Charlotte has Southern hospitality, lovely weather, a small-town feel and access to natural beauty in the mountains and on the shore. This city is also an important modern financial center with all the amenities you’d expect in a large metropolis. Enjoy outdoor beauty during the day and appreciate great performances in the evening.
Walk through Charlotte’s downtown area for culture, entertainment and sports action. Attend opera, Broadway productions, symphonies, dance and other performances at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center’s seven venues. Several theater groups put on classic to edgy plays and musicals at other locations in the city. Charlotte’s venues offer more than 65,000 performances and events annually.
The city’s 50 museums and art galleries range from Discovery Place, filled with hands-on exhibits to engage children of all ages, to the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art. Carolinas Aviation Museum holds the “Miracle on the Hudson” Airbus that made an emergency landing in New York City’s Hudson River.
Stop in the one-of-a-kind NASCAR Hall of Fame downtown to learn about the sport’s bootlegging history. Drive north of the city to see and hear NASCAR racing at full throttle. The Carolina Panthers play football in a downtown stadium next to the Charlotte Knights baseball field. The city has professional basketball, hockey, lacrosse, rugby, roller derby and women’s sports teams. Just east of downtown, visit the campus and athletic field of University of North Carolina Charlotte.
Watersports abound in this warm-weather location. Swim, canoe and boat on Lake Norman or the Catawba River. Enjoy family whitewater rafting at the manmade U.S. National Whitewater Center and watch Olympic kayakers practicing. Watch famous golfers compete at the annual PGA tournament at Quail Hollow or set up your own golf holiday across the area’s 30 courses.
Charlotte has a diverse international scene. Experience the Charlotte French Cultural Festival in July, watch energetic dancing at September’s Festival of India and enjoy music and arts in the long-running autumn Festival in the Park.