<p>Hey!</p>
<p>I was just wondering if anyone knew which hotel is nearest to the campus? Or most convenient in terms of getting around Duke?</p>
<p>I'm thinking about visiting and neither of my parents are willing to drive... so... is there some sort of public transportation that would get me from place to place??</p>
<p>Ahh... the american road system. driving on the wrong side of the road. :-D</p>
<p>thanks!</p>
<p>The Washington Duke Inn (<a href="http://www.washingtondukeinn.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.washingtondukeinn.com/</a>) is technically on campus, you can actually walk to the main academic quads from there (it's a bit of a walk, but not outrageous). I think it's on the expensive side though.</p>
<p>The Duke website for admissions has 4 hotels (including the Washington Duke Inn) listed that are within 2 miles of the campus.<br>
( <a href="http://www.admissions.duke.edu/jump/campus/visiting_stay-eat.asp%5B/url%5D">http://www.admissions.duke.edu/jump/campus/visiting_stay-eat.asp</a> )</p>
<p>Some of them are on the Medical Center side of the campus--we have stayed at the Millenium Hotel. It is very nice, but can also be a little more expensive. Ask if they are offering a Duke rate--sometimes they have one at some of the hotels!)</p>
<p>Sorry--that web address got messed up--</p>
<p>that should work!</p>
<p>Sorry again. I think it is too long to have in here. Go to the Duke website, then go to admissions and click on the Visiting Duke link, and it will give you the info!</p>
<p>I almost hate to give this tip away - it might become too popular and we won't be able to get in when we visit! The Brookwood Inn has been our lodging of choice. Much cheaper than the Washington Duke Inn...which is definitely a consideration for us when we're paying the hefty Duke tuition. </p>
<p>The Brookwood Inn is right across the street from the Duke Medical Center and definitely walkable. It's been very clean when we've been there, and the staff is very accomodating. I highly recommend it.</p>
<p>I recently stayed at the La Quinta about ten minutes away toward that big mall. It was newer/nicer than the Holiday Express and Hampton..which are both closer to Duke. I like the aged Hilton which is still sort of 80s style but is very close to Duke, but the rates are seldom competitive. The Marriott Courtyard is also just fine and across from the Hampton.<br>
Go to the Durham Chamber of Commerce to see the entire list.</p>
<p>we are spending part of our spring break flying to NC from California to visit Duke and UNC Chapel Hill. </p>
<p>Do we need a car? (we'd rather not rent one unless its necessary) What hotel do you recommend? Is staying near UNC easier as I hear there is a Robertson Bus that can take people from UNC Chapel Hill to Duke and back? </p>
<p>How far away is Duke and UNC to each other? (How far away is Durham and Chapel Hill?)</p>
<p>I certainly think you will need a car to get around and to get a feel for both campuses. Sometimes on our college trips the travelocity type packages on hotels and cars could be cheaper than nailing different prices for a couple nights.
Cars are rather a big deal in North Carolina! not that my freshman has one but most 16 year olds in NC seem to-ha. You have heard of Nascar, right.
They are both excellent schools with a lot of school spirit. You can write ahead to the Chambers and get a good map although every hotel I stay in hands me the same one when I get there and it is more than adequate. The schools are only 10 minutes apart..maybe a bit longer, but it is as the crow flies and there are several ways to go. A great deal of the professors and staffers at Duke live in Chapel Hill, which is more of a college town than Durham. Feel free to PM me...I have been down there about six times in the last year since we live in driving distance and went a couple times before S made a decision. I never quite get to Raleigh which is a big thriving city, but I have been stuck on I-40 at rush hour while many other people were heading to Raleigh... I was heading toward a megamall (dumb) and just didn't know there would be glut of cars at 6PM as if we were in Atlanta and Charlotte. The Airport offers easy access to both colleges and traffic jams are really quite avoidable and no biggie. You can get between the schools without getting on interstates 98% of the time. I found a great AAA rate at La Quinta Durham just last week and its location is quite convenient as a jumping off post for both schools--it was very "new" and well appointed for a budget hotel. Most chains have offerings in both towns. The airport hotels are plentiful but for your purposes too sterile and not really near either college. I recommend the La Quinta for the joint visit. Take a look at sidestep.com and the usual expedia orbitz and such and perhaps there is a car/hotel deal. Chapel Hill has a couple upscale hotels as well, although the Duke Washington Inn is the most posh price wise.<br>
Don't fail to visit the Duke Freshman campus..East. Otherwise you won't see where freshmen live on the tours. As a parent, the shuttle buses seemed an annoyance to me when we were in your shoes but we changed our outlook. East Campus is Georgian in style, older than the main campus, and really fun and cozy and homey for the freshman class at Duke. My S loved it and many of the kids were quite loyal to their dorms as freshmen. Dorms aren't perfect but they are generally only three stories high and not those concrete block high rises so many college kids live in across the USA, faculty members are residents in several of them and East has a sense of community that added a lot to year one. Some classes are offered on East, and the Music Dept is one of the things housed there. They have their own gym and eating hall..freshmen campus has some real personality.</p>
<p>Eh, a car really isn't necessary. My family stayed in Chapel Hill when we visited, but we didn't use our car except getting from home to Chapel Hill. Like you said, you can stay near Duke or Chapel Hill, tour one campus, and take the Robertson bus over to the other campus. The trip takes about 25-30 minutes, and there's usually not that many people on the bus during the week. As for staying in Chapel Hill or Durham, it's a toss up. For the bus times (East-West, Duke-UNC), see
<a href="http://aux03.auxserv.duke.edu/parking/transportation/Transit_Schedules.htm%5B/url%5D">http://aux03.auxserv.duke.edu/parking/transportation/Transit_Schedules.htm</a></p>
<p>I appreciate both replies. My D is accepted to UNC Chapel Hill, and has applied to Duke. We haven't ever visited either campus. This trip will allow her and us to see and "feel" the campus to see which one is a beter fit.</p>
<p>I may PM you both in the future with more questions. Thanks again for your help.</p>
<p>We stayed at the Hilton near Duke. It was pretty nice, and with a car (if you're going to both, it would be more convienient) it was really easy to navigate to Duke. The lady at the front desk will give you directions to where ever you need to go (admissions office probably). Apparently they get this a lot.</p>