Getting Around

Parking at Duke

Three parking decks are provided for the convenience of patients and visitors.

Hospital Parking

The parking deck for Duke University Hospital is located across Erwin Road from the hospital.

The parking deck for Duke University Hospital has an underground walkway and shuttle service to the hospital. The shuttle terminal is located on the "RT" level of the Duke University Hospital parking deck. Also on the "RT" level is a well-lit, securely monitored underground walkway to the hospital.

A second parking deck (Parking Garage III) is available for Duke Hospital Parking and for the Ambulatory Surgical Center and Bone Marrow Transplant Center. This garage is attached to North Pavilion Building off Fulton Road, about three blocks from the main Duke Hospital Entrance.

Children's Hospital and Health Center

Patients may be dropped off at the front and escorted into the facility. Valet parking for the McGovern-Davis Children's Hospital and Health Center is available at the entrance to the Children's Health Center. The fee is $7 per day for Valet Parking.

Parking is also available in the Parking Garage on Erwin Road directly across from the Children's Health Center. Parking garage fees are $1.00 an hour. The driveway is accessible via the main entrance to Duke University Hospital off Erwin Road. (If heading south on Erwin Road, turn right at the main entrance to Duke University Hospital. If heading north on Erwin Road, cross the railroad tracks and then turn left into the main Duke Hospital entrance.)

Clinic Parking

The parking deck for Duke Clinic can be reached by turning onto Trent Drive from Erwin Road.

Eye Center Parking

Patients and visitors of the Duke Eye Center may park in the Eye Center parking lot on Erwin Road or the parking garage across form Duke University Hospital.

Oversized Vehicles

Parking for oversized vehicles is located adjacent to the Duke University Hospital parking deck. To obtain a pass for an oversized vehicle, call 919-684-5773.

Parking Fees

Hospital parking fees are based on an hourly rate. Discount parking books are available for inpatients and their families and can be purchased at the parking office or at the Auxiliary gift shops. Please call the Medical Center Traffic Office at 919-684-5773 for more information.

Valet Parking

Valet parking service is available at Duke University Hospital, Duke Clinic, Duke Emergency Services, and Morris Cancer Clinic.

  • Duke University Hospital: Monday - Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday - Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. $7 per day.
  • Duke Clinic: at Entry 1 (main entrance), Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. $7 per day.
  • Duke Emergency Services: Available 24 hours a day, everyday. Free for ER patients.
  • Morris Cancer Clinic: Monday - Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free for radiation/oncology patients.

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Lodging Options

Host Homes

For family members visiting from out of town, Host Home representatives can arrange short-term housing in area private homes or provide rental and apartment information. Some accommodations are free while others charge a nominal fee. Call 919-681-4688 for more information.

Hotels/Motels

Many hotels and motels are within walking distance to Duke University Hospital, or offer shuttle service here. Some offer discounts to out-of-town family and friends. Call Patient and Visitor Relations at 919-681-2020 or 1-888-ASK-DUKE for more information.

These Web sites also provide descriptions of hotels and motels in the Durham area:

Ronald McDonald House

Pediatric patients and their families are eligible for overnight accommodations at the Ronald McDonald House. Outpatients and their families receive priority. A minimal donation is requested. Transportation to and from the Hospital is available during weekdays. Call 919-416-3955.

Caring House

Adults receiving outpatient treatment at Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center are eligible for overnight accommodations at Caring House. Caring House offers free parking and transportation to and from the Hospital, as well as many other amenities. Caring House charges a nominal, need-based fee. Contact Caring House at 919-681-5373.

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Duke Gift Shops

Gift Shops

The Duke University Hospital Auxiliary, a volunteer organization, runs gift shops in the lobby of Duke University Hospital, in Duke Clinic, and at Duke Children's Hospital and Health Center. The shops sell gifts, flowers, reading material, stationery, and toiletries.

Duke Hospital Gift Shop Hours
Monday - Friday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday: 1 to 6 p.m.

