Charlotte NC -- what to do while visiting there?

[mamato3 all-boy boys]

We'll be in the Charlotte area for Christmas, and I need to find some educational, fun, historical, etc. day trips while there....oh, and I have boys.

 

We finished a unit study on the Civil War this past spring, so anything that we can pick up from that time period would be good.

 

Thanks,

[Frontier Mom]

That's where I live.

 

I would definitely check out the Latta Plantation. Depending upon when you are coming, they have lots of things going on. Also, the science museum, Discovery Place is really great. The IMAX movies would be a good option that time of year.

 

Also, if you want to see lights then you should visit McAdenville. They light up the whole town. You can also stop for hot chocolate.

 

And, of course, there are malls!! Hope you have a wonderful visit. You might even get lucky and catch a great play in town while you are here.

[mamato3 all-boy boys]

Thanks! The plantation looks great!

[sheryl]

That's where I live.

 

I would definitely check out the Latta Plantation. Depending upon when you are coming, they have lots of things going on. Also, the science museum, Discovery Place is really great. The IMAX movies would be a good option that time of year.

 

Also, if you want to see lights then you should visit McAdenville. They light up the whole town. You can also stop for hot chocolate.

 

And, of course, there are malls!! Hope you have a wonderful visit. You might even get lucky and catch a great play in town while you are here.

 

Charlotte too, here! Also consider IMAX, Biltmore, Charlotte Museum of History/Alexander H. homesite, James K Polk, Pineville Ice House for homeschool ice skating, and tons more. HTH.

[KarenNC]

Levine Museum of the New South http://www.museumofthenewsouth.org/

Mint Museum of Art and the Mint Museum of Craft and Design http://www.mintmuseum.org/

 

Northlake Mall has had giant walk-through snow globes where it "snows" on you for the last several years at the holidays. Here's a picture from the year they did Polar Express (the theme changes each year) http://www.1elevenimages.com/Christmas-Lights/Northlake-Mall/Northlake-Mall/6966438_vc3j9#445883432_nK525-M-LB and of course they have Santa (as well as a nice Borders).http://www.shopnorthlake.com/

 

If you go to Latta Plantation, the Carolina Raptor Center is right there http://www.carolinaraptorcenter.org/

 

If they like stock car racing at all, you could do one of the race shop tours---http://www.raceshoptours.net/ is one of the providers or check out the speedway http://www.lowesmotorspeedway.com/.

 

Inner Peaks is an indoor rock climbing facility http://www.innerpeaks.com/

 

The Whitewater Center has a bouldering field and rock climbing, but I think it's all outside. I haven't actually been, but it's supposed to be cool. http://www.usnwc.org/

 

Historic Rosedale http://www.historicrosedale.org/

 

Mint Hill Country Doctor's Museum (they have several historic buildings on the site, it's on the outskirts of Charlotte) http://www.minthillhistory.com/ and has a Christmas tea.

 

Peace Moravian Church and I believe another Moravian church in the area have Love Feast teas and services. http://www.peacemoravian.com/ (and Dewey's Bakery from up in Winston Salem has had a kiosk in Concord Mills mall---just up I-85 from Charlotte proper--at the holidays with fabulous Moravian sugar cake and wafer thin Moravian cookies). To get the full experience, you would have to go a couple of hours up the road to Winston Salem to Old Salem, but this would be local and give you at least a taste.

 

There's a Lego store in Concord Mills mall almost beside the Disney store, as well as their Nascar Speedpark.

http://www.nascarspeedpark.com/ They also have an indoor carousel at the mall in the food court and the last time I was there I saw a bungee/trampoline jumping contraption inside the mall, not sure of the age/weight minimums. It was near Education Express, a teacher supply store at the lower end of the mall.

 

St. Peter's Episcopal Church (right next door to Discovery Place) has a stained glass window in the front right corner of the sanctuary with the Confederate seal on it (as well as a Tiffany rose window on the rear wall of the sanctuary and a very cool Art Nouveau window at the back right corner of the sanctuary). Check their calendar closer to time, they used to have lunch time concerts of classical music there http://www.st-petersweb.org/.

 

We really have more that is Rev War and just after than Confederate sites. Kings Mtn National Military Park is not too far away http://www.nps.gov/kimo/index.htm.

 

Historic Brattonsville is just south of Charlotte in SC http://chmuseums.org/brattonsville/. It's where the movie "The Patriot" was filmed.

 

Reed Gold Mine, site of the first documented gold find in the US, is close by http://www.nchistoricsites.org/Reed/reed.htm, but I don't know if they do mine tours regularly in the winter. They do do a Christmas event, but on Dec. 5

http://www.nchistoricsites.org/Reed/events.htm

 

The Carolinas Aviation Museum at the airport

http://www.carolinasaviation.org/

 

NC Transportation Museum is in Spencer, around an hour north on I-85 http://www.nctrans.org/ which is great if they like trains at all. They can take a turntable ride, 25 min train ride, see all kinds of transportation, etc.

 

Bost Grist Mill is just outside of Concord a bit northeast of Charlotte, but not sure if they will be open when you're here http://www.bostgristmill.com/html/christmas_open_house_07.html. It's an operational grist mill.

 

The Eastern Cabarrus Historical Society Museum is in Mt. Pleasant, up HWY 49 from Charlotte (how far depends on where in Charlotte you'll be). It's in an old college http://www.echsm.net/ and I believe they decorate for Christmas. The last time I was there the rooms were done up with things from various periods. We're headed there this weekend for an antique toy, doll and train exhibit, so I can look if you're interested.

 

You will want to check out the Homeschool Room, a large consignment store for homeschool supplies and curricula http://www.thehomeschoolroom.net/

 

Very close to the Homeschool Room (within a block or so) is Growing Scholars, a homeschool store that carries primarily new curricula http://growingscholars.com/. They have a lot more than is listed on their website.

 

Imaginon is cool and only a couple of blocks from Discovery Place http://www.imaginon.org/index.asp

 

If the trolley is running, that's fun. We rode it to the end of the line in order to be able to get up and flip our seat backs to face the other direction.:) http://www.charlottetrolley.org/ If you like and the schedule works, you can park at the end of the trolley line at South End for free and ride the trolley up to Discovery Place and Imaginon (the stop is only a block or so from either of them). Much cheaper (and easier!) than parking downtown. There's also a Fuel Pizza location very close to there (the one in Hearst Tower) for pizza by the slice, very casual, great garlic knots http://fuelpizza.com/. It's only a block or so from Discovery Place and probably more fun for the boys than eating at the museum, as well as affordable. It's decorated with all kinds of old garage stuff (the original is in an old gas station).

 

You can drive through and see lots of exotic animals at Lazy 5 Ranch http://www.lazy5ranch.com/

 

If they are into patches, you can pick up a Passport to History at many of the historic sites in Mecklenburg for $3. Visit 5 of the 10 and you can mail in for a patch (price included).

 

The Schiele Museum in Gastonia (which you will be close to if you go to McAdenville to see the lights) is good as well http://www.schielemuseum.org/. They also have a light display at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens, down in Gastonia http://www.dsbg.org/events.php#search.

 

Don't forget to check and see if any of these are reciprocal to any science museum membership you may have, so that you can get in free.

 

If you want to go as far as an hour and a half to two hours, my daughter adored EdVenture in Columbia, SC http://www.edventure.org/ and they also have the Riverbanks Zoo, which is somewhat more compact than the NC Zoo http://www.riverbanks.org/

 

Biltmore is 2.5 hours or more away---a doable day trip, but there's lots closer to hand.

Edited September 18, 2009 by KarenNC