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Charlotte, North Carolina, has a longtime reputation as a regional banking center, but if you’re still dismissing it as a city built around business lunches, you’re way behind. In the past decade, Charlotte’s distinctive neighborhoods, entrepreneurial spirit, and food (and beer and cocktail) scene have come to the fore. As offices reopen in worker-friendly Uptown, the city is ready to get back to business. Here’s our plan for a full Charlotte weekend.
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Day 1
Wake up at the Grand Bohemian, the city’s most stylish, art-packed new hotel, which is centrally located in the Uptown business district. Walk a few blocks for brunch at The Asbury, in the lobby of the Dunhill Hotel; don’t sleep on the sticky biscuits, pinwheels rolled with country ham and drizzled with goat cheese icing.
Take your pick of nearby museums, including the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, the Mint Museum Uptown and its outstanding crafts collection, and the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art—Niki de Saint-Phalle’s mirrored Firebird is a popular photo spot. Next, wander through Romare Bearden Park, an homage to the Charlotte-born artist revered for his collages of Black life in the South.
Stop by 7th Street Public Market, an incubator for local food businesses such as Orrman’s Cheese Shop and Assorted Table Wine Shoppe; then hop on the Lynx light rail line to NoDa, the North Davidson Street arts district.
Once there, try the updated Southern cooking (think seriously crispy hushpuppies with sweet tea butter) at Haberdish, where salvaged-denim booths recall the area’s textile-mill history. Next, browse through NoDa’s small shops and galleries, such as Pura Vida Worldly Art and the Rat’s Nest, with its vintage Western and ’70s clothing.
Finish your day with a look at how Charlotte has been revitalizing its old industrial spaces. Camp North End—the site of a 1924 Ford factory and Cold War–era missile plant—is a steampunk dream. Here, you’ll find Leah & Louise, a modern take on a Memphis juke joint, where Greg and Subrina Collier reinterpret dishes born in the Mississippi River Valley, such as sweet-and-spicy chicken skins fried to a potato chip–like crisp and roasted cabbage swimming in a rich pork-neck bisque.
Day 2
Begin your morning with a five-minute ride to the South End warehouse district, and fuel up with the lemon ricotta pancakes at Lincoln’s Haberdashery, a combination bakery, coffeehouse, and market in an old Lance Cracker factory.
Next, walk the Charlotte Rail Trail, a wide path along the light rail line that’s dotted with public art, including “magic carpets” painted directly on the pavement. On Saturday mornings, stop into the South End Market to pick up locally grown vegetables or Ekologicall’s zero-waste home products. On your walk back north, hop off the trail for lunch at the nearly six-decade-old Price’s Chicken Coop, which is famous for its fried chicken and killer gizzards. It’s blue-collar and takeout only, with service that is brusque but friendly.
Breweries have popped up all over Charlotte, with seven in the South End alone. At Sycamore Brewing, enjoy a Southern Girl Blonde on the expansive outdoor patio. If you’re not a beer drinker, sample the sophisticated ginger ale—which has more bite than sweetness—on the rooftop at the Unknown Brewing Company, overlooking Bank of America Stadium.
For dinner, head to the Elizabeth neighborhood, with its Craftsman-style charm that dates to the 1920s. Start with a Gin Gin Mule—a mashup of a mojito and a Moscow mule—at The Crunkleton; it’s a private club, meaning you’ll need to secure a $10 annual membership when you make a reservation. Next door is The Stanley, where James Beard Award semifinalist Paul Verica crafts imaginative seasonal plates, like a crispy kale version of a classic frisée salad with a poached egg. Or swap them: The Crunkleton has live-fire cooking, and The Stanley has great cocktails.
Day 3
You have an active day ahead, so set out early for a quick breakfast in the Belmont neighborhood at Optimist Hall, a popular food hall in a former textile mill. Try Undercurrent Coffee for a golden milk latte and tricked-out avocado toast or overnight oatmeal.
For a morning of adventure, drive 20 minutes west to the U.S. National Whitewater Center, which occupies 1,300 acres along the Catawba River, including the world’s largest artificial white water river. You can buy a day pass or choose individual activities, such as white- and flat-water kayaking, rafting, ziplining, and mountain biking. Some activities are seasonal, so check the daily schedule before you go.
Head back to Plaza-Midwood, a diverse and busy 1950s-era business district. At Dish, a diner with a homestyle vibe, take your pick from Southern classics, like deviled eggs, great biscuits, and chicken and dumplings.
To get a sense of the neighborhood’s energy, stroll past the Thirsty Beaver Saloon. The popular dive bar and music club refused to sell out to developers, so builders wrapped an apartment building around it. Continue exploring Central Avenue and stop into boutiques like Cltch, which sells vintage accessories, barware, and pop-culture merchandise.
Dinner tonight is at one of Plaza-Midwood’s most exciting new restaurants, Supperland, located in a renovated 1950s church. Thoughtful decor includes their own line of dishware covered with dogwood, sweet potato, and squash blossom designs, while the menu draws inspiration from both steakhouses (entrees like prime ribeye and spatchcocked branzino) and church potlucks (think “franks and beans” made with Wagyu hot dogs and Sea Island red peas). Bar master Colleen Hughes has been given a separate space in the old church annex, where she’s turning out artful cocktails with touches like rose-shaped ice edged with glitter that will end your visit on a boozy high.
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