28 Best Things To Do In Charlotte, North Carolina

Uptown's art museums, the NASCAR Hall of Fame and a Triple-A ballpark sit close enough together to cover on foot over a weekend. Farther out are the big outdoor days: whitewater rafting, Carowinds and the trails of Crowders Mountain.

1. NASCAR Hall of Fame

The NASCAR Hall of Fame mixes race cars and artifacts with hands-on exhibits, a 278-seat theater and the Hall of Honor, where the inductees are enshrined. It's at 400 East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Uptown.

2. Discovery Place Science

Uptown's family science museum, Discovery Place Science, has live animals and aquariums, a maker studio called Thinker Space and KidScience, a play zone for kids up to age 7. The IMAX Dome theater is in the same building.

Doors close mid-afternoon (4 p.m. on weekdays), so this is a morning stop.

3. The Mint Museum

The Mint has two buildings. Mint Museum Uptown, inside the Levine Center for the Arts at 500 South Tryon Street, holds the museum's craft and design collection along with the big touring exhibitions.

Mint Museum Randolph, at 2730 Randolph Road, is in a building that was originally a branch of the U.S. Mint. Both locations stay open until 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and close Mondays.

4. Bechtler Museum of Modern Art

The Bechtler shows modern art in a compact building, also at the Levine Center for the Arts, 420 South Tryon Street. Admission is $10 for adults and free for kids 10 and under, and it's free for everyone on Wednesdays from 5 to 9 p.m. The Mint and the Gantt Center are a short walk along South Tryon.

5. Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture

The Gantt Center, at 551 South Tryon Street in the Levine Center for the Arts, runs rotating exhibitions of African American art. It's closed Mondays and open until 9 p.m. on Wednesdays.

6. Blumenthal Arts

Touring Broadway shows play at Blumenthal Arts, which programs the Belk Theater and Booth Playhouse at 130 North Tryon and the Knight Theater at the Levine Center for the Arts. The calendar also carries comedy and concerts.

7. ImaginOn

Part library, part theater. ImaginOn on East 7th Street is run jointly by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and the Children's Theatre of Charlotte, with a children's library for kids 11 and under, a separate teen-only library and two theaters.

8. A Charlotte Knights game at Truist Field

The Charlotte Knights play Triple-A baseball at Truist Field, 324 South Mint Street, in Uptown, so a game is an easy evening when you're already staying downtown.

9. Romare Bearden Park

Across from the ballpark at 300 South Church Street, Romare Bearden Park has a playground, a dog park, a waterfall feature and an open lawn.

10. Beyond the Grave ghost tour

Carolina History and Haunts runs Beyond the Grave, a lantern-lit walking tour of Uptown that mixes local history with ghost stories. Tours run year-round, and every one needs a reservation.

11. Optimist Hall

For lunch with a group that can't agree, go to Optimist Hall at 1115 North Brevard Street. It holds 25-plus food stalls along with sit-down restaurants, a full bar and a brewery, and there's outdoor seating.

12. Camp North End

Camp North End spreads over 76 acres on Statesville Avenue, on the site of a former car factory and military depot. The old warehouses hold food stalls and sit-down restaurants, shops and artist studios, including Goodyear Arts, a nonprofit with studio residencies and free public events.

The North End Farmers Market runs Wednesday evenings from April through October, and in winter the calendar shifts to ice skating and the Mistletoe Market.

13. NoDa Brewing Company

In NoDa, short for North Davidson, NoDa Brewing pours from its brewery taproom at 150 West 32nd Street, open Tuesday through Sunday. There's a second taproom at the airport, in Concourse A near Gate A29, for a last beer before a flight.

14. Midwood Smokehouse

For barbecue, Midwood Smokehouse is a local chain with its original at 1401 Central Avenue in Plaza Midwood and other Charlotte locations in Ballantyne and at the Park Road Shopping Center.

15. The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar

The Cowfish puts burgers and sushi on one menu, and it's been at 4310 Sharon Road in SouthPark since 2010.

16. Freedom Park

Freedom Park has a lake with a path around it, picnic areas and open lawns, and it's dog-friendly.

17. Little Sugar Creek Greenway

The paved trail follows the creek from the Freedom Park area through Midtown. The stretch around 1133 Metropolitan Avenue in Midtown is a handy place to join it, with shops and restaurants right off the path.

18. Wing Haven

Three small gardens make up Wing Haven: the Garden & Bird Sanctuary at 260 Ridgewood Avenue, the Elizabeth Lawrence House & Garden, and the SEED Wildlife & Children's Garden. It's open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

19. Historic Rosedale Plantation

Historic Rosedale on North Tryon Street preserves an 1815 house and its grounds. The house can only be seen on a guided tour, offered Wednesday through Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., and a grounds ticket doesn't cover it.

20. The Charlotte Museum of History

At 3500 Shamrock Drive, the Charlotte Museum of History sits on an eight-acre campus with four indoor galleries of regional history and the 1774 Homesite, where visitors can walk through Revolutionary-era buildings, including the 1774 Rock House.

21. Billy Graham Library

The Billy Graham Library tells the evangelist's story on the Journey of Faith tour. It's free, with hours of 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday; the last full tour starts at 3:30 p.m. and takes about 90 minutes. On site there's a bookstore and the Graham Brothers Dairy Bar.

In December the library runs Christmas at the Library, with a live nativity, carriage rides and lights.

22. Sullenberger Aviation Museum

On the Charlotte airport campus at 4108 Minuteman Way, the Sullenberger Aviation Museum holds more than 40 aircraft. The draw is the Miracle on the Hudson Experience, and there's a separate tour inside a DC-3.

23. U.S. National Whitewater Center

The U.S. National Whitewater Center covers 1,300 acres and fills a full outdoor day. Whitewater rafting and kayaking are the headline. Beyond the rapids there are ziplines, climbing and mountain biking, and ice skating in winter. Activities are sold as activity passes.

24. Carowinds

Carowinds sits on Charlotte's southern edge, spread across North Carolina and South Carolina and now run by Six Flags.

In fall the park runs SCarowinds, a Halloween event with haunted mazes on select nights.

25. Charlotte Motor Speedway

Outside race weekends, Charlotte Motor Speedway runs Speedway Tours that take in the main track, the Dirt Track and zMAX Dragway, and the NASCAR Racing Experience puts you in a stock car. The big race is the Coca-Cola 600, next run on May 30, 2027. In winter the track hosts its holiday event, Speedway Christmas.

26. Daniel Stowe Conservancy

The botanical garden in Belmont, about 20 miles from Uptown on Lake Wylie, now goes by Daniel Stowe Conservancy and covers 380 acres. Only The Gardens charge admission: $18.95 for adults and $10.95 for kids 2 to 12. The trails, dog park, Farmhouse Garden Center and Trailhead Store are free. Inside The Gardens you'll find fountains, the Orchid Conservatory and the Prairie Castle playground.

27. Crowders Mountain State Park

Day hikers head to Crowders Mountain State Park near Kings Mountain, where peaks rise 800 feet above the surrounding countryside and more than 20 miles of trails lead to rocky ledges and outcrops with views. The park also has backcountry camping and a visitor center with an exhibit hall.

28. Charlotte Cycleboats on Lake Norman

Charlotte Cycleboats runs a pedal-powered party boat on Lake Norman out of Cornelius. It sells single seats on open cruises at $37 a person, or the whole boat for a two-hour private cruise for up to 15 people at $525. The season starts March 15.