Where to Live
Charlotte is a great city and is pretty similar to Nashville. Many cool neighborhoods, such as Dilworth, NoDa, and Plaza Midwood. Tons of breweries, bars and restaurants, and professional sports. '12
Neighborhoods close to Center City (Uptown Charlotte)
- Center City/Uptown
- South End
- Plaza Midwood
- Chantilly
- Dilworth
- NoDa (North Davidson)
- Wilmore
- Madison Park
- South Park
- Cotswold
- Elizabeth
Neighborhoods further from Center City
- Ballantyne (home to The SEC Network studios)
- University
- Huntersville
- Tega Cay and Fort Mill, SC
- Waxhaw
- Quail Hollow
- Matthews
- Belmont
- Mountain Island Lake
- Pineville
Things to Do
- Professional sports - Carolina Panthers (National Football League) | Charlotte Hornets (National Basketball Association) |Charlotte Knights (AAA Minor League Baseball) | Charlotte Checkers (American Hockey League).
- Epicentre - A collection of cafes, restaurants, late night spots, retail and events.
- Seventh Street Market - Several small restaurants under one roof. Coffee, wine, pizza, sandwiches and baked goods.
- Performing Arts - Charlotte Ballet, Opera Carolina, Actor's Theatre of Charlotte, Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, which has a regular concert series at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in addition to a summer outdoor concert series at several parks.
- Time Warner Arena is the venue for many major concerts.
- NoDa Summer Music Fest
- PNC Music Pavilion - Outdoor music venue with many summer concerts
- Jazz - First Friday Jazz at The Bechtler Museum and The Jazz Room at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
- NASCAR races and NASCAR Hall of Fame; races held at Charlotte Motor Speedway
- Club scene - Charlotte has a number of smaller music venues, although not as many as Nashville. Check out Creative Loafing or the Charlotte Observer for listings.
- Local Festivals: BBQ Festival, Festival of India, Greek Fest, Festival in the Park, several local beer festivals, Taste of Charlotte, Speed Street (during May Race Week).
- The Charlotte Regional Farmer's Market on Yorkmount is the largest area market open most days, but there are many others operating on various schedules, on Kings Drive, Matthews, Center City Charlotte, Mecklenburg County market near Carolinas Medical Center, Stonecrest and Ballantyne.
- Ethnic Markets: There are a good number in and around Charlotte, both large and small. Here are a few to get you started!
- Mexican and South American: Six locations of Compare Foods, a supermarket devoted to all types of ingredients for making your favorite south of the border dishes.
- Mostly Asian: Super G Mart, North Carolina's largest international supermarket is located on Hwy 74 east of Center City Charlotte, at 7323 E. Independence Blvd., Charlotte, NC, (980) 321-4048, supergmart.net/
- Indian: Patel Brothers, 10701 Centrum Parkway, Pineville, North Carolina 28134, (704) 540-2013
- Greek: Agora Greek Market located at 5122 E. Independence Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28212, and Minos Imported Foods, 11016 Monroe Road, Matthews, NC 28105
Young Professionals Groups
- The Young Affiliates of the Mint, Mint Museum
- Charlotte Chamber Young Professionals
- Young Professionals Club, Charlotte City Club
- Young Visionaries of The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art
Athletic Fun Outdoors and Indoors
In other cities exercising outside can be tough, but in Charlotte you can always find something to do, whether it's going for a run, bike ride, walk, participating in exercise classes or going to the Whitewater Center and area lakes for some water-based fun!
- Freedom Park offers walking trails, tennis, basketball courts, playgrounds
- Little Sugar Creek Greenway connecting walking and biking trails from just north of Center City to Park Road Shopping Center.
- Four Mile Creek Greenway - McAlpine Creek Greenway and McMullen Creek Greenway all connect in South Charlotte.
- Jeff Adams Tennis Center and Park Road Park are just two of the many public tennis facilities available.
- Team and Social Sports:
- Waka Kickball and Social Sports - Join a team and play/socialize in the fall.
- Sportslink - Organizes teams and leagues for a wide variety of sports year round.
- Running - There are numerous running trails, running groups and races of various distances throughout the year.
- "The Booty Loop" - Popular bike route along Selwyn, Queens Road, Queens Road West and Hopedale Avenue in Myers Park.
- Sherman Branch Mountain Bike Park - 14 miles from Center City Charlotte, in Mint Hill, N.C.
- Crowders Mountain State Park and Kings Mountain State Park - Offer hiking on a range of trails and terrains, climbing, camping and other outdoor activities.
- Carolina Thread Trail is a regional network of greenways, trails and blueways that reaches 15 counties around Charlotte, with 220 miles of trails open to the public. The name "Carolina Thread Trail" is rooted in a region with a rich heritage of weaving fabric.
- The U.S. National Whitewater Center - 15 miles west of Center City Charlotte and offers whitewater rafting, kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding, rock climbing, mountain- biking and other outdoor activities.
- Nearby area lakes - Lake Wylie, Lake Norman and Mountain Isle Lake offer boating, swimming and other outdoor activities.
