Things to do in Charlotte

Charlotte has plenty of attractions to keep visitors busy, with a strong focus on family entertainment. Amusement parks and museums abound, while more historical sights can also be found. Several parks and nature reserves are also on hand for those who like the outdoors.

Charlotte Centre City and Historic Fourth Ward Walking Tours

Get a sense of Charlotte’s energetic growth with a walk through the city centre, or wander back into the Victorian past on the historic Fourth Ward walking tour through a neighbourhood filled with gingerbread décor, stained-glass windows, flower-filled planters and wide rail verandas.

Hundreds of Victorian residences lined Charlotte’s streets from the 1890s until the urban restoration of the 1960s. Among the survivors are the Bagley-Mullen House (129 North Poplar Street), Overcarsh House (326 West Eighth Street) and Queen Anne-style Liddell-McNinch House (511 North Church Street). The small grocery at 401 West Ninth Street was once the neighbourhood commercial centre. Other key sites include the Charlotte Cotton Mill Complex (502 West Fifth Street), First Presbyterian Church (200 West Trade Street) and Settlers Cemetery (200 West Fifth Street).

Bank of America Corporate Centre

This is a popular attraction for both locals and visitors alike, and the view from the top of the 60-floor building (representing the 60-year reign of the city's namesake, Queen Charlotte) is truly impressive, as is the building itself. Visitors may look through the historical portraits of the city that line the corridors.

Wing Haven Gardens and Bird Sanctuary
Established in 1927, this three-acre enclosed area in the heart of a residential neighbourhood, created by Elizabeth and Edwin Clarkson, is one of Charlotte's special attractions. Mrs Clarkson was known as the city's ‘bird lady’. Some 142 bird species have been sighted in the walled garden, which was once a bare clay field. Bird-watchers and garden lovers will have a field day as they peruse the Upper, Lower, Main, Wild, Herb and Rose gardens. The gardens are at their most splendid in the spring, when birds return from their winter migration. A bulletin board tells you which birds are around at the time you visit. Phone: +1 704 331 0664; website: www.winghavengardens.com/.

Botanical Gardens and Sculpture Garden

The McMillan Greenhouse, housing orchids, cacti, carnivorous plants and rain forest, and the Van Landingham Glen, are open to visitors. The Van Landingham Estate was built by Ralph and Susie Harwood-Van Landingham in 1913, after Ralph’s father invited him to join a brokerage firm in Charlotte. Though already quite wealthy, the textile boom made the Van Landinghams even more prosperous. The couple also owned a mountain home and they recreated the feeling on the estate by covering the grounds with cedars and cypress trees. Phone: + 1 704 331 0664.

Carowinds
This 105 acre water and theme park features over 100 state-of-the-art rides, shows and movie-themed experiences for all ages as well as a Zoom Zone children's area, a Nickelodeon WaterWorks water park and a year-round campground. Don't miss the special effects shows. The Top Gun roller coaster gives riders the feel of actually flying a fighter jet. It’s great fun for the old and young alike. The park spans the North Carolina-South Carolina border, just 15 minutes drive south of Uptown Charlotte and 12 miles north of Rock Hill. Phone: +1 704 588 2600; website: www.paramountparks.com/carowinds/index.cfm.

Rays Splash Planet

Getting drenched is unavoidable at Ray’s Splash Planet, a unique water park which also boasts a fitness centre with a cardiovascular theatre, free-weights and resistance equipment. Water park attractions include the Blue Comet, a three-storey slide shaped like a double figure eight; The Orbiter, where tube riders can orbit around the Blue Comet; Saturation Station, with four slides and a tumble bucket; Meteor Showers, where brilliantly coloured containers fill and spill, drenching all around with millions of gallons of water; Sun Drops, with squirters positioned around the pool basin; Moon Beach, with a gradual beach-like entry pool; and Sea of Tranquility, two lap-lanes for lap swimming or water basketball or volleyball.
Phone: +1 704 432 4729.

McDowell Nature Centre and Preserve

One of the first parks to be owned by Mecklenburg County, McDowell Park has only been open since the mid-1970s, but during its short life, it has developed from a 136-acre lakeside park to become known as one of Charlotte's most significant natural assets. From highland hardwood forests to Piedmont prairie, the park offers a diversity of beautiful landscapes and habitats, and its current 1,108 acres are popular walking grounds for hikers, bird-watchers and nature-lovers of all types. The McDowell Nature Centre meanwhile, is worth visiting for its butterfly gardens, bird-feeding stations, animal exhibits and gift shop. Phone: +1 704 588 5224; website: www.charmeck.nc.us/Departments/Park+and+Rec/Inside+The+Department/Divisions/Natural+Resources/Nature+Preserves/McDowell.htm#location.

Reed Gold Mine State Historic Site

This is where America’s first gold discovery, a nugget weighing 17 pounds, is housed at a museum, which features an orientation film, guided underground tour, a stamp mill and walking trails. Lessons on how to pan for gold can be taken for a small fee, depending on the season. The state-owned Reed Gold Mine, 20 miles east of Charlotte, includes the original 822 acres of John Reed’s farm. As the story goes, Reed’s son Conrad found a large yellow rock in the farm’s creek while playing truant from church in 1799. It was used by the family as a doorstop until 1802, when an enterprising jeweller identified it as something more than a pretty rock and paid the family US$3.50 for what was, at the time, worth about US$3,600. Phone: + 1 704 721 4653.

Historic Rosedale Plantation

Nobody knows when the house became known as Rosedale. Initially part of a 911-acre plantation, Rosedale was built in 1815 by Archibald Frew, a merchant, postmaster and tax collector. The house was occupied in the 1830s by DT Caldwell and his family. Dr Caldwell, in addition to his medical practice, ran the plantation with the support of about 20 slaves. Rosedale is one of the finest examples of Federal period architecture in North Carolina and is noted for its faux grained woodwork and the original French wallpaper that can still be seen in three rooms. The gardens and grounds of Rosedale are a treasure all on their own and are wonderful for a leisurely stroll. Phone: +1 704 335 0325; website: www.historicrosedale.org/.