Remember the story about the blind men and the elephant? How one blind man touched its trunk and announced that the elephant was like a snake? And then another blind man touched its ear and retorted that, no, the elephant was like a fan? And a third blind man touched its leg and disagreed with the first two, saying that the elephant was like a tree?
With nearly a million people living in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, Charlotte is like that elephant. The city is so large and offers so much that you must decide what kind of weekend you want. NASCAR? Taking a ride around Lowe’s Motor Speedway turned me into a NASCAR follower; I heartily recommend it to anyone who’s the least bit curious about what the drivers experience on race day! Museums? Art? Some of the most appealing modern art I’ve ever seen is on display at the Mint Museum. Colonial history? Music? Kid stuff? Shopping? Pro sports? See what I mean? You can even find one of the state’s best environmentally oriented destinations, the Carolina Raptor Center, just outside the city. Big and bold and boundless, Charlotte offers many ways to make a great weekend.
For a big-city feel, stay at the Dunhill Hotel (800-354-4141; www.dunhillhotel.com), located in the downtown cultural district within walking distance of Ericsson Stadium. For reasons that I’ve yet to pinpoint, the Dunhill reminds me of the Knickerbocker in Chicago. If you’d rather go the bed-and-breakfast route, try the Inn Uptown (800-959-1990 or 704-342-2800; http://yp.bellsouth.com/sites/inn-uptown). You’ll be as surprised as I was to find this Victorian mansion tucked away near North Carolina’s tallest skyscrapers. For something exceptionally different, visit Ms. Elsie’s Caribbean Bed and Breakfast (704-365-5189; http://www.bbonline.com/nc/mselsies), located on the south side of town on Sharon Amity Road. You’ll be amazed to find a tropical hideaway so far from the islands.
Where to Eat
If you’re downtown, just walk along Tryon Street until you find something appealing. Restaurants are tucked in every nook and cranny. If you don’t mind traveling, drive over to the South End District, which begins at the corner of South and East Boulevards. At last count, 25 eateries were located in or near the renovated Atherton Mill. Another street rich in dining opportunities is East Boulevard near the Dilworth neighborhood. If you want pizza, visit one of the several Fuel Pizza restaurants; I tried the one at the corner of South and East Boulevards. For an Italian meal, try Mangione’s, run by one of Charlotte’s oldest Italian families. Charlotteans sure seem to love the Providence Café, located in the Myers Park neighborhood. It’s easy to see why. The food is great, and it’s okay if you’re not dressed to the nines. For a blast from your past, visit South 21 Drive-In, located on South Boulevard. This old-style curb-service burger joint dates back to 1955. Try the “Superboy”!
Ways to While Away the Day
Antiques
Perhaps the biggest antiques event in the state is the Metrolina Antiques and Fine Collectibles Show, held the first weekend of each month at the Metro Expo, located north of Charlotte at Exit 16A off I-77. For more information, call 800-824-3770 or visit www.metrolinaantiqueshow.com.
Arts
If you’re downtown and want to see the frescoes of Ben Long, then put the Bank of America Corporate Center (100 North Tryon), Transamerica Square (401 North Tryon), and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (601 East Trade Street) on your walking tour.
You can excite your imagination at the Mint Museum of Craft + Design, also located downtown. Randy Schull’s furniture designs, Harvey Littleton’s glass sculptures, and Michael Sherrill’s ceramic pieces are astounding, as is the Chihuly chandelier in the museum’s lobby. The museum is open Tuesday through Thursday from 10 A.M. to 7 P.M., Friday from 10 A.M. to 9 P.M., Saturday from 10 A.M. to 7 P.M., and Sunday from noon to 5 P.M. An admission fee is charged except on the second Sunday of the month. For more information, call 704-337-2000 or visit www.mintmuseum.org.
The Mint Museum of Art, located at 2730 Randolph Road, focuses on North Carolina pottery and American paintings and decorative arts. It also has one of the most extensive collections of European ceramics in the country. As befits its name, it contains a collection of some of the original coins minted in North Carolina. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday; hours vary. An admission fee is charged. For more information, call 704-337-2000 or visit www.mintmuseum.org.
Environmental
I especially like the Carolina Raptor Center, located at Latta Plantation Nature Preserve at 6000 Sample Road in Huntersville, just north of Charlotte. A nonprofit organization, the Carolina Raptor Center rehabilitates injured and orphaned birds of prey. You’ll see owls, hawks, kestrels, and eagles. This is a must-see, especially if the kids are along. Latta Plantation Nature Preserve is perfect for horseback riding, canoeing, and fishing. For more information, call 704-875-6521 or visit www.birdsofprey.org.
Gardens
One of the best gardens in the state, Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens is located at 6500 South New Hope Road in nearby Belmont. Even if you don’t care a thing about landscaping, go see the fountains! Daniel Stowe set aside 450 acres for a world-class botanical garden. Over the last 11 years, 110 of those acres have been developed. A must-see for plant lovers, the gardens are open daily from 9 A.M. to 6 P.M. during the summer and from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. during the winter; they are closed Christmas. For more information, call 704-825-4490 or visit www.dsbg.org.
