A Year-Round Guide to Franklin and Nantahala

Christmas would be incomplete without Charlotte Ballet’s Nutcracker, staged at Belk Theater in the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. Patricia McBride, Charlotte Ballet’s associate artistic director, was awarded a Kennedy Center

Rosemary and Goat Cheese Strata

Christmas would be incomplete without Charlotte Ballet’s Nutcracker, staged at Belk Theater in the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. Patricia McBride, Charlotte Ballet’s associate artistic director, was awarded a Kennedy Center

Photo Essay: Queen City Christmas

Christmas would be incomplete without Charlotte Ballet’s Nutcracker, staged at Belk Theater in the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. Patricia McBride, Charlotte Ballet’s associate artistic director, was awarded a Kennedy Center Honor in 2014.


Charlotte’s vibrant Greek community gathers at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral on East Boulevard. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, the church conducts a service every morning. Here, the Rev. Fr. Michael Varvarelis presides.


Diamonds for a queen, wings for an angel, and who spies a Santa hat in the Singing Christmas Tree?  For more than 60 years of Christmases, the Carolina Voices have performed this production that combines singing, dancing, and comedy skits.


Decorations hit the literal big time outside the plaza of Two Wells Fargo Center in Uptown. Stop by for a selfie; everyone looks good with gold.


Take it outdoors — on more than 7,000 square feet of ice. Charlotte’s only outdoor ice-skating rink is open November to January at the NASCAR Hall of Fame Plaza. Show off your best Scott Hamilton figure eight. Swoosh.


At the intersection of Trade and Tryon streets, a festive tree reaches for the heavens along with neighboring skyscrapers. Dwarfed in height, but not in beauty, its soft glow illuminates a city’s silent night.


You’ll want to take a lap around the Charlotte Motor Speedway at a more leisurely pace than your favorite NASCAR drivers. Revelers can take in more than 3 million lights that line the track from the comfort of their own cars.


The Billy Graham Library plays host each evening to Christmas carolers, horse-drawn carriage rides, holiday stories, and a live nativity featuring donkeys, lambs, and a camel.


Theatre Charlotte is the oldest continually producing community theatre in North Carolina. Its annual production of A Christmas Carol is a community favorite.

This story was published on Dec 02, 2015

Our State Staff

Since 1933, Our State has shared stories about North Carolina with readers both in state and around the world. We celebrate the people and places that make this state great. From the mountains to the coast, we feature North Carolina travel, history, food, and beautiful scenic photography.