Welcome to Charlotte
North Carolina’s largest city, Charlotte sprawls 15 miles in every direction from its compact, high-rise core. Futuristic skyscrapers pepper downtown Charlotte, which is officially known as ‘Uptown,’ supposedly because it sits upon a barely visible ridge, but really because the council decided that sounds cooler. Uptown holds several fine museums plus the high-octane NASCAR Hall of Fame, while more museums and historic sites are scattered further afield. Hotels and restaurants are also concentrated Uptown, though funkier neighborhoods within easy reach include Plaza Midwood, just east, with its boutiques and restaurants, and hip NoDa, along North Davidson St, where former textile mills hold breweries and cafes.
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Charlotte activities
Charlotte Uptown Segway Tour with Local Guide, Bechtler Museum
You'll meet your guide in downtown Charlotte and get started with a safety overview for the Segway. Once you’re comfortable with the Segway’s controls, follow your guide through the lively Uptown district, with plenty of stops along the way to snap photos and to hear fun stories and facts about Charlotte's history. Option 1: 1.5-hour Segway tourWheel down the Levine Ave of the Arts, named after local donors to the arts in Charlotte. On one side of the avenue you’ll see the Bechtler Museum, designed by a Swiss architect and opened in 2010 to show the Bechtler family’s collection of modern art. Check out Niki de Saint Phalle’s outdoor sculpture “The Firebird” – which is covered in mirror mosaic and stands more than 17 feet (5 meters) tall. Across the street you’ll find the Mint Museum, the oldest art museum in Charlotte with one of the largest art collections in the Southeast, and the Gantt Center for African-American Arts and Culture, which presents exhibitions and performing arts. Then pop into The Green, a pocket park lined with sculptures that celebrate great literature. Next you'll travel over to Trade and Tryon streets, a crossroads where two native American trails once intersected, which became the center of Charlotte. Then head into the historic Fourth Ward where your guide will lead you through streets lined with beautiful Victorian homes. Landmarks include:Levine Avenue of the ArtsMint MuseumBechtler Museum of Modern ArtThe Gantt Center for African-American Arts and CultureThe GreenTrade and Tryon Fourth WardOption 2: 2-hour Segway tourThis option includes the sights in the shorter tour followed by a visit to the Old Settlers’ Cemetery, Charlotte’s original municipal cemetery which operated for a century starting in 1776. Listen to your guide’s tales of the prominent citizens that were buried here and at your next stop, the Elmwood/Pinewood Cemetery. Finally you'll return to modern times with a spin around the Panthers Stadium, where Carolina Panthers football fans cheer on their team. Landmarks include those in option 1, plus:Old Settlers’ Cemetery Elmwood/Pinewood CemeteryCarolina Panthers football stadium
Charlotte Adults-Only Comedy Bus Tour, BYO Beer or Wine
This Charlotte comedy tour departs at FIRST WARD PARK (301 E 7th St) by the Google Building and the Rail Road stop. Cross Road is College and 7th and will begin in Uptown, where you'll board the open-air bus and meet your comedic guide. Cruise along the streets to take in the sights and atmosphere as your guide humorously highlights the history, architecture, and entertainment of the city. As you travel through some of Charlotte's most interesting neighborhoods, including Uptown, Southend, Plaza Midwood, NoDa, and the Fourth Ward, listen to your guide's club-style jokes and commentary. About halfway through, you'll stop for a quick break. Feel free to bring your own beer and wine on board to enhance your adults-only sightseeing experience. Please note: Due to the mature nature of the jokes on the bus and the on-board alcohol, this tour is intended for adults only. Those under the age of 16 are not permitted, and absolutely no babies are allowed on the bus due to safety issues (there are no seat belts, and the bus cannot hold car seats or strollers). If any tickets are purchased for children, they will not be allowed to board and no refund will be issued.
Beyond the Grave Haunted History Tour
Charlotte was founded in 1768 and has witnessed the country's birth and growth. With that growth has come much turmoil and led to many ghostly encounters. There is much to learn about the area that was founded on an ancient Indian trading path and is home to landmarks both haunted and historic. Meeting close to the heart of Uptown, you will begin your 1.5 hour tour and step further and further back into time throughout the stops. Strolling through Charlotte's Fourth Ward district, you'll visit some of the area's most notable and haunting sites. Tours feature visits to various ghostly and historic spots, like the path to Charlotte, tunnels of grave fortune, theatrical ghosts and some of Uptown's magnificently spooky houses. You'll learn about significant people and battles, see where both the drinking of spirits and ghostly spirits intersect, and walk past ghoulish medical institutions. Visit haunting locations where people currently lay to rest, and haunting locations where people were permanently laid to rest. This tour is sure to educate and spook all who walk.
