The Best Things To Do in Charlotte, NC

Mar 4

Written By Kelly W

Charlotte was on our someday list forever. We finally made it there during our 2020 Travel Season, when it became one of our first official Road Trip Locals destinations. We spent an entire month in Charlotte’s Elizabeth Neighborhood, walking the city, biking greenways, eating our way through bakeries and breweries, hiking nearby mountains, catching sports games, and saying “we could live here” more than once.

Because of that, Charlotte holds a very special place in our hearts. Depending on the day, it still tops our list of places we’d happily move to. If you’re planning a visit, here are our favorite things to do in Charlotte, North Carolina.

1. Eat Everything

Charlotte surprised us in the best way when it came to food.

Here are some of the places we personally tried and loved:

Cajun Queen Restaurant (with live jazz in a historic home)
Villani’s Bakery (we walked there for croissants and macaroons all the time from where we stayed in Elizabeth)
Amélie's French Bakery (open 24 hours!)
7th Street Public Market
Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar (Jon gets sushi, I get a burger, and everyone wins!)
Sabor Latin Street Grill
Hawthorne’s Pizza
Elizabeth Creamery
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream
Midwood Smokehouse
The Rooftop Restaurant at RH Charlotte (the perfect girls’ night!)
Fahrenheit Rooftop (for skyline views)

If you’re looking for a 1-day foodie itinerary while in Charlotte, check out “Day 1” in this Peaks, Pints, and Fireflies: 7-Day NC Road Trip.

2. Explore the U.S. National Whitewater Center

This is easily one of Charlotte’s most unique attractions. Located about 20-30 minutes outside Uptown, the Whitewater Center is a massive outdoor playground. It’s built around a man-made whitewater river, but it’s much more than just rafting.

You can:

Go whitewater rafting (beginner to advanced channels)
Kayak or paddleboard on calmer water
Zip-line across the facility
Climb ropes courses and rock walls
Mountain bike miles of wooded trails
Trail run
Attend outdoor yoga sessions or fitness events

They also host seasonal events throughout the year. The Whitewater Center Lights during the holidays are especially beautiful, with thousands of lights strung through the trees along the trails and riverbanks.

3. Walk the City (Especially the Little Sugar Creek Greenway)

We walked so many miles in Charlotte, including the full stretch from Uptown down to Freedom Park (about five miles one way). The Greenway is one of the best ways to experience Charlotte at ground level. It connects parks, neighborhoods, and downtown, and makes the city feel incredibly accessible.

While you’re exploring Uptown, don’t miss:

Romare Bearden Park
The Shops at The Green
First Ward, Third Ward, and Fourth Ward neighborhoods

Charlotte is very walkable, and that’s one of the things we loved most.

4. Visit the NASCAR Hall of Fame

Charlotte is often called the home of NASCAR, so this stop feels fitting. The museum is interactive, modern, and fun, even if you’re not a die-hard racing fan. You can see iconic cars, learn the sport’s history, and even test your driving skills in simulators.

If NASCAR is your thing, you could also look into a NASCAR racing experience for something more hands-on.

5. Hike Charlotte’s Parks + Nature Spots

In addition to Freedom Park and Romare Bearden Park, we loved:

Evergreen Nature Preserve (a peaceful wooded escape right in the city)
Crowders Mountain State Park (about 45 minutes away with beautiful summit views)

Charlotte strikes that perfect balance between urban energy and easy access to nature.

If you’re extending your trip, the Blue Ridge Parkway is only a few hours away and makes for one of the most scenic drives in the Southeast.

If you’re traveling with your dog and looking for bigger mountain scenery, the Great Smoky Mountains are just a few hours west and make an easy add-on.

6. Visit Discovery Place Science

Discovery Place Science is located right in the heart of Uptown and makes for a great indoor stop, especially on a hot or rainy day. It’s interactive, hands-on, and easy to spend a couple of hours exploring.

Directly across the street is 7th Street Public Market, which means you can seamlessly turn a museum visit into a lunch stop without moving your car. The market is small but packed with solid options, from crepes to acai bowls, sandwiches, coffee, and local vendors.

Because they’re so close together, this area works really well as a half-day hub. You can:

Explore Discovery Place
Walk a few steps to grab lunch at 7th Street
Continue on foot toward The Green, the Mint Museum, or Romare Bearden Park

7. Explore South End + The Rail Trail

South End quickly became one of our favorite areas.

