Things To Do

see… do… learn… grow.

If you’re new to the Charlotte area, and even if you’ve lived here all your life, there are some places to see and things to do that you’ll never grow tired of. Here are a few of our recommendations:

Charlotte Center City and Historic Fourth Ward

Walk through Center City and you’ll stroll back into the area’s Victorian past. The historic district’s appealing architecture includes gingerbread décor, stained glass windows, and wide-rail verandas. Don’t miss the Bagly-Mullen House (129 N. Poplar Street), the Overcarsh House (326 W. Eighth Street) or the Queen Anne style Liddell-McNinch House (511 N. Church Street). Better yet, book a walking tour and learn more about its historic past.

Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens

“Carolina’s Garden for All Seasons,” Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden is part of a visionary, 40-year master plan for 450 lush acres in Belmont which has won national and international acclaim and continues to promise more for the future. Featured as one of the nation’s 20 Great Garden’s in HGTV’s book “Flower Gardening,” Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden was the brainchild of landscape architect Geoffrey Rausch, a retired textile executive from Belmont and lifelong nature lover and gardening enthusiast, who reserved the 450 acres of rolling meadows, woodlands and lakefront property in 1989. Together with his wife, Alene, he established a foundation to develop a garden over time that would rival the best from around the world. Today, the Garden features more than just beautiful blooms for every season. From magnificent gardens, graceful fountains, a Garden & Gift Shop, entertainment, children’s camps and nature and gardening classes to a Visitor’s Pavilion that features an exquisite 1909 glass dome—the Garden offers the beauty of nature, year-round educational opportunities, entertainment venues, shopping, dining and fun-filled activities for people of all ages. The magnificent site is also available for corporate functions and private affairs. As part of its 40-year plan, the next big undertaking is construction of an enclosed glass conservatory for tender exotics, with an auditorium, Asian garden, rose pergola, waterfall, library, reading garden and full-service restaurant all part of the future plan.

Discovery Place

Discovery Place is THE number one place for kids who can’t get enough of hands-on learning. With an everchanging entertainment schedule in areas from life science to space exploration, you can make Discovery Place a regular outing for the whole family.

Paramount's Carowinds Water and Theme Park

Open from early Spring to early Fall, Carowinds Water and Theme Park is a place the kids will enjoy almost year round. Featuring 105 acres, Carowinds is the biggest amusement park in the Carolinas and offers the most unique experience, including 50 attractions and thrill rides like TOPGUN, the park’s biggest, tallest, fastest roller coaster. There’s something for everyone at Carowinds, including concerts, musical revues, special events and year-round campgrounds, plus a Nickelodeon Central children’s area that’s perfect for the little ones.

U.S. National Whitewater Center

Opened June 2006, and just 10 minutes from downtown Charlotte, this wooded, 307-acre attraction is touted as the world’s largest recirculating whitewater river and the only multichannel artificial river in the world. According to Jeff Wise, Executive Director of the U.S. National Whitewater Center, “this is an incredible feat of design and engineering.” Open to the public and designed to host World Cup competition and Olympic Trials, the Whitewater Center will be a unique treat for the average person, featuring whitewater rafting through four channels of class III-IV whitewater, a challenge course that takes you to a higher level of excitement, whitewater kayaking, and group activities and events. Plans also call for a future climbing center which will be the largest outdoor climbing facility in the U.S., with 5,700 square feet of climbing surface with climbing, rappelling and bouldering areas, featuring approximately 40 roped climbing routes with ever-changing movable holds and a viewing amphitheater for those who’d rather watch than climb.