forest and check out the walking trails there. Or rent a bike and take it down the American Tobacco Trail, a 22-mile former rail corridor, which starts just south of the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The trail will take you to Apex, a small suburb of Raleigh which has plenty of legit craft breweries for you to explore.