Listed on the National Register since 1989, the Davidson Historic District covers most of the old village core: a few blocks around the college, Main Street's brick storefronts, and the surrounding streets of clapboard houses with deep porches and pecan trees in the front yards. Some date from before the Civil War.
The district is small enough to walk in an hour, and a self-guided walking-tour pamphlet is available at the Davidson Visitor Information Center on South Street. Best on a weekday morning, when Main Street is busy but not crowded and the campus is in full session.