Every day, people arrive in North Carolina’s largest city to create family memories, enjoy an exciting getaway, or embark on a peaceful retreat. Between the metropolitan center and charming neighborhoods, the Queen City’s impressive array of attractions, restaurants, and natural wonders offers more than enough ways to fill a trip. Depending on what’s calling you and your travel companions to Charlotte, read on for three of our favorite ways to spend a day.
Start the day or unwind in the evening among the rose bushes at Rosie’s Coffee & Wine Garden. Photography courtesy of Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority
Morning: Ease into your day at Rosie’s Coffee & Wine Garden, located at McGill Rose Garden just outside of the NoDa arts district. As you step through the back door of Rosie’s, you’re transported into a botanical oasis, home to more than 900 rose bushes.
Choose an outdoor seat along the paths that meander through two acres of lush plantings, beneath an archway draped with morning glories, or beside whimsical sculptures. As you sip your raspberry latte, take in the garden’s Zen. You’ll see railroad tracks and a coal car tucked among the greenery — remnants of the garden’s past life as a coal yard.
Browse the shelves for gently used titles at That’s Novel Books to add to your collection. Photography courtesy of Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority
Inside Grow’s cozy, wood-shingled building in Camp North End, you can shop for gardening accessories, home decor, and playful pieces of clothing in addition to plants. Photography courtesy of Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority
Afternoon: Just north of Uptown, take the afternoon at your own pace at Camp North End, a sprawling space with retail, restaurants, offices, and apartments, plus public art, food stalls, and regular events. It’s an easy place to while away the afternoon, visiting the eateries and indie shops that line the streets of this former Ford Model T factory.
Start at Gravity Sourdough Pizza Co. with an inventive slice, like their Greek Out pie complete with roasted chicken, black olives, feta, and tzatziki sauce. Next stop: That’s Novel Books for used books and cozy nooks to read for a bit.
At Grow, select a plant to take home — perhaps a playful string of pearls — as well as some comfy Le Bon Shoppe socks. Shop for original artworks by local artists at Windy O’Connor Art & Home and DUPP&SWAT.
From Broadway shows to orchestral performances, Blumenthal Arts’ venues offer entertainment to captivate a range of interests. Photography courtesy of Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority
Evening: Take in a world-class performance at one of the four theaters that fall under the umbrella of Blumenthal Arts, all located in Uptown Charlotte. Usually, you can choose from multiple events ranging from ballet to jazz and everything in between. Upcoming shows include the Tony-award winning musical Les Miserables at the Belk Theater, jazz trumpeter Etienne Charles performing his Gullah Roots Suite at Stage Door Theater, and the Charlotte Ballet’s rendition of Carmen at the Knight Theater.
Visit the Innovation Nation exhibit at the Sullenberger Aviation Museum to see replica planes from the Wright Flyer to a P-80 (TV-1) Shooting Star, one of the first fighter jets used in military combat. Photography courtesy of Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority
Morning: Kick off an action-packed day at the Sullenberger Aviation Museum. Inside the museum’s main gallery, thousands of artifacts bring aviation history alive, starting with the Wright brothers’ first flight. “We have the F-14 Super Tomcat, which is very much like the one that was in Top Gun,” Museum President and CEO Stephen Saucier says.
The museum’s interactive technology, including touchscreens and augmented reality tablets, make your visit an immersive experience. Try your hand at flying on a flight simulator and check out the actual plane landed by Captain “Sully” Sullenberger on the icy Hudson River.
“You can watch a short film that tells the story of the Miracle on the Hudson that no other film does: from the perspective of the passengers,” Saucier says. It documents firsthand accounts of what those passengers, more than half of whom lived in the Charlotte area, experienced, felt, and thought. “When the plane lands, you hear the rumbling, the lights go off. Our guests experience the dramatic effect.”
Opening this summer inside the original 1937 Historic Hangar that paved the way for Charlotte Douglas International Airport, the Aviation City exhibit will tell the story of local aviation history. Visitors will be able to climb inside the cockpit of a Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star and, via an immersive stimulator, take it for a virtual spin.