Duke Clinic Gift Shop Hours
Monday - Friday: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Duke Children's Hospital and Health Center Hours
Monday - Friday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Medical Center Store

The Medical Center Store, located just off the walkway between Duke Hospital and Duke Clinic, sells Duke clothing, gift items, and more. Hours are 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Monday-Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

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Duke Transportation Options

Transport Services

Duke University provides free bus service to all campuses and the Medical Center for students, employees, patients, and visitors.

All routes served by Duke Transit are accessible to persons with disabilities. In addition, Duke's after-hours SAFE Rides program employs an on-call accessible van. Accessible Duke University buses can be identified by the international accessibility symbol on the side of each bus.

Transit Information
919-684-2218 or 919-681-4001

Safe Escort Service
919-684-SAFE (7233)

Parking Services
919-684-5773

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Entertainment and Sites of Interest

Health Arts Network at Duke (HAND)

Duke University Medical Center's Health Arts Network at Duke (HAND) program brings the healing power of the arts to people who are suffering and to those who care for them. Some of the program's services are listed below. For more information on any of them, call 919-684-2007.

  • Art by North Carolina artists is displayed throughout Duke University Hospital in patient rooms and the hallways.
  • Art exhibits in the display cases in Duke University Hospital hallways feature works by local artists. The exhibit schedule is shown on the DUMC Information Channel (2).
  • The Touchable Art Gallery in the Eye Center welcomes all visitors to explore works of art with their hands and eyes. Call 919-684-6611 for hours.
  • Musicians, singers, and poets perform from time to time in the Hospital's patient units and public spaces. Scheduled events are listed on Channel 2.
  • A writer-in-residence is available to discuss journaling as a means of stress management and self-expression, to read and discuss poetry and stories, and to offer feedback for patients interested in creative writing.
  • Volunteer readers are available to visit patients in their rooms to read news articles, stories, and poems.
  • Patients and visitors are invited to join in with a group that meets each Friday at noon to discuss short stories and poems and to hear guest readers. See Channel 2 for the Osler Literary Roundtable schedule.
  • Triangle Radio Reading Service on Channel 41 broadcasts volunteers reading stories, newspaper and magazine articles, and children's books.
  • "North Carolina Connections," the hospital's Arts and Humanities Channel (9), shows programs by and about North Carolinians.
  • Patients and their families are invited to visit Duke University Hospital's garden outside the cafeteria. Ambling walkways accommodate wheelchairs and benches provide places to rest.
  • HAND's Clearinghouse provides information about arts and humanities events scheduled on campus and in the Triangle.
  • If you are interested in supporting HAND, please call 919-684-2007 to learn how you can help.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens: 919-684-3698

The 53-acre Sarah P. Duke Gardens is located just across Flowers Drive from the Duke Clinic. With its delightful walkways, terraces, lakes and formal and informal garden areas, the Gardens are one of the finest examples of gardens as an art form in the United States.

Begun in the 1930s and inspired by one of Duke University Medical Center's prominent early physician faculty members, Dr. Frederic Hanes, they are dedicated to and honor Sarah P. Duke, wife of Benjamin Duke and sister-in-law of James Buchanan Duke, the University's founding benefactor.

Open daily from 8 a.m. until dusk, the gardens are available free of charge to all who wish to partake of their beauty and serenity. The Gardens office offers tram tours for all patients and horticulture therapy sessions for pediatrics patients. Call 919-684-3698 for details.

Duke Chapel: 919-684-2572

Duke Chapel is located within walking distance of Duke Hospital on the West campus of Duke University. Built in 1932, the chapel features a 210-foot tower patterned after the Bell Harry Tower of Canterbury Cathedral; 50 bells, including one that weighs 11,200 pounds; 77 stained glass windows made from more than 1 million pieces of glass.

The chapel is open every day except Christmas Day. During the academic year, Chapel hours are from 8 a.m. - 10 p.m. Sunday services are at 11 a.m.

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About This Page

Published: 08/31/2004
Updated: 08/31/2004
URL: http://www.dukehealth.org/PatientsAndVisitors/Orientation/GettingAround