VISIT CHARLOTTE
Charlotte, North Carolina has a lot to offer. From nearby urban excursions to exciting half-day and full-day trips, there is something for everyone in and around Charlotte. For more information on Charlotte attractions, nightlife, dining, shopping and services, visit www.charlottesgotalot.com.
Full-Day
The Biltmore Estate - Take an escape from
everyday to explore George Vanderbilt’s
8,000-acre estate and winery. As America’s largest privately owned
home, The Biltmore Estate never fails to disappoint with its beautiful
gardens, abundance of history and year-round activities. Just a short
two-hour drive from Charlotte, the historical site is nestled in scenic
Asheville in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains. www.biltmore.com
Pinehurst Resort - Play where the pros
do when you journey to Pinehurst
Resort, the largest golf resort in America. Choose from any one of
their eight pristine world-class golf courses to perfect your swing or
to walk the storied fairways that have hosted some of the world’s most
prominent golfers. www.pinehurst.com
Swan Creek Vineyards - Taste the fruits of
labor from Yadkin Valley wineries in
North Carolina, an American Viticultural Area with over 1.4 million
acres of grape-growing terrain. Tucked in this area, discover the Swan
Creek Vineyards, a cluster that includes Dobbins Creek, Laurel Gray,
Raffaldini, Shadow Springs and Windsor Run, all just an hour and a half
drive from Charlotte. www.swancreekvineyards.com
Historic Towns - History buffs have
plenty of places to learn from just
beyond Charlotte. Experience early American traditions at Old Salem in
Winston-Salem with gardens, tours and hands-on workshops or explore a
Revolutionary War town and living history site, Historic Brattonsville,
which had a starring role in The Patriot with Mel Gibson.
www.oldsalem.org;
www.chmuseums.org/brattonsville
The Hunger Games - Visitors looking to
experience The Hunger Games frenzy need
look no further than North Carolina. The film was largely based in and
around Charlotte, which starred as the Capitol of Panem. The city was
abuzz during filming with cast sightings and cordoned-off filming areas
and is sure to become a shrine for fans feasting on all things Hunger
Games. Take a self-guided tour of spots featured in Charlotte.
www.charlottesgotalot.com/hungergames
Lexington - Head to Lexington
for art, wine and BBQ. Just an hour
outside Charlotte, this quaint Southern town offers unique shopping at
artist and designer Bob Timberlake’s Gallery, famous Lexington-style
barbecue that draws connoisseurs from miles around and award-winning
wines at Childress Vineyards. Incorporate visits to the nearby Richard
Childress Racing Museum and the NC Transportation Museum as well.
www.visitlexingtonnc.com;
www.childressvineyards.com;
www.rcrracing.com;
www.nctrans.org
Half-Day
Hickory Furniture Mart - Looking for design
inspiration? North Carolina is a haven
for high quality, hand-crafted furniture and boasts brands like
Century, Baker, Thomasville and more. Take advantage of selection of
more than 100 different furniture purveyors at Hickory Furniture Mart,
a 1,000,000-square foot destination with some of the best premium
shopping deals around. www.hickoryfurniture.com
U.S. National Whitewater Center - Spend an active
afternoon at the U.S. National Whitewater
Center, home of the Olympic training facility and world’s largest
manmade whitewater river. Beyond rafting, explore rock-climbing,
hiking, biking or flatwater paddling. The recently opened Canopy Tour
and Canyon Crossing zip-lining and challenge courses will entice any
adventurer. Afterward, relax with a meal overlooking the channel at the
River’s Edge Bar & Grill.
www.usnwc.org
Golfing - Any way you slice
it, Charlotte’s got plenty of courses to
choose from; more than 50 public ones to be exact. Whether driving the
impressive wetland-shrouded 15th hole of Rocky River Golf Club or
teeing off from the Dana Rader Golf School in Ballantyne (one of Golf
Magazine’s “Top 25 Golf Schools”), you’ll find a lot of links to your
liking. www.rockyrivergolf.com;
www.danarader.com
NASCAR - NASCAR has
certainly found a home in the Charlotte region
with over 90% of NASCAR Sprint Cup teams based out of the area. Visit
Hendrick Motorsports to experience where Jimmie Johnson, Dale
Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne rev their engines. Then hit
the fast lane at Charlotte Motor Speedway with a “Feel the Thrill” tour
of VIP areas and the 1.5-mile superspeedway that hosts three major
races each year. www.hendrickmotorsports.com;
www.charlottemotorspeedway.com
The Billy Graham Library & The Carolinas Aviation Museum - Head just outside
Center City to explore blue skies and a
heavenly guy. The Billy Graham Library celebrates the life and faith of
one of the world’s most noted evangelists through engaging memorabilia
and interactive experiences. Afterward, head to the Carolinas Aviation
Museum for aircraft chronicling North Carolina’s “first in flight”
heritage along with the “Miracle on the Hudson” plane, US Airways
Flight 1549. www.billygrahamlibrary.org; www.carolinasaviation.org
In Town
Museum Mile -
Charlotte’s Center
City boasts a “museum mile” with
first-class cultural facilities touting prima ballerinas, rarely seen masterpieces, hands-on exhibits and much more. Start with the Levine
Center for the Arts, comprised of the Mint Museum, Bechtler Museum of
Modern Art, Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture and Knight
Theater. Follow up your fine arts exploration with Discovery Place’s
aquarium space, interactive science and technology exhibits and IMAX
Theater. Then, step back in time at Levine Museum of the New South,
which delves into Charlotte’s journey to become a “New South” city.
Lastly, round out your museum journey with a trip to the NASCAR Hall of
Fame for one-of-a-kind memorabilia and exhibits that put you in the
fast lane. www.levinecenterarts.org;
www.discoveryplace.org;
www.museumofthenewsouth.org;
www.nascarhall.com
Tours - Tour your way
around town with multiple ways to explore.
The city’s newest eco-friendly bicycle built for 14 called the Party
Pedaler journeys to nearby neighborhoods like NoDa and SouthEnd with a
beer tap on board. Or take a Segway or bike tour with Charlotte NC
Tours as they lead you to some of the best Southern eats the city has
to offer. Looking for more tour ideas? Explore everything from ghost
tours in Center City with C-Charlotte Tours to guided outings of
Charlotte’s motorsports crowd pleasers with Adventures in Motorsports.
www.partypedaler.com;
www.charlottenctours.com;
www.ccharlottetours.com;
www.racetocharlotte.com