Afternoon: Next up, head to the massive Whitewater Center for an afternoon of high-octane fun. The 1,300-acre outdoor recreation haven is a one-stop rafting, kayaking, rock climbing, and ziplining destination beside the Catawba River. When you need to refuel, the center offers everything from grab-and-go sandwiches to a biergarten to sit-down dining.
In addition to navigating Class II, III, and IV rapids on the nearly half-mile-long, man-made river, test your climbing skills on the 46-foot-high climbing wall, zipline over a 90-foot canyon, and challenge yourself on one of 20 aerial ropes courses among the treetops.
Looking to level up your experience even more? Check out the center’s Big Water Sessions with double the waterflow and an even higher intensity run.
Chef Sam Hart guides guests through the courses on the tasting menu at Counter-. photograph by Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority
Evening: At Counter-, each evening is a journey through a fixed 10- to 14-course tasting menu based on a theme. Chef Sam Hart’s creative menus highlight themes ranging from the cuisines of India and Southeast Asia to the state’s bountiful ingredients to artist Frida Kahlo.
As the kitchen’s audience, diners are surrounded by music and locally created art that tie in with the motif, creating an ambience that complements the cuisine. The restaurant keeps each theme — like the current Coast which is centered around the North Carolina shores — for three months. After that, Counter- transforms with a new menu, paintings, and music.
NASCAR Hall of Fame exhibits like Glory Road transport visitors straight to the speedway. Photography courtesy of Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority
Morning: Start your day at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, set in the middle of Charlotte’s bustling Uptown. Just through the door, the Glory Road exhibit curves around part of the space, greeting visitors with a race-day scene. Stock cars driven by the sport’s greats line the track, including Richard Petty’s 1972 Dodge Charger, Jimmie Johnson’s 2006 Chevy Monte Carlo, Dale Earnhardt’s 1981 Pontiac Grand Prix.
Join the gaggle of kids balancing on the track’s steep 33-degree bank, don’t miss the life-size star of Cars’ Lightning McQueen, and be sure to take a spin around the track in the simulator. Before you leave, visit the virtual painting booth where you can “build” your own race car.
Jumpstart your adrenaline at Carowinds with rides like the Afterburn. Photography courtesy of Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority
Afternoon: Carowinds’ may be known for its roller coasters (Copperhead Strike, anyone?), but Camp Snoopy is just right for an afternoon of fun with the younger set. Shady brick paths and water features create an inviting space for families to splash and play together.
Coming later this spring, two new family-friendly rides will open in Camp Snoopy. On Charlie Brown’s River Raft Blast, the whole group will climb aboard an eight-seat boat to navigate Snoopy’s swimming hole. Along the way, riders can spray nearby vessels with on-board water cannons.
The new Snoopy’s Racing Railway will allow parents to take their kids on a wild train ride with everyone’s favorite beagle, who’s racing to deliver pizza and root beer to Woodstock and friends at the camp mess hall. Beagle Scout Acres, an 8,000-square-foot play area, features sand boxes, seesaws, slides, climbing structures, and no wait.
Pick up lunch or dinner at Harriet’s Hamburgers and don’t forget a side order of Golden Fries. Photography courtesy of Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority
Evening: Take your crew to The Bowl at Ballantyne, where the dining choices are plentiful. Sip lemonade and dig into Bossy Beulah’s signature crunchy chicken sandwich at picnic tables on the restaurant’s sheltered patio or grab a couple of “OG” burgers for the adults and Happiness Meals for the kids from Harriet’s Hamburgers for a carefree picnic on the grassy stretch of Ballantyne’s Backyard.
After dinner, walk across the bridge to Stream Park, where the little ones can work off their energy by zipping down slides and scaling steep slopes as the day turns to dusk.
So, pick your vibe: Whether you want to explore local shops at a leisurely pace, get your heart racing during an outdoor adventure, or share the experience with the whole family, you can do it all in Charlotte. Click here to learn more and start planning your trip.
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