Interesting Things To Do In Charlotte NC

An Overview of Charlotte

Charlotte is a major city and commercial hub in the Eastern United States. The large city, which sprawls through dense urban environments and appealing suburbia areas, has a metropolitan-southern charm. People living in the city are only a few hours away from North Carolina’s popular beaches or various outdoor features hidden in the Appalachian Mountains. With excellent museum organizations, numerous eateries, southern US historical landmarks, a solid nightlife culture and popular sporting venues, there are many interesting things to do in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Interesting Things To Do In Charlotte

McGill Rose Garden

The McGill Rose Garden is a splendid quiet space located in the midst of an urban sprawl. The now-public garden is home to relaxing, winding paths and Rosie’s Coffee and Wine Garden. The gardens are open each day from 7 AM to 10 PM with free entry.

Musical Parking Garage

While most parking structures in urban environments are bleak concrete towers full of tight turns and slow angles, the Musical Parking Garage is unique. Also known as the “Touch My Building” this parking garage designed by sound artist and architect Christopher Janney, has transparent blue and purple rectangles, connected to 36 30-foot-tall red fins. When touched, these fins light up to play music. Note that the parking garage is rather expensive, requiring more than $20 USD to park inside.

David Černý’s Metalmorphosis

Likely one of the most iconic installations in Charlotte, this large structure was created by Czech Republic artist David Černý. The kinestic sculpture depicts a reflecive, plished human head resting in a reflecting pool. The sculpture can be found in the Whitehall Corporate Center in Charlotte.

Big Rock Nature Preserve

This peaceful woodland area is home to a series of large granite formations, with the exposed boulders resting on the ground. The site of the boulders was once an important landmark for Native Americans, using the location as a campsite for generations. Stone tools, animal tools, fragments of cooking pots and musket balls were all found during excavations on-site. The large boulders are located a few hundred feet into the woods off of Elmstone Drive.

Wall Poem of Charlotte

Located in Uptown Charlotte and around First Ward Park, several buildings are painted with thoughtful poem murals. There are multiple poem murals in Charlotte, with most being concentrated around First Ward. There are several more on North Brevard Street.

NASCAR Hall of Fame

For people who appreciate speed, precision machinery and death-defying drivers, the NASCAR Hall of Fame honors the greatest contributors to the sport. During the Prohibition Era, outlaws making Moonshine modified evasion vehicles to outrun cops and federal agents, augmenting their cars with better engines, spring shocks and specialized tires. These bootleggers eventually pitted cars in races against one another, until it became an official when Big Bill France and other drivers founded the first NASCAR event. The Hall of Fame carries this legacy, as well as the great crew chiefs, patrons, broadcasters and drivers who contributed to the rise of the sport.

Discovery Place Science

This is a fantastic science and technology musuem dedicated to hands-on education for children and teens. The large learning center has interactive exhibits, a digital planetarium and an aquarium feature.

The Mint Museum

The Mint Museum of Charlotte is a cultural institution currently serving as a art institution in the heart of the city. The museum once served as a major historical hub during the Mecklenburg County gold rush, minting gold coins until it was repurposed as a Confederate States headquarters in the Civil War. The museum has a second branch located closer to the city’s center called the Mint Museum Uptown. Both museums are highly rated by professionals and guests alike.

Sherman Branch Nature Preserve

This nature preserve in the heart of Mecklenburg County is home to a series of twisting trails and loops for dirt bikers. The trails are especially popular for beginning and intermediate riders, though there are several designated hiking routes as well.

U.S. National Whitewater Center

This is the world’s largest manmade whitewater river which has served as a United States Olympic training site. The rapids offer impressive intensity with the Whitewater Center being ranked with Class IV rapids. The fantastic rapids are part of a much broader outdoor center, with kayaking, rafting, flatwater canoeing, rock climbing and more. With numerous activities, the Whitewater center is considered one of the most interesting things to do in Charlotte. For participation in events, visitors must buy a Day Pass, but guests can watch people rafting for free if they’d prefer to relax or walk the nearby trails. There’s a small parking fee to reach the Whitewater Center.

UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte Botanical Gardens, sometimes called the Charlotte Botanical Gardens, are an inspirationally beautiful series of botanical gardens, with cultivated plants, round stone archways, narrow creeks and hidden waterfalls. Entry to the gardens is free, though donations are appreciated.

Levine Museum of the New South

This is an interesting historic museum which hosts a series of temporary and permanent exhibitions focusing on life in the North Carolina Piedmont both before and after the American Civil War, with a strong focus on how the American South has changed. The museum’s mission is to create a stronger foundation of understand as well as empathy for others through historical connection’s and shared roots through time.

Wing Haven

This is a small, quiet oasis ringed by an enclosed brick garden. The space is a popular, reflective bird sanctuary with Southern horticulture and carefully tended habitats for birds and wildlife.

Susie Harwood Garden

This tucked-away free-entry public garden hosts numerous Asian and exotic plants built as an Asian-themed garden. The site is extrodinarily popular with photographers and wedding photoshoots.

Reed Gold Mine 

Prior to the United States Civil War, the Reed Gold Mine kicked off one of the first Gold Rushes in the United States. The mine itself has the honor of being the first documented gold find in the young nation. Historically vital, the gold mine is still open to visitors who can pan for gold, explore the old underground mines and visit a restored stamp mill. The Reed Mine was responsible for much of the region’s early wealth with an estimated $10 million dollars of gold yielded from the ground. Visitors arriving to pan for gold must pay a small fee, and panning season is limited to April through October.

The 7th Street Public Market 

This is a lively, indoor shopping market with bars, bakeries and counter-service shops. It’s a popular, bustling urban food destination in the heart of Charlotte’s Center City

Candlelight Concerts

A mainstay in Charlotte’s cultural realm, there are host of concerts illuminated entirely by candlelight with live musicians. The unique concerts are held at a variety of venues, offering classical and modern compositions in strangely intimate, flickering settings.

Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden

This beautiful botanical garden space covers over 300 acres of rolling meadows, lush woodlands and curving lakefront lawns. The gardens are also home to sparking fountains, a manicured conservatory, beautiful orchids and a visitor pavilion.

Captain Jack Statue

Located near Elizabeth Park on the Little Sugar Creek Greenway, this statue of a man riding a horse at breakneck speeds is the legendary war hero, Captain James Jack. The American Revolutionary’s legacy is deeply linked to the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. According to legend, the relatively obscure man rode through enemy lines, delivering the vital Meck Dec (Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence) Documents to the President of the Continental Congress in Philadelphia in 1775.  The statue is one of several important stops on the Trail of History found on The Little Sugar Creek Greenway.

James K. Polk Historic Homesite

America’s 11th President was born into some obscurity, with his original birthplace long-vanished to events and histroy by the early 1900s. However, the Daughters of the American Revolution combed through historical archives until they planted a stone marker where James K. Polk is thought to have lived. Eventually, the site became a tourist attraction, with period-accurate log cabins built in the area. The Polk Family was integral to the early development to the United States. For example, James Polk’s great uncle Thomas Polk, was a prominent signer of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence.

Camp North End

Camp North End is a community gathering complex known for its excellent public art venues, food stalls and occasional events. The area has interior artworks, exterior murals, a standing old-fashioned water tower and unique displays. The semi-outdoor venue once served as a car factory and military depot.

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