The Rail Trail runs right through it and connects public art, patios, breweries, restaurants, and green space, all in one walkable stretch. It’s the kind of place where you can wander without a strict plan and still stumble into something good.

Here are some stops to consider along or near the Rail Trail:

Charlotte Beer Garden
Barcelona Wine Bar
Suffolk Punch Brewing South End
Hi‑Wire Brewing and Noble Cider Taproom

8. Airport Overlook, Ballantyne + Charlotte’s Brewery Scene

Not everything in Charlotte has to be a big-ticket attraction. Some of our favorite moments were the quieter ones.

One evening, we drove to the CLT Airport Overlook and just watched planes take off. Watching departures line up against the skyline is peaceful and a little nostalgic, especially if you’re mid-road trip and thinking about where you’re headed next.

If you want something similarly relaxed but more built-out, head south toward Ballantyne. We stopped in Charlotte again on the way back from our 2024 Travel Season and stayed at Aloft Charlotte Ballantyne. Just steps away is The Bowl at Ballantyne, a newer development with green space, restaurants, outdoor seating, and a calm neighborhood vibe. A friend also introduced me to an amazing used bookstore nearby, The Book Rack. The entire area’s a nice contrast to the energy of Uptown and South End.

And if you’re building an evening around it, don’t forget Charlotte’s brewery scene!

Charlotte has one of the strongest brewery scenes in the Southeast. Whether you’re hopping spots along the Rail Trail in South End or driving to a neighborhood taproom, there’s no shortage of options. Even if you’re not planning a full “brewery crawl,” it’s easy to tack one onto your day.

Other simple, one-off Charlotte ideas:

Grab dessert and walk through Dilworth
Do a casual self-guided mural hunt in NoDa
Catch sunset from a rooftop like Fahrenheit Rooftop or Nuvole Rooftop TwentyTwo
Take a slow stroll through Fourth Ward’s historic homes

Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links in this next section are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through them—at no extra cost to you. We only share places and products we truly love.

Where to Stay in Charlotte

One of the best road trip tips we can give you is to pick a hotel loyalty program and stick with it, whether that’s Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, or something else. The longer you stay consistent, the more perks you earn: free nights, room upgrades, late checkout, bonus points, free breakfast, etc.

Since we travel for months at a time each year, those benefits add up quickly. Marriott has been the best fit for us based on footprint, reliability, and where we tend to travel. If you’re building a longer road trip lifestyle, we talk more about this strategy in our post on 10 Ways to Save Money on a Road Trip.

Here are some great Marriott options for Charlotte:

Charlotte Marriott City Center: Right in the heart of Uptown, this is one of the most central Marriott properties in the city. It’s a short walk from Discovery Place Science, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Romare Bearden Park, and just a few blocks from the 7th Street Public Market and Spectrum Center for Hornets games and concerts. It’s also walkable to light rail stops that take you straight to the South End.

JW Marriott Charlotte and Element Charlotte Uptown: These are two of the closest Uptown Marriott properties if you plan to spend time in South End. They sit on the southern edge of Uptown, making them an easy jumping-off point for breweries, the Rail Trail, and restaurant hopping. A quick rideshare or light rail trip gets you to South End in just a few minutes, or you can walk it in about 25–30 minutes if you’re up for a longer city stroll.

Aloft Charlotte Ballantyne: This is where we stayed last time we were in town, and it works if you’re looking for a quieter place to unwind that’s further outside the city. Aloft Ballantyne has a more neighborhood feel and is a bit farther from the core Uptown attractions, but it's right next to The Bowl at Ballantyne, green space, and restaurants.

If you’d rather stay somewhere that feels more local, consider Airbnbs in one of Charlotte’s neighborhoods. On our first trip to Charlotte, we stayed in an Airbnb in Elizabeth and absolutely loved the location. It felt residential, quiet, and charming, but still close enough to Uptown that we could walk almost everywhere. Some of the walks were long (we’re talking several miles some days), but we genuinely walked to just about everything: parks, museums, restaurants, and even sporting events. If you enjoy slower mornings, neighborhood streets, and the feeling of “living there” instead of just visiting, Elizabeth is a great option.

Keep Exploring North Carolina

Charlotte will always be one of our first Road Trip Locals cities and one of the places that proved we could build a life (and a business) on the road. If it’s been sitting on your someday list like it was on ours, we hope this is your sign to book the trip + go!

If Charlotte is just one stop on your route, you might also love: