You’ll want to add Durham, NC, to your itinerary if you’re a baseball traveler. Durham Bulls Athletic Park, home of the Bulls, is easily one of the best ballparks around. But it’s not the only park you should visit while you’re in town.
Just a 15-minute walk away sits Durham Athletic Park, which was the home of the Bulls during various stints between 1920 and 1994. And, perhaps more notably, it was the site of the famous baseball movie Bull Durham.
The 1988 movie celebrates its 35th anniversary this year, and is always worth a rewatch. Bull Durham is arguably the most iconic baseball movie of all time, and certainly one of the most celebrated sports movies ever. In addition to being named the “Greatest Sports Movie” by Sports Illustrated and ranking high on several other major publications’ lists, it was nominated for one Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards.
I was fortunate to spend a day in Durham on my May trip to North Carolina. In addition to seeing the Bulls in action, I also wanted to devote some time to traveling around the area and checking out some of the locations that were visible in the movie.
This post features a selection of screenshots from the film alongside present-day shots, and it was a lot of fun to put together.
The movie begins with a scene featuring Susan Sarandon’s Annie Savoy character, who is seen in her home (911 N. Mangum St., Durham). We soon see the exterior of her home as she walks down the path. Here’s a look at that scene and a look at how the home looks today:
(The house last sold in 2020 for $1,058,500, according to Redfin, and is currently valued at a little more than $1.5 million.)
Soon thereafter, we get our first view of Durham Athletic Park (500 w. Corporation St., Durham) as Annie walks toward it. This is the first time we see the ballpark’s iconic ticket booth, which to me is the most defining sight at the park. Here’s another screenshot versus how the scene looks now:
Nine minutes into the film, we get our first sighting of Kevin Costner’s Crash Davis character when he enters his manager’s office. If you’re visiting the present-day Durham Bulls Athletic Park (409 Blackwell St., Durham), you’ll note that Davis’s number is retired and recognized with a plaque in the front plaza area:
The real Crash Davis played just 148 games in the big leagues, but played extensively in the minor leagues in the latter part of his career. A second baseman from nearby Greensboro, NC, Davis spent the 1948 season with the Bulls, hitting .317 with 10 home runs and 80 RBIs. (He also played for two other minor league teams in the state — the Raleigh Capitals and the Reidsville Luckies.)
About 12 minutes into the movie, there’s a scene in an establishment called Mitch’s Tavern that spills out into the back parking lot. Mitch’s Tavern is in Raleigh, about 25 miles from the ballpark. I wasn’t able to visit, but here’s a neat tidbit. See the glass door insert? The present-day establishment has a recreation (I’m guessing, anyway) of the glass panel hanging inside:
Twenty-six minutes in, we get a good look at Durham Athletic Park from behind home plate. I wasn’t able to get inside during my visit this summer, but did check out a few minutes of a high school game at the old ballpark when I visited Durham in 2019. Here’s a shot from the movie next to a shot I took on that day:
During Crash’s first at-bat, we have a good view of the wall that separates the grandstand from the field. It’s green and has yellow rectangles painted on it. Today, the yellow rectangles are still there — but the wall is a brown color. I shot the photo on the right from beyond the outfield fence during my visit:
Here’s a piece of random baseball nerdery that I noticed. During Crash’s same at-bat, we see that the outfield fence is 410 feet to straightaway center field. Today, though, that number is marked as 398 feet:
At about the 38-minute mark, we finally get to see the iconic “Hit Bull Win Steak” billboard — one of my favorite sights in the minor leagues. That billboard is no longer found at Durham Athletic Park. It was moved to the new DBAP when that park opened in 1995, and has since been replaced because of damage. In the film, the billboard sits just over the fence in right field. Today, you can find its replica high above left field, atop the 32-foot Blue Monster fence:
A bit later in the movie, we get a good look at Nuke LaLoosh’s jersey as he stands on the mound at DAP. If you go to a Bulls game today, you can buy replicas of these jerseys and the team also wears them on throwback days. On the ballpark’s suite level, there’s a real Bulls vintage jersey that is framed:
Thirty-nine minutes into the movie, we see Crash hit his first home run of the season. The camera shows an angle from behind the right field fence, which is a spot that fans can access today. I found this spot by cutting through an alley between two buildings on Foster Street — walking like I was supposed to be there, of course:
There’s a tall building near the ballpark’s main gates, just across Washington Street. We get a good look at it just shy of 53 minutes into the film, when the Bulls have returned from a road game. Today, it’s a stylish-looking structure that is worth checking out:
One hour and two minutes in, Nuke’s character gives up a big home run to right field. The baseball soars over the bull billboard and smacks off a red brick building. That building is still there, and while it now has a large deck built onto it, it’s easy to recognize:
A couple of minutes after the above scene, we see Nuke leave Annie’s house as she stands in the doorway. As you’ll see here, the doorway area looks very similar today, other than a change of color:
Later in the movie, a divey pool hall plays host to a fight between Nuke and Crash. The real-life pool hall is called The Green Room, and is situated just a couple of miles from DAP. It was closed when I visited, but I spent a couple of minutes walking around the exterior and taking photos like this one:
I love how Durham Athletic Park and Annie’s house are both within walking distance of Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which makes checking out these locations easy and convenient. If you read my post about DBAP, you’ll know that I stayed at The Durham, an outstanding hotel that was just a short walk to the Bulls game — and, of course, a short walk to these locations, too.
The Durham is one of the best hotels I’ve ever visited, and it’s got an exciting offer for baseball travelers. If you’re planning to visit the city this season, I not only recommend that you choose to stay at The Durham, but that you also make use of the hotel’s exciting Park & Stay Package. This package includes valet parking, so you’ll simply pull up to the front of the building and not have to fuss about finding downtown parking. Once you’ve checked into your room, this package gives you a chance to hang out on the hotel’s roof deck, where you can enjoy beautiful panoramic views of downtown Durham, as well as get two complimentary beverages. After some time in this space, you can make the easy walk to the old DAP and Annie’s house, spend some time in these areas, and then head over to DBAP to enjoy the game.