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.

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

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