May 28, 2026 — Thursday Edition

First full summer weekend of the year, and it's a good one. Anne and I have watched an embarrassing amount of Expedition Unknown over the years, so Josh Gates doing a live show at the Carolina on Saturday is already circled on our calendar — more on that below.

Quick heads up before we dive in: we hit the big Memorial Day stuff in the last couple issues, so today we're steering you toward the things you probably HAVEN'T heard about yet — a last call at the Food Hall, a churrascaria on the way, a globe-trotting adventurer live on stage, and a couple of shows flying under the radar.

Let's get into it.

• Last call for Little Barb's at the Durham Food Hall. Sunday, May 31 is Little Barb's Bakery's final day in their Food Hall stall. If you've got a favorite from their case, this is the weekend to go get it one more time and say thank you — stall life is hard, and they've earned a proper send-off. (@little_barbs_bakery)

• Fogo de Chão is coming to South Durham. The Brazilian churrascaria — endless skewers of fire-roasted meat carved tableside — is headed to Renaissance Parkway near Southpoint this year. File this one firmly under "occasion dinner": birthdays, anniversaries, the night your carnivore in-laws visit and you need to impress. Come hungry or don't come at all. (Business Debut)

If you've ever fallen down a late-night rabbit hole of Expedition Unknown or Destination Truth, this one's for you. Josh Gates — equal parts archaeologist-adventurer and stand-up storyteller — brings his live show to the Carolina Theatre's Fletcher Hall on Saturday night, and it's exactly the kind of fun, smart, only-in-a-great-theater evening we love flagging for you.

The live show is part travelogue, part comedy set, part behind-the-scenes reel: Gates spins stories from his wildest expeditions — the disasters, the close calls, the stuff that never made the final cut — with a screen behind him and zero script-reading stiffness. He's genuinely funny in person, and the Q&A portions tend to go places. If you've got a curious teenager, this is a rare show that works for the whole table.

Why the Carolina Theatre specifically? Because Fletcher Hall is one of the most beautiful rooms in the city — a 1926 movie palace with the kind of gilded, old-Durham grandeur that makes any night out feel like an event before the lights even go down. Pairing a globe-trotting adventure show with a nearly-century-old theater is peak Durham: new fun, old bones.

Make a night of it. Grab dinner downtown beforehand (you're walking distance from a dozen good options), get there by 7:30 for the 8 o'clock start, and plan to hang for the stories. Tickets are moving — if you're in, don't wait until Saturday afternoon.

📅 Saturday, May 30 — 8:00 PM (doors 7:00)

📍 Carolina Theatre, Fletcher Hall, 309 W Morgan St, Durham

🎟️ Check current pricing/availability at the link

🔗 carolinatheatre.org/eventsFOOD & DRINK ROUNDUP 🍽️

Slow Teeth at Kingfisher— Friday, May 29. Live music at our favorite little Foster Street cocktail bar. Order something off the menu you can't pronounce and let the night unfold. (Kingfisher)

Linafornia at Boom Club— Saturday, May 30. The LAbeatmakerbrings her hip-hop/instrumental set to one of Durham's best small dance rooms. Boom Club keeps booking way above its size — reward them for it. (Boom Club)

NCHSAA Softball State Championships at Duke— Saturday & Sunday, May 30–31, Duke Softball Stadium. The state's best high schoolteams playingfor titles, right here in Durham. Cheap tickets, real stakes, genuinely fun to watch. (Discover Durham)

Mini Market: Super Lucky Toys at Boxyard RTP— Saturday, Noon–3 PM. A Littlest Pet Shop-focused collector meetup hosted by the NC LPS Club — trade collectibles, browse vendors, meet fellow obsessives. Delightfully niche, very fun. (Boxyard RTP)

Everything else— Discover Durham keeps the full running list of what's on this week. (Discover Durham)

The Bulls are on the road this weekend, down at Harbor Park in Norfolk for a series against the Tides. It's been a bumpy first half — the club's been hovering around the bottom of the International League standings — but Homer Bush Jr. has been a bright spot, showing up in the run column again and again. They're back at the DBAP soon; check the schedule for the next homestand and first pitch. (Durham Bulls)

Shaping up like a proper early-summer Durham weekend — warm and a little humid, highs in the low-to-mid 80s, with the usual chance of a pop-up afternoon thunderstorm. Translation: get your outdoor plans in earlier in the day, and keep an indoor backup (hello, Carolina Theatre) in your pocket.

INDY Week paid a visit to Soif, the tiny bar tucked into the lobby of the art-deco Snow Building on West Main — 13 seats, no Wi-Fi, an espresso machine, and a short, sharp cocktail list. It's Jesse Gerstl's second Durham spot (after the natural wine bar Delafia), and the piece is a lovely little argument for small, analog, talk-to-the-person-next-to-you places. Feels very much like the Durham we love. (INDY Week)

Here's the thing we keep coming back to: you don't need an expedition to find something worth discovering. Josh Gates flies around the planet for the good stories — and they're great — but some of our favorite finds this year have been a fifteen-minute walk from the house. A bakery's last weekend. A 13-seat bar in an old lobby. A beatmaker in a room the size of a living room. Durham rewards the curious. Go poke around your own city this weekend — there's more here than you think.

Made with 💙 in Durham, NC

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