Charlotte Travel Guides

🛎️ Best Hotels

The majority of hotels are located in Uptown Charlotte, but there are many accommodation options to choose from. Here are some top-rated hotels:

• JW Marriott Charlotte – A newer hotel in Uptown Charlotte with great views, a rooftop bar, and tons of amenities.
• The Ivey’s Hotel – A beautifully decorated and luxurious boutique hotel located in the heart of Uptown Charlotte.
• Drury Inn & Suites Charlotte Arrowood – A family-friendly hotel that’s located 15-20 minutes south of Uptown Charlotte. It has family rooms and is close to Carowinds.

🍽️ Best Restaurants

Charlotte has a range of cuisines and restaurants throughout the city. Here are some of my top picks:

• 7th Street Public Market – An Uptown Charlotte food hall with restaurants, cafes, and shops, all with a focus on Charlotte-made things.
• Optimist Hall – A fun and lively food hall with over a dozen vendors. Come here for diverse cuisines and popular North Carolina foods.
• Let’s Meat KBBQ – A cool Korean BBQ restaurant where meat is cooked at the table. Its popular sister restaurant, Seoul Food Meat Company, is next door!
• Haberdish – A NoDa restaurant that serves up elevated Southern comfort food. It’s known for its fried chicken!
• Midwood Smokehouse – One of the best places to get Carolina barbecue in Charlotte. It serves other barbecue styles, too.  

🚗 Best Day Trips

• Crowders Mountain State Park – A nearby state park with 11 trails and a ridgeline that offers sprawling views of the Piedmont.
• Lake Norman – North Carolina’s largest man-made lake just north of Charlotte. An ideal day trip for swimming and boating.
• Asheville – A vibrant and artsy city located 2.5 hours west of Charlotte. Asheville is known for its beer and Blue Ridge Mountains.
• Greensboro – A small city with family-friendly attractions and important historical sites. Greensboro is located 1.5 hours northeast of Charlotte.
• Greenville, South Carolina – Greenville is a small city with a beautiful and vibrant downtown scene. It’s just across the South Carolina border. 

🏘️ Best Neighborhoods

• Uptown – Also known as “Center City,” Uptown Charlotte is where all the action is in terms of arts, sports, and museums. 
• NoDa – An arts district with a charming “downtown” filled with local restaurants, shops, and colorful murals.
• Plaza Midwood – Similar to NoDa, Plaza Midwood is a walkable neighborhood with great restaurants and local bars.
• South End – Charlotte’s unofficial foodie neighborhood with vibrant cuisines from around the globe.
• Camp North End – An industrial district that’s been transformed into an urban park for shopping, dining, art, events, and more.

🍸 Best Bars

• Merchant & Trade – A trendy rooftop lounge in Uptown Charlotte known for its craft cocktails and skyline views.
• Barcelona Wine Bar – A Spanish restaurant and wine bar in South End with a great selection of wine, drinks, and tasty tapas.
• Idlewild – This NoDa cocktail bar has a cozy atmosphere and no menu. Bartenders ask a few questions and make you a custom drink!
• Sugar Lounge – A newer Charlotte lounge that serves up creative mocktails—perfect for those who want to go out, but not drink. 
• Chasers Charlotte NoDa – An upbeat gay bar outside of NoDa that’s great for dancing and seeing drag shows.

🍰 Best Desserts

• Amelie’s French Bakery & Cafe – You can’t leave Charlotte without stopping at this quirky cafe for its tasty macarons and other baked goods!
• Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream – Jeni’s may be a chain, but its unique flavor combos make it worth visiting! There are 3 locations in Charlotte.
• Reigning Doughnuts – A doughnut window in NoDa where you can get hot, classic doughnuts with fun toppings.
• Two Scoops Creamery – One of Charlotte’s best ice cream shops serving up fresh, homemade ice cream in tons of flavors.
• Villani’s Bakery – A New York-Italian-style bakery that makes from-scratch pastries, cakes, and other sweet treats.

🖼️ Best Museums

• Discovery Place Science – An educational kids’ museum. Here, kids can explore and learn about science and technology through hands-on exhibits.
• Mint Museum – An art museum filled with contemporary and historical work by American artists and creators from around the world.
• Bechtler Museum of Modern Art – A modern art museum that focuses on mid-century modernism and other modern art styles.
• Harvey B. Gantt Center – A museum that celebrates and reflects on the history of the African diaspora through the art of all kinds.
• Levine Museum of the New South – A history museum that shines a light on historical and modern-day issues of the South and the Piedmont region.

🌳 Best Parks

• Freedom Park – The largest park in Charlotte. Freedom Park has a lake, nature trails, playgrounds, and even a kids’ museum!
• First Ward Park – An urban park in Uptown Charlotte that has public art, interactive features, and open green space.
• Romare Bearden Park – Another urban park in Uptown with statues, water features, and benches for relaxing.
• Independence Park – A scenic and walkable neighborhood park. It has nice landscaping and sports complexes for baseball, soccer, and tennis.
• Marshall Park – This small park has an amphitheater and a pond, and is ideal for snapping photos of Uptown Charlotte.

👉 Tips & Things to Know

• 🚆 – Charlotte has a Light Rail – Charlotte’s Lynx Light Rail has one main Blue Line. It runs from UNC Charlotte in the north, through Uptown, and down to South Boulevard. 
• 🚧 – Construction is common – Charlotte is a growing city. Construction on roads and buildings is prevalent in Uptown and beyond.
• 🚗 – Traffic can be crazy – The combination of frequent construction and typical rush hour traffic can make the highways really backed up—especially Highway 77. 
• 🏘️ – Venture outside of Uptown – Head outside of Uptown for a more local Charlotte feel. NoDa, Plaza Midwood, and South End are great places to start.
• 🌦️ – Weather can be unpredictable – Overall, temperatures are pretty mild (apart from summer). However, weather can vary and often change quickly.

🧳 What to Pack

• 👟 – Sneakers – Keep your feet comfy with a good pair of sneakers whether you’re at a museum, a sports game, or just walking the city. 
• ☀️ – Sunscreen – The sun can really beat down on you in the summertime. Protect yourself and prevent sunburn with some sunscreen. 
• 🤧 – Allergy Medicine – If you visit in the spring, pack your allergy medicine. Pollen can be heavy and will coat everything outside.
• ☂️ – Umbrella – North Carolina’s infamous for its short summer rainstorms. Don’t let it ruin your fun. Bring an umbrella just to be safe. 
• 🧊 – Water Bottle – You’ll want to have water, especially when it’s hot and muggy in the summertime. Bring an insulated water bottle to stay hydrated and cool.

👉 Read our North Carolina packing list.

🤓 Facts & Info

• Census Population (2021) – 879,709 (city), 2,660,329 (metro area)
• Time Zone – Eastern Time (UTC -4 during daylight savings)
• Area Codes – 704, 980
• Airports – Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
• Nickname – The “Queen City”
• Demonynm – Charlotteans
• State – North Carolina
• Country – United States of America

💵 Costs & Budgeting

• 3 Star Hotel Room – $125-$225/night
• 1 Bedroom Apartment Rental – $75-$150/night
• Rental Car – $50+/day
• Public Transit Ticket – $2.20 for one way, $6.60 for one-day unlimited
• Ride Share from Downtown to Airport – $20+
• Take Out Meal for Two – $30-$50
• Sit Down Dinner for Two – $50-$75
• Draft Beer – $6-$8