Charlotte's Historical City Tour
Explore the city of Charlotte on one of our unique golf carts and see some of the most popular landmarks and neighborhoods Charlotte has to offer. We will depart from Fitzgerald’s, located in the heart of Uptown Charlotte, on one of our 7 person golf carts. We will then venture off on an exciting, fully narrated experience through the Queen City. Throughout this guided tour you will see top attractions such as the beautiful 390,000 square foot NASCAR Hall of Fame where all the top drivers, crews and owners are now immortalized. You will see many of the museums Charlotte has to offer such as Discovery Place, The Mint Museum, Imaginon and Levine Museum of the New South. You will also get to see where our sports teams play! We will ride by Bank of America Stadium, home of the Carolina Panthers, Spectrum Center, home of the Charlotte Hornets as well as many concerts and shows, and BB&T Ballpark, home of the Charlotte Knights. We want to show our guests some of Charlotte's oldest neighborhoods, as well as various up and coming neighborhoods. You will see the beautiful homes of Historic 4th Ward that sits in the heart of Uptown. We will drive through First Ward, a neighborhood that originally provided housing to laborers in the industrial era, and is now home to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Center City Campus and First Ward Park. We will then cruise to South End, which is home to the arts district as well as many of Charlotte's breweries. NoDA and Plaza Midwood are known as Charlotte's most diverse and eclectic neighborhoods, which are filled with art galleries, funky stores, and restaurants. There is so much to see in Charlotte and we are looking forward to sharing our city with you! There are plenty of opportunities to stop and take photos on the tour.
Charlotte 90-Minute Bike Tour with Gantt Center, Mint Museum
Meet your guide inside the Overstreet Mall at your selected departure time. You’ll be outfitted with a bike and helmet and given a brief safety orientation before embarking on your 1.5-hour bike tour of Charlotte. Engage all of your senses as you pedal down beautiful tree-lined streets and through parks filled with history. Pause at the intersection of Trade and Tryon streets, which mark the city's center and divides the city’s first four wards. Cruise down Levine Avenue of the Arts past local shops, coffee shops and restaurants cooking up classic Southern food. This avenue is home to the Levine Center for the Arts, one of Charlotte’s key cultural destinations comprised of the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the Harvey B Gantt Center for African-American Arts and Culture, the John S and James L Knight Theater and the Mint Museum Uptown.Pedal past The Green, small public park, and explore historic Fourth Ward Park, located at the center of the Fourth Ward section of Uptown. This lovely green park, a common ground for all kinds of city-dwellers, features several walking trails and fountains and is surrounded by towering urban buildings.Throughout your easy, mostly flat bike ride, your guide will stop to provide commentary about Charlotte’s history, architecture, art and entertainment, and give you time to take some photos and soak up the atmosphere. Your Charlotte bike tour ends back at the Overstreet Mall.
SEA LIFE Charlotte-Concord Aquarium Admission
Take an underwater journey from the rivers of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and beyond at SEA LIFE Charlotte–Concord, located in Concord Mills Mall. At more than 30 fascinating exhibits, see diverse ocean species, displayed within authentically themed habitats that are influenced by the natural surroundings of North Carolina. Observe some 5,000 creatures, including sharks, stingrays, jellyfish and seahorses. Enjoy a mix of education, marine conservation and interactive fun at SEA LIFE’s video theater and quiz trail. There’s something for every member of your family.As you make your way through exhibits including the giant Pacific octopus (the largest octopus in the world), watch shy seahorses feed on shrimp, spy clown fish and sea turtles and observe jellyfish floating inside cylindrical tanks that mimic ocean tides and currents. Stop by a tank of blacktip reef sharks which come from the tropical coral reefs of the Indian and Pacific oceans and enter an underwater tunnel for a 180-degree view of sharks and stingrays as they swim past.Passionate about preserving marine habitats and the species that live in them, the informative staff at SEA LIFE Charlotte–Concord celebrates everything about the sea. The aquarium hosts shark and ray feedings, as well as educational demonstrations throughout the day. Learn about successful breeding programs for endangered animals and discover how the aquarium supports worldwide conservation projects.