The Sweetest Day of the Year! Root Beer Float Day at The Durham Museum

The Durham Museum will celebrate National Root Beer Float Day with free 8 oz. root beer floats to all visitors on Saturday, August 4. Each visitor will receive a ticket for one root beer float during museum hours, 10AM-5PM. Regular museum admission applies and members are free. The complimentary floats are being generously underwritten by the Baer Foundation.
As a kick-off for Saturday’s event, Durham Museum summer camp staff will compete in “Iron Chef: Root Beer Float” edition. The competition will run 12:30-1PM on Thursday, August 2 in The Durham Museum’s Swanson Gallery. Contestants will choose from an assortment of sodas, ice creams, syrups and toppings and get 5 minutes to pick out their ingredients and make the best “float” they can. The winner goes home with the “golden scoop”. The summer camp kids watch and cheer on their favorite teacher, craziness will ensue and then each camper will get a small root beer float to celebrate the last day of camp as well as Root Beer Float Day! Media and museum guests are welcome to watch.
The Durham Museum’s authentic soda fountain dates back to the earliest days of Union Station, which opened in 1931. Soda jerks still make floats the old-fashioned way, by hand-scooping ice-cream and adding root beer flavoring and seltzer water. In addition to the famous treat, visitors will have the opportunity to learn more about the history of soda jerks and experience how travelers enjoyed the soda fountain while passing through Union Station in its heyday.