Park Tours

West Point History Tour 


Take a guided tour of West Point on the Eno’s historic buildings and grounds. One of the City's oldest parks, the park's history dates back to the 1970s. Located along the Eno River, the park features a reconstructed late 18th-century working grist mill, the historic McCown-Mangum House dating to the mid-1800s, and the Hugh Mangum Museum of Photography, which offers permanent displays of photography and equipment of early 20th-century local photographers, plus contemporary exhibits featured on a rotating basis. There is a ton of history to explore and stories to discover. The park is of importance to Native Americans, specifically the Eno Indigenous group and also early European settlers. You will hear stories about the people who lived, worked, and played here.

This tour leaves on the hour, at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 12 p.m., and 1 p.m., and is open to all ages at no cost. 

Special Tour: William “Dink” McCown’s West Point  

 
Join us on Saturdays at 10 a.m. for a new tour that will delve into the lives of enslaved and emancipated individuals at West Point on the Eno. Through the eyes of William “Dink” McCown, the tour will explore his experiences as an enslaved adult and then a freedman who was trained to be the miller of McCown’s Mill.

This tour is open to all ages at no cost. Meet in front of the McCown-Mangum House.

West Point on the Eno Tour
West Point on Eno Dam

West Point on the Eno Self-Guided Tour

Flyer to Access West Point Scavenger Hunt QR Code

What better way to experience a self-guided tour than through a scavenger hunt? Scan the QR code below using your cell phone to access the scavenger hunt/tour. Follow the clues to find out how much you know.


Leigh Farm History Tour 


Take a guided tour of Leigh Farm Park. A public city park since 2005, Leigh Farm is an antebellum farm complex in southwestern Durham County that was once the site of a plantation in the 19th century. Today, the 82-acre Durham City park is home to nature trails and historic buildings. Each building on the property contributes to the farm's historical background including a farmhouse that was built by Stanford Leigh in 1835, an early 19th-century Well house, and two mid-19th-century enslaved people's cabins; one with a notable stick-built chimney and the other with a 1930 Rustic Revival log addition. The property features multiple additions that were built over 120 years as the Leigh Family and their financial success grew. 

On this tour, you’ll learn about the families who lived here, their work, and what life was like on a plantation run by a southern middle-class family. Tour groups will have the opportunity to venture inside the historic Leigh farmhouse while also visiting the enslaved people’s cabin and the Leigh Family Cemetery.

Come inside the Visitors’ Center and request a tour from our Historic Site Interpreters at your convenience from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. This tour is open to all ages at no cost. 

Leigh Farm House (1835)
Enslave People's Cabin