Under $100: Durham

Home to Duke University, Durham, N.C., is a beautiful city that mixes history with a vibrant local culture. As part of North Carolina’s Research Triangle, the city isn’t very touristy and has a laid-back feel.

It was home to America’s cigarette industry through Washington Duke, who grew a single farm into American Tobacco, which at one point made 90 percent of America’s cigarettes before rolling its last in 2000. Today the old factory complex has been redeveloped into the American Tobacco Campus where you can find shops and restaurants for lunch, like Cuban Revolution.

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Downtown is a little spread out, but still walkable if you want to see a show at the historic Carolina Theatre or visit the Durham Performing Arts Center. If you’re a fan of college basketball, the Duke Basketball Museum is a good stop to see trophies, memorabilia and footage of the historic team. Duke also has the Nasher Museum of Art where you can see a collection of more than 13,000 contemporary art pieces.

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Durham is a great city for food, filled with plenty of old watering holes and new spots that have popped up in recent years. For dinner, stop by Rue Cler downtown, a Parisian-style neighborhood restaurant with an extensive wine list. Follow up with drinks at Mateo, a tapas bar that blends Spanish cuisine with southern flavors.