Also worth a look is the University of North Carolina-Charlotte Botanical Garden and Sculpture Garden, located on the campus at N.C. 49 North. The McMillan Greenhouse features orchids; it’s open Monday through Saturday from 10 A.M. to 3 P.M. For information, visit http://gardens.uncc.edu. You’ll also enjoy the Van Landinghan Rhododendron Glen and the Susie Harwood Ornamental Garden, both of which are open daily.
Golf
The Queen City serves up a generous number of courses for visitors to enjoy—so many that it would be unfair to mention only a few of them here. For the most complete list available, call 800-722-1994 or visit www.charlottecvb.org.
Heritage
To see what Charlotte looked like at the turn of the 20th century, walk through the Fourth Ward Historic District. The wonderful old homes will show you a side of the city that’s miles removed—in spirit, at least—from the glass towers that fill downtown just a few blocks away on Tryon Street.
Historic Rosedale Plantation, once a 911-acre plantation, is located at 3427 North Tryon Street. It is open for touring Thursday and Sunday from 1 P.M. to 4 P.M. An admission fee is charged. For more information, call 704-335-0325.
The Hezekiah Alexander Homesite and the Charlotte Museum of History, both located at 3500 Shamrock Drive, capture the early days of Charlotte, when the spirit of colonial rebellion was rampant. An admission fee is charged. For more information, call 704-568-1774 or visit www.charlottemuseum.org.
Kid Stuff
For a day at the amusement park, head to Paramount’s Carowinds Water and Theme Park, located south of Charlotte at Exit 909 off I-77. I could tell you about the fun I’ve had here, but go see for yourself. An admission fee is charged. For more information, call 800-888-4386 or visit www.carowinds.com.
Discovery Place, one of the best hands-on science museums in the nation, has been wowing visitors since the late 1970s. It is located at 301 North Tryon Street. An admission fee is charged. For more information, call 704-372-6261 or visit www.discoveryplace.org.
The Charlotte Trolley Museum, located at 2100 South Boulevard, tells how the electric trolley was key to Charlotte’s growth. And yes, you can take a trolley ride along some of the remaining tracks. The museum is open Friday and Saturday from 10 A.M. to 9 P.M. and Sunday from 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. A fee is charged to ride the trolley. For more information, visit www.charlottetrolley.org.
The Levine Museum of the New South chronicles the changes in the social, economic, and cultural makeup of the Carolina Piedmont after the Civil War. Among the subjects covered are life in the cotton mills and the civil-rights movement. Located at 200 East Seventh Street, the museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. Admission is charged except on the second Saturday of each month. For more information, call 704-333-1887 or visit www.museumofthenewsouth.org.
The Carolinas Historic Aviation Museum is perfectly located at the back door of Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, where it is surrounded by jets thundering in takeoff. The museum preserves the aviation history of Charlotte and the Carolinas. The main hangar dates to 1936. Inside are a Piedmont DC-3 and a replica of a Mercury capsule; outside is a wide variety of military aircraft, including a PT-17 Keydet and what looks like a predecessor of today’s Osprey, a V33 Skycat. You’ll find the museum at 4108 Airport Drive off Morris Field Road, near Billy Graham Parkway. It is open Monday through Saturday from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. and Sunday from 1 P.M. to 5 P.M. An admission fee is charged. For more information, call 704-359-8442.
Tidbits
Charlotte is named for Princess Charlotte Sophia, the German-born wife of King George III. Mecklenburg is the duchy she hailed from.
Who has lived in Charlotte? Lots of folks, among them Mrs. Stonewall Jackson, actor Randolph Scott, author Carson McCullers, and evangelist Billy Graham.
America’s first declaration of independence from Great Britain, the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence—or “Meck Dec,” as it’s known locally—was signed in Charlotte on May 20, 1775, a year before the one in Philadelphia.
The building housing the Mint Museum of Art has a most interesting history. Originally located in uptown Charlotte, it first served as a branch of the United States Mint. Later, it was used as a Confederate headquarters and hospital. When new construction threatened its site, the building was bought by a group of preservationists for $950 and moved to the current location.
NASCAR
The heart and soul of Charlotte’s sports action is, and will probably always be, NASCAR. If getting a ticket to a Nextel race proves impossible, don’t despair! There’s the Legends Series, as well as the Busch Series. Lowe’s Motor Speedway is open for tours every day. For more information, call 704-455-3204 or visit www.lowesmotorspeedway.com. If you have a sense of adventure, you can see for yourself what it’s like to drive a racecar. At 167 m.p.h., the Richard Petty Experience certainly satisfied my need for speed! To arrange a ride, call 800-237-3889 or visit www.1800bepetty.com. While you’re in the area, you can tour the facilities of Joe Gibbs Racing (704-944-5000; www.joegibbsracing.com) in Huntersville and Hendrick Motorsports (704-455-3400; www.hendrickmotorsports.com) in Harrisburg.
