{"id":47098,"date":"2014-05-09T18:05:07","date_gmt":"2014-05-09T22:05:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/?p=47098"},"modified":"2025-09-02T02:58:47","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T06:58:47","slug":"things-to-do-charlotte-north-carolina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/47098\/things-to-do-charlotte-north-carolina\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Things to Do in Charlotte, North Carolina"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cCharlotte is whatever you want it to be,\u201d slurred a jovial, former New Yorker I met at <\/span>The Thirsty Beaver<\/span>\u00a0my first night in town. <\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout my weekend I continued to collect equally vague albeit surprisingly accurate mantras. Another was, \u201cNo one who lives here is from here.\u201d Charlotte is very much a town of collected people, clustering in little neighborhoods, bringing the best of where they came from. The result is a pleasant cocktail of southern charm and cosmopolitan flair.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Charlotte,

Speaking of running, everyone here is an avid jogger. I was told this is due to the great weather, beautiful neighborhoods and hearty local appetite for all things fried and cheesy. During my weekend in Charlotte, I found myself thinking very often, they live a very nice life here.<\/p>\n

The Must Do\u2019s<\/h2>\n

\"NoDa

NoDa, short for North Davidson, is a stretch near downtown known for some of the hippest eateries and breweries. The star here is NoDa Brewing Company<\/a>, who were happy to announce their 2014 World Beer Cup Gold Award in the American Style IPA category for their delightful Hop, Drop n\u2019 Roll. Locals come to sit and soak in the atmosphere, which is decidedly unlike most bars in the sense that you\u2019re not supposed to drink to get drunk. The ambiance is calm and sophisticated\u2014the brewery operates mainly as a tasting room, closing before anyone can have too many, with a variety of food trucks conveniently parked outside many nights.<\/p>\n

The Eats<\/h2>\n

\"Charlotte

Journey into the Fourth Ward<\/strong>, a neighborhood tucked just off the downtown area but with a very different feel. It\u2019s all colorful Victorian homes and quaint streets here, with the no-frills Alexander Michael\u2019s<\/a> pub and restaurant at its heart. If you have another pastry hankering, The Fourth Ward Bread Co (closed)<\/em>\u00a0offered an industrial contrast to the \u2018hood with coffee and treats. It boasts the South\u2019s own iteration of the cronut, the…Kronut\u2014basically a deep fried croissant well-decorated with cinnamon and sugar, and every bit as delicious as it sounds.<\/p>\n

For something a bit meatier, in the offbeat South End, Mac\u2019s Speed Shop<\/a> serves world class BBQ indoors, and on the fine April afternoon I attended, outdoors at picnic tables as well. Try the pulled pork, a North Carolina staple, and savor the biker atmosphere.<\/p>\n

The Digs<\/h2>\n

\"The

The city doesn\u2019t give off that Southern romantic air until you get to the sprawling homes and towering willow trees around The Duke Mansion<\/a>, a historic inn. Even if you don\u2019t shack up here, come to walk the grounds\u2014truly marvelous in a Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil kind of way.<\/p>\n

The Local Tip<\/h2>\n

Head to Plaza Midwood, the latest quirky pop-up neighborhood. Locals make The Thirsty Beaver<\/a> whatever they want it to be. Stocked with a Ms. PacMan machine, pool tables, and an infamous NASCAR\u00a0Hall of Fame photo that may make you blush, on the night I happened to visit, it hosted a weathered solo artist performing to the small crowd all the way from Pismo Beach, California. I\u2019ve never made so many friends and so fast as I did in Charlotte, North Carolina.<\/p>\n

How to Get There and Around<\/h2>\n

\"Charlotte

If you want to tour the best of the breweries, get a designated driver on a Charlotte Brews Cruise. You can book for groups or individuals and your friendly guide will take good care of you.<\/p>\n

For ziplining, rock climbing or one of the many music festivals at the The National Whitewater Center, you will need to hire a taxi. Try the ridesharing app Lyft<\/a>, and look out for the car with a pink furry mustache.<\/p>\n

Charlotte Douglas International Airport<\/a> is a short two hour flight from any NYC airport, or a long, leisurely train ride on Amtrak. On arrival, take The Sprinter bus downtown for a cheap $2. The LYNX\u00a0Light Rail<\/a> can also help you get around town during your visit.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Photos: James Willamor<\/a>, CRVA\/Visit Charlotte,\u00a0Carly Pifer, bz3rk<\/a>, Mac\u2019s Speed Shop, B-Cycle<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cCharlotte is whatever you want it to be,\u201d slurred a jovial, former New Yorker I met at The Thirsty Beaver\u00a0my first night in town. Throughout my weekend I continued to collect equally vague albeit surprisingly accurate mantras. Another was, \u201cNo one who lives here is from here.\u201d Charlotte is very much a town of collected […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":87,"featured_media":50211,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[316,784,1508,850,831,772,759,783,761,750,817,854,758,1341,773,852,829,775,1089,777,851,834,769,1057,1002,781,778,956,774,845,847,802],"tags":[238,116,31,381,293,145,125,110,18,133,282,84],"class_list":{"0":"post-47098","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-weekend-getaways","8":"category-adventure-activity-2","9":"category-amtrak-getaways","10":"category-antiques-shopping-2","11":"category-architecture-culture-2","12":"category-bakery-food-drink","13":"category-bar-activity-2","14":"category-barbecue-food-drink","15":"category-beer-activity-2","16":"category-bike-2","17":"category-biking-adventure-activity-2","18":"category-boutiques-shopping-2","19":"category-cafe-activity-2","20":"category-charlotte","21":"category-chocolate-food-drink","22":"category-crafts-shopping-2","23":"category-culture-2","24":"category-ethnic","25":"category-farmers-market-shopping-2","26":"category-fine-dining","27":"category-flea-market-shopping-2","28":"category-gardens-culture-2","29":"category-historic-sites-culture","30":"category-museums-culture-2","31":"category-north-carolina","32":"category-outdoor-dining","33":"category-picnic-food-drink","34":"category-plane-2","35":"category-restaurants-food-drink","36":"category-sculpture-culture-2","37":"category-tours-culture-2","38":"category-ziplining","39":"tag-adventure","40":"tag-amtrak","41":"tag-bar","42":"tag-biking","43":"tag-budget-friendly","44":"tag-dining","45":"tag-food","46":"tag-historical-sites","47":"tag-museum","48":"tag-outdoors","49":"tag-romantic","50":"tag-shopping"},"acf":[],"mv":{"thumbnail_id":50211,"thumbnail_uri":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/1620981_10151864976151534_10885206_n-e1426193133260-300x158.jpg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/87"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47098"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47098\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}