If you haven’t been to CenterFest Arts Festival in downtown Durham, then I suggest you get out of the house and go today!

This weekend, the Durham Arts Council is hosting the 39th annual event which features over 130 artisans (from across the US), live music and performances by local bands and dance troupes, and kids activities (including the popular Scrap Exchange booth). Main and Chapel Hill streets (and parts of Corcoran and Parrish streets) play host to the vendors and local non-profit booths so be prepared to circle downtown to access a parking garage…or keep your eyes peeled for one of a few on-street parking spots.  Sunday hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This was our second year at CenterFest, and I was super excited to run into one of our favorite artists from last year, Jayne Morgan, of Birmingham, AL. As lovers of honey, we fell in love with her “honey bear” art last year but didn’t buy anything (drrr!), so imagine how excited I was to see her back in Durham this year! After we admired all her pieces, I encouraged Gemma to pick one…she chose a small, square original painting on wood. Can’t wait to find the perfect spot in her bedroom or playroom!

After perusing the artisan booths, we watched some dancing and took a ride on the toddler train. We had worked up a sufficient appetite and while we could have eaten from a food vendor at the festival, we chose to walk a few blocks to Bull City Burger and Brewery, a locally owned, “farm-to-fork” restaurant and craft brewery. Their NC-pasture-raised beef is tender and ground fresh daily….but what we really, really crave are the duck frites (“skinny, French-cut finished in duck fat with fresh rosemary and Fleur de Sel“), which I have taken to stacking on top of my blue cheese burger…YUMMM!  We are lucky to live near so many incredible, inventive and fresh restaurants (and food trucks!)…and Bull City does not disappoint.