Charlotte North Carolina Travel Information
Located in the southern central part of North Carolina, Charlotte
is a big business town—numerous banks and other companies have
headquarters in the state’s biggest city. Although Charlotte isn’t
always thought of as a vacation destination, there are plenty of
sights to see and a wide range of activities, with sports at the
forefront. Charlotte may have been one of the first cities to
build a downtown shopping mall, effectively destroying downtown retail
opportunity. As a result, the downtown became run-down; in the 1980s
Charlotteans created a renaissance of the city’s center, calling it
“Uptown”. With the 80s, Charlotte became a major regional business
hub and growth was rapid with skyscrapers sprouting up. Sports
is big in this heartland city. Carolina Panthers football, Carolina
Bobcats basketball, Charlotte Knights minor league baseball, Charlotte
Sting WNBA and NASCAR racing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway offer enough
events for any sports fan. Plus, there are over 50 golf courses in
the county. Begin a tour of the sights at Center City to view
the skyscraper homes of large national corporations. Take your choice
of an array of art and history museums including Levine Museum of the
New South, Mint Museum of Art and Mint Museum of Craft & Design, with
collections of ceramics, glass and wood from around the
world. Charlotte Nature Museum focuses on animals and plants of
the Piedmont region while its sister museum, Discovery Place, is an
interactive science museum. Lazy 5 Ranch is a drive-through animal
park with over 600 exotic creatures. Historic sites around Charlotte
include the Fourth Ward, a historic neighborhood of 19th century and
early 20th century homes. Historic Latta Plantation, home to pioneer
James Latta, features costumed interpreters. Charlotte is home,
naturally, to several sports museums including Carolina Boxing Hall of
Fame, North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame, Memory Lane Motorsports
and Historic Automotive Museum and Dale Earnhardt Inc. Showroom.
Outdoor recreation centers on Lake Norman State Park with its huge
man-made lake. Try a lake cruise on the Catawba Queen or Catawba
Belle. Accommodations in Charlotte are mostly geared to business
travelers but weekend rates can be especially attractive because of
this. From chain motel/hotels to the Hilton Charlotte or Omni
Charlotte Hotel, options are many. Dining is also varied,
ranging from Bill Spoon’s Barbecue to the French Quarter for gumbo and
jambalaya. For something unusual, try the Melting Pot, for every type
of fondue under the sun. Nightlife in Charlotte includes
coffeehouses, Irish pubs, Carolina beach music at O’Hara’s and
Bopper’s Bar & Boogie, a 50’s-60’s nostalgia club. Charlotte is
located in south central North Carolina, about three hours southwest
of Raleigh, NC off I-77 south.
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