13 Reasons Why You Should Visit Charlotte North Carolina

The Queen City lives up to its tagline, “Charlotte’s Got a Lot” thanks in part to its mix of urban amenities and emphasis on weaving in plenty of outdoor beauty among its skyscrapers. With distinct and diverse neighborhoods, excellent shopping, and award-winning food and beer, Charlotte can satisfy a wide range of vacation goals. Here are 13 reasons you should visit Charlotte this year.

Urban forests and greenways

Charlotte serves as a leader in urban forestry goals, with the city on track to increase its tree canopy by 50% by 2050. This commitment to the environment extends to the city’s greenway initiatives, several of which make for a fun bike or hike crawl between breweries and bars.

NASCAR connections

NoDa art scene

North of Davidson, or NoDa, serves as the city’s most artistic section of the city, so make time to hop between galleries, boutiques, and performance venues to see the colorful side of the city. While you’re here, stop at Amelie’s French Bakery to try some of the treats that made their way into The Hunger Games franchise, which filmed scenes in and around Charlotte.

Two brewery districts

Also while exploring NoDa, you’ll encounter several craft breweries as the neighborhood has the second-most concentration of the city’s breweries. Its counterpart is South End, another walkable section of the city, both being two of the coolest neighborhoods in town.

Specialty museums

Charlotte’s choice of niche museums includes Carolina Aviation Museum, which celebrates North Carolina’s point of pride as the location of the first flight, and the Levine Museum of the New South, dedicated to the New South that emerged after the civil war. Kids will love the Discovery Place, a collection of three museums in one (Science, Nature, and Kids), but adults won’t want to miss their Science on the Rocks events, evening installments that include cocktails and special presentations and guests.

Distinct neighborhoods

As the 16th largest city in the U.S., nearly one million people call Charlotte home. And although it sprawls over 300 square miles, Charlotte’s distinct neighborhoods have grown out and around the city’s downtown center, first as streetcar neighborhoods that have evolved into walkable hubs with thriving independent business scenes.

Vegetarian options

In a city as big of Charlotte, practically every type of cuisine can be found, and the vegetarian offerings span authentic Asian dishes to a cold-juice powerhouse, Clean Juice, that got its start in Charlotte and has now grown to over 90 locations.

Lake Norman

Charlotte’s water playground has 520 miles of shoreline and nearly a dozen marinas and pet-friendly restaurants. Rent boats or jet skis, or cruise along the 50+ surface miles aboard a SUP paddleboard, kayak, or canoe.

Talented makers

The 7th Street Public Market has been called a foodie innovator hub, providing a launch pad for businesses such as It’s Poppin, a gourmet kettle corn company. Plan to spend a few hours browsing, drinking, and dining from 40+ vendors in the heart of Uptown in this coffeehouse atmosphere.

Urban whitewater rafting

In addition to plenty of green space throughout the city and nearby Lake Norman, Charlotte has several other ways to enjoy nature. For adventurous souls, head to the U.S. National Whitewater Center to experience their Class II, III, and IV level rapids, or stay on land and bike or geocache through the 14+ acres. You can also take to the air with their zip-line or aerial obstacle courses.

Family fun

Two options for guaranteed fun and adventure sit just outside the city: Carowinds and Carolina Raptor Center. Carowinds has 13 roller coasters and a handful of water rides as well as a separate water park, Carolina Harbor. Or head to the Carolina Raptor Center, a nonprofit that focuses on rehabilitating injured raptors and the conservation of other birds of prey including hawks, vultures, falcons, and owls. Add in time to explore the rest of the Latta Plantation Nature Preserve, where the center sits on 57 of the 1500 acres.

Shopping galore

Charlotte has lots of shopping malls and even an overhead mall connected by a skywalk, making it a great shopping destination year-round. Rather go antiquing? Head to the Waxhaw Historic District. Tons of farmers markets and two upscale destinations – Southpark Mall and Ballantyne Village – make this city a shopping haven for people of all budgets and interests.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.