Charlotte For a Day

October 10, 2006 9:06 PM

What is a nice part of Charlotte, NC to hang out in for a day?

I'll be in Charlotte, NC this Sunday where I'm meeting a friend. Neither of us have ever been there. Any suggestions for a part of town (or a couple of neighborhoods) that has an interesting cafe, a restaurant, and maybe a park, museum, gallery, or just an interesting neighborhood to stroll around in. I want to try an minimize driving. Thanks.

posted by philmas to Society & Culture (10 answers total)

Charlotte has quite a few interesting museums and cultural centers... and it's the home of NASCAR. It's a diverse town with a fair bit to offer. Check out the Dilworth area and the city center for some ideas. I seem to remember a store in the Dilworth neighborhood named the Paper Scraper that my mom used to buy really quirky gifts in. I've not spent any time in the city in the last 5 years. I'm fairly out of the loop, but have fond memories of the city.
posted by tumble at 10:35 PM on October 10, 2006

I lived in Charlotte briefly in 2003-04 and I remember "Uptown" (what they call downtown in Charlotte) being pretty quiet on Sundays. But it's pretty easy to get around Uptown by foot (or the local trolley) and there are a couple interesting things--Settlers Cemetery and the murals in the Bank of America building come to mind. But the restaurants and cafes tend to be more active during the work week. Dilworth and the historic South End area might be better on a Sunday, but you'll probably need a car to get around effectively.
posted by mullacc at 11:26 PM on October 10, 2006

Here's a link to restaurants/shops in the Dilworth area.
posted by mullacc at 11:32 PM on October 10, 2006

Dilworth will be the artsy/older section that attracts the new money types in Charlotte.

NoDa is the hip/young/no money types with some good bars and a few good resturants.

University is middle class, everything new (but be careful, I think there's a NASCAR race this weekend and it can be BAD traffic).

Depending on your tastes, there are many areas to hang out in.

You can may me if you want any other info.

irlshamrock at hotmail dot com
posted by keep it tight at 5:38 AM on October 11, 2006

I was just in Charlotte for a few days and people in our group enjoyed the Mint Museum and the Discovery Place (where my dh and kids made a hilarious dvd as part of this exhibit).
While they were doing that, my sister and I had the most amazing meal at Mert's.
posted by Biblio at 5:39 AM on October 11, 2006

thats MAIL me.... i really fat fingered that one
posted by keep it tight at 5:39 AM on October 11, 2006

There was a short thread about things to do in Charlotte just last week in the Chapel Hill music newsgroup.
posted by mediareport at 5:49 AM on October 11, 2006

Yes, do avoid University area this weekend. The race is Saturday night, but traffic will still be awful and the crowds anywhere in the area will be obnoxious. Also, there will be trash everywhere in an otherwise very clean town.

I recommend strolling around uptown. There are lots of good restaurants there, notably Fuel Pizza. I've only driven through uptown on Sundays but there seems to be a casual, touristy crowd wandering about so I'm sure the stores and restaurants are open.

I also very much like NoDa and you cannot go wrong having a chat over a Mellow Mushroom calzone. And that restaurant is about as interesting as they come.
posted by bristolcat at 5:54 AM on October 11, 2006

Response by poster: Thanks everyone. This gives me a lot to go on and I have some idesa for future visits to the area. The nearby National Whitewater Center, which I had never heard of and the ruins of Heritage, USA in Fort Mill, SC. These later diversions aside, it sounds like Charlotte has some interesting neighborhoods, eats, and activites. Thanks.
Phil
posted by philmas at 10:34 AM on October 11, 2006

I hope you post an update (and pics!) of your visit to Heritage USA! I spent a couple hours this afternoon exploring it on the Internet, thanks to this question, but most of the sites I looked at seem to be at least a few years old. I'm anxious to hear how it fares now. Have fun!
posted by bristolcat at 6:15 PM on October 11, 2006