Performing Arts
As you’d expect, Charlotte has lots to offer those seeking theatrical and musical productions. Among the venues and organizations in the city are the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center (704-372-1000; www.performingartctr.org/), which stages Broadway touring shows; the Charlotte Repertory Theater (704-333-8587); the North Carolina Dance Theater (704-372-0101), which offers classical ballet and contemporary work; the Charlotte Philharmonic Society (704-846-2788); the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra (704-972-2000; www.charlottesymphony.org); and Theater Charlotte (704-334-9128).
If you seek laughs, try the Comedy Zone at 516 North College Street; call 704-348-4242.
Shopping
Where to go, where to go? Concord Mills, located just off I-85 north of Charlotte, houses 200 stores and outlets. It’s open Monday through Saturday from 10 A.M. to 9:30 P.M. and Sunday from 11 A.M. to 7 P.M.; call 704-979-3000. Then there are the two big malls, South Park Mall (located at 4400 Sharon Road) and Eastland Mall (located at 5471 Central Avenue). And you’ll find lots of specialty and home-decorating stores at Atherton Mill in the South End District, as well as several specialty stores on Providence Road in Myers Park.
Sports
If you’re not a NASCAR fan, you’ll be glad to learn that Charlotte offers a variety of other professional sports, including Carolina Panthers professional football (704-358-1644; www.panthers.com), Charlotte Knights minor-league baseball (704-357-8071; www.charlotteknights.com), Charlotte Checkers minor-league ice hockey (704-342-4423; www.gocheckers.com); Carolina Bobcats men’s professional basketball (704-424-4860; www.nba.com.bobcats/), and Charlotte Sting women’s professional basketball (704-424-9622; www.charlottesting.com). The UNC-Charlotte 49ers are known to play a great brand of basketball themselves; for information, call 704-687-4949 or visit www.Charlotte49ers.oscn.com.
Other Points of Interest
Although Chapel Hill thinks of itself as the quintessential college town, Davidson seems a more likely winner of that title. With Davidson College on one side of N.C. 115 and the town’s shops on the other, this little burg serves up the charm! If you go, be sure to note the inlaid granite slabs in the sidewalk that explain what the storefronts originally were. You might also want to browse Main Street Books or step inside Tom Clark’s gallery to see a wonderful collection of gnomes (one of which looks like Woody Allen to me). For lunch, visit the Soda Shop. If you’re in the mood for some entertainment, check into what the Davidson Community Players are producing; call 704-892-7953.
If you adore classic cars, then put Backing Up Classics Auto Museum on the itinerary. The museum includes 50 or so classics, including a 1951 Ford Woody wagon, a 1962 Chevrolet 409 Bubbletop, and a 1935 DeSoto Airflow. Because the cars are for sale, the selection may change. The museum is located at 4545 Concord Parkway South in Concord. It is open daily. An admission fee is charged. For more information, call 704-782-7716 or visit www.morrisonmotorco.com.
The Museum of the Alphabet, the brainchild of William Cameron Townsend, focuses on the gift of written language. It is amazing! Beautiful exhibits take complex historical and intellectual information and bring it to life as they explain the world’s writing systems. You’ll see, for example, how the Cyrillic alphabet used in Russia differs from our Roman alphabet. The museum is located at 6409 Davis Road near Waxhaw. It is open from 9 A.M. to noon and from 1 P.M. to 3:30 P.M. Monday through Saturday. For more information, call 704-843-6066 or visit www.jaars.org/museum/alphabet/.
To learn about the discovery of gold in North Carolina, visit Reed Gold Mine State Historic Site, located near Locust off N.C. 24/ N.C. 27. For information, call 704-721-4653 or visit www.ah.dcr.state.nc/sections/hs/reed.reed.htm.
Festivals/Events
| January | Davidson hosts the Rocky River Road Club’s Polar Bear Metric Century bike ride. Riders can choose either a 100K (62-mile) or a 50K (31-mile) ride. Minors ride free with a parent. For information, visit www.rockyriverroadclub.com. |
| April | The Southern Ideal Home Show is held at the Charlotte Merchandise Mart. |
| Charlotte Steeplechase | |
| November | The Southern Christmas Show is held at the Charlotte Merchandise Mart. |
| December | Nearby McAdenville transforms into Christmastown USA during the holidays. The lights display is so spectacular that national news programs often broadcast scenes of this little town. For information, visit www.gastontourism.com. |
More Resources
For information, contact the Charlotte Convention and Visitor Bureau by calling 800-722-1994 or 704-334-2282 or by visiting www.charlottecvb.org.
Walking-tour maps for downtown Charlotte are available from INFO! Charlotte at 330 South Tryon Street.
You can reach the Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center by calling 704-892-1922.
For other nearby activities (including information on additional race shops open for touring), see the “Weekend in the Foothills” chapter.