Charlotte’s Guide Planning Your Trip

Nearly 30 million visitors flock to Charlotte, NC annually for its parks and recreation, neighborhood shops and galleries, museums, award-winning restaurants, local breweries, and more. With a mild year-round climate, a family-friendly atmosphere, and extensive greenways, as well as a light rail system, Queen City is easy to navigate and offers a variety of attractions for a short weekend getaway or extended stay.

From the best time to visit, to getting around, where to stay, saving money, and more, here’s how to prepare for your trip to Charlotte.

Planning your trip

• Best Time to Visit: The best time to visit Charlotte is spring, when temperatures are mild, flowers are in full bloom, the city’s many restaurant patios and breweries are open seasonally, and you can take advantage of outdoor activities like kayaking. and rowing on Lake Norman and other nearby recreation areas. Fall is also a great time to visit the city, with ideal temperatures, fewer crowds, plenty of outdoor festivals, and options for short getaways to the nearby mountains. To learn more about Charlotte’s weather, read our guide here.

• Currency: US dollar

• Getting Around: High-speed light rail systems (LYNX Blue Line), as well as a streetcar (CityLYNX Gold Line), bike-sharing stations, and ride-sharing services make navigating Charlotte and its neighborhoods worthy of a destination like Uptown, NoDa and Plaza Midwood easy. The city also offers high-speed bus service to and from Charlotte-Douglas International Airport and an extensive bus network.

• Travel Tip: Spring and summer are the busiest seasons in the city, so buy tickets in advance for top attractions and consider making dinner reservations ahead of time, too.

Things to do

From local boutiques and art galleries to breweries, parks, museums, outdoor activities, food halls, restaurants and more, Charlotte offers a variety of activities for visitors. Brush up on the city’s history at the Levine Museum of the New South, followed by trips to the Mint Museum Uptown and the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture. Or take the kids to Discovery Place for hands-on science and technology learning, or try an iRacing simulator at your favorite race track at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Other must-see activities in Charlotte include:

• Exploring the great outdoors at the US National Whitewater Center Located on the world’s largest whitewater river, just 12 miles north of downtown, the center is not only an Olympic training facility, it also offers many land and water activities for amateur athletes. With 1,300 acres of forest and more than 50 miles of trails, the facility is an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise offering stand-up paddle boarding, white-water rafting, kayaking, rock climbing and zip-lining. The center also hosts a summer concert series, as well as festivals, races, and other special events throughout the year.

• Get up close and personal with the city’s neighborhoods, parks, museums, notable buildings and more with guided Segway tours of Charlotte. The company offers several different tours that range from 90 minutes to two hours. The most popular tour is the Uptown Neighborhood History Tour, which includes an overview of the city’s architecture and stops at the Levine Center for the Arts, The Green, and the historic 4th Ward. Other options include a haunted tour that visits spooky locations like the settlers’ graveyard and a “taste and slide” tour, with food and drink samples at the 7th Street Public Market and Alexander Michael’s.

• Shop and drink at NoDa. Located just a few miles north of downtown, NoDa (North Davidson) is home to some of the Queen City’s best shops, galleries, breweries and restaurants. Visit Summerbird for high-end women’s fashion and accessories at affordable prices; Curios for candles, crystals and other mystical items; and Ruby’s Gift for ceramics, housewares, jewelry and other items made by local artisans. Stroll through local galleries like the Charlotte Art League, Light Factory and Providence Gallery, then sample the local beers at neighborhood breweries like Birdsong Brewing Co., Divine Barrel Brewing and Free Range Brewing. End your visit with dinner at Haberdish or Optimist Hall, one of the largest food halls in the city.

Explore more attractions with our comprehensive articles on the best things to do in Charlotte, the city’s top free activities, and the best museums.

What to eat and drink

Charlotte’s food scene has a little bit of everything: old-school southern fare, white-tablecloth fine dining, eclectic food halls, and neighborhood spots offering everything from ramen to Italian red sauce. The city also boasts a thriving bar and nightlife scene.

For an unforgettable meal, drive 30 minutes north to the small college town of Davidson to Kindred. Housed in a former pharmacy, this award-winning husband-and-wife-owned restaurant is warm and intimate, with a menu that focuses on locally sourced produce and protein. The wine list also highlights family wineries and small producers. You can have a similar dining experience within the city limits at Heirloom, which sources everything from its coffee to its meats from North Carolina purveyors.

Other Charlotte options include Appalachian and Southern food at Haymaker, Italian at Stagioni, modern takes on Southern classics at Asbury at the Dunhill Hotel, high-end European cuisine at The Fig Tree, and excellent ramen at Futo Buta.

After hours, try The Crunkleton for its exceptional collection of whiskey and classic cocktails, Roxbury Nightclub for dancing late into the night to tunes from the 80s and 90s, The Cellar at Duckworths for its laid-back atmosphere and craft cocktails, or the beer VBGB. Hall and Garden for groups like Cornhole and over 30 local beers on tap.

Where to stay

Uptown: Charlotte’s Uptown is its central, downtown business district. Its many hotels, such as the historic Dunhill Hotel and the boutique Kimpton Tyron Park, are within walking distance of several nearby museums, attractions, and neighborhoods, as well as the city’s light rail system. Other Uptown accommodations include high-end options like the Ritz-Carlton Charlotte, as well as reliable mid-priced chains like Hilton, Hampton Inn and Suites, Marriott, and Doubletree.

South Park – Located six miles south of Uptown, this neighborhood is home to one of the city’s largest shopping malls, as well as several restaurants and boutiques. There are several budget and moderately priced options here, including Doubletree Guest Suites, Residence Inn, Hampton Inn and Suites, and Hilton Garden Inn.

Ballantyne – This upscale neighborhood just north of the South Carolina border is 15 miles south of downtown, but offers several affordable and luxury lodging options, as well as shopping malls, restaurants, and parks. It is connected to the city through the light rail.

Additional accommodation and short-term rentals are available in city neighborhoods like NoDa and Dilworth, as well as suburbs like Concord and Pineville.

For more information on where to stay in Charlotte, check out our guide to the city’s best neighborhoods and hotels.

Get there

Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (CLT) is one of the nation’s busiest airports serving 50 million passengers a year and is the second largest hub for American Airlines. The airport offers direct flights to and from 178 destinations, including major cities such as Chicago, Las Vegas, New York, Orlando, San Francisco, Rome, Paris, Dublin, and Barcelona.

CLT is located approximately six miles west of downtown Charlotte. The trip takes less than 20 minutes by car. If you don’t rent a car, you can hail a taxi outside the arrivals gate, take a ride-sharing service like Uber or Lyft with pickup from Level 2, or take one of the city’s Sprinter buses, which run every 20 minutes weekdays. and every half hour on weekends.

Tips to save money

• Stroll through the city’s many parks and trails, such as the Little Sugar Creek Greenway.

• Book a hotel during the low season. Hotel rates can skyrocket during the tourist season (spring and summer), so try to visit during a less busy month like January.

• Save money on shared rides and rental cars by taking advantage of the city’s public transportation network, including the light rail line, streetcar, and city buses.

• Look for the city’s more than 60 original murals in neighborhoods like NoDa, Plaza Midwood and the South End.

–