Fun 3 Day Charlotte Travel Guide: Stay, Play, and EAT!

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Charlotte surprised me. I keep saying that, but it’s true. On my two-month sabattical around the American South, I certainly had my cities that I was looking forward to (Nashville, D.C., Savannah) and the ones I had really low expectations for (Jackson, Birmingham, Charleston WV)…but Charlotte was somewhere ambiguously in the middle. I hadn’t heard much about it and I wasn’t too pressed to change that. Yet here I am, more than a year later, writing my own personal Charlotte travel guide because I simply cannot get that city out of my head.

Charlotte, North Carolina is a gem. I don’t say that lightly.

There are fewww cities I imagine myself actually living (and enjoying for more than a few years), and never before had that included a city in the south. Until now.

Going to spoil this Charlotte travel guide a bit – but Queen City blew me out the water. If I had to live somewhere in the South, hands down it would be Charlotte, without a second thought. It’s cute, and charming, and reasonably walkable but still large enough to feel like a city. Charlotte feels young, and in some ways it is, but its history is SO important to understanding the fabric of the American South. But again, I’m getting ahead of myself in this Charlotte travel guide.

I spent four days and three nights in Charlotte, North Carolina, though I am amending this Charlotte travel guide to accommodate for a long three day weekend, since that is a bit more common for a domestic trip. Still, it felt like the perfect amount of time for a taste of Charlotte, and will definitely leave you wanting more!

Charlotte Basics

• State: North Carolina
• Nearest “Big” Cities: Charleston, SC (3.5hrs), Atlanta, GA (4hrs)
• Closest International Airport: Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
• Ancestral Lands: Catawba, Cheraw, Sugeree, Wateree, and Waxhaw Nations
• Best season to visit (in my opinion): Summer & Fall
• Transportation: If you are centrally located, the city is reasonably walkable with affordable rideshares. Otherwise, rental cars are convenient and the city is easy to drive and park

Where to Stay

Okay, y’all know me, I am a Hilton loyalist so I can rack up as many points as possible. It’s what allowed me to stay 4 nights at the Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort for FREE, a room that otherwise would have been dang near $7,000 USD for four nights. Most of those points came from hotels I stayed at on this roadtrip, including in Charlotte!

For our trip in Charlotte, both for budget and for points, we stayed at a Hilton Homewood Suites up in Uptown First Ward. Nothing fancy, and I wasn’t thinking about making any kind of Charlotte travel guide when I picked it, but it was a nice stay. We also had a car, so we weren’t too concerned with distance from the town center or anything, but it was actually in a nice little area.

If you want to stay somewhere memorable, there’s the luxurious Ivey’s Hotel for a little taste of royalty. It’s a little out of myyyy budget, personally, but it does look worth the splurge and is super conveniently located. However, the property that’s on my Charlotte travel guide bucketlist is Ms. Elsie’s Caribbean Bed & Breakfast. My stay at Cochrane House in Detroit really got me craving more B&B experiences. I’ve heard wonderful reviews on it! It’s a bit far from the city center, but I’ll probably have a rental car so I won’t mind the drive!

What to Eat

After being…lowkey, a little let down from my culinary pursuits in the previous few “south-adjacent” cities I visited on my roadtrip, Charlotte restored my faith in restaurants. Using a combination of Google Maps, James Beard nominations, and recommendations from my friend Wynee from Wynee’s World, my taste buds were DELIGHTED my entire trip.

Of course with the ongoing pandemic, restaurant hours and locations are constantly changing, and may even be temporarily/permanently closed by the time you read this. I’ll do my best to keep this Charlotte travel guide updated, but save your itinerary the headache and just do a quick search before you start heading over.

Caffeination Station

The start of your day BEFORE the start of your day! I was (finally!!) able to meet up with Wynee after literally years of following each other on social media and she took me to one of her favorite coffee spots! I don’t want to speak for Wynee, but I thought it was such a fun and easy conversation – so just a bit of encouragement to hang out with friends!! It’s a good time! And so are these cafes in this Charlotte travel guide!

• Stable Hand: Wynee approved! I was so excited to meet Wynee that I forgot to take a picture of the drink. BUT it was amazing and I see why Wynee is a frequent patron!
• Evoke Coffee: I had Evoke Coffee from a pop-up, but now they have a brick & mortar! Don’t blame me if you end up grabbing a drink (or three) during your stay.
• Not Just Coffee: They have a few different locations, so you’ll probably come across at least one. But don’t let the convenience fool you, they’re also great quality!

Breakfast

Okay, NOW you can officially start the day. In a rare turn of events, 3/3 of the breakfast spots I went to were all fantastic! That honestly…is quite rare haha, so shoutout to Queen City for having excellent breakfast and all my options making it on my Charlotte travel guide!

• Community Matters Cafe: I found this spot on Google randomly, and while the food was phenomenal, Community Matters Cafe also has a great purpose in giving back to the community (found that out later). Issa win-win!
• The People’s Market: If you like cute eclectic places, then this will be your favorite breakfast in Charlotte! Tons of fun options (including vegan), but I recommend their chicken biscuit if you’ve never had southern pimento cheese!
• 300 East: I had spotted this restaurant when I was out and about and decided to make it my last breakfast in Charlotte – I made the right choice! I believe they only do weekend brunch, but their crab cake bennies are worth everything and more.

Lunch

I have to admit, I don’t usually prioritize lunch when I’m on vacation. Partly because by the time I wake up to start my day, I’m eating breakfast for lunch. The other half is because I’m always on the go and usually opt to snack over a sit-down spot to save precious exploring time. Wynee had a lot of great recommendations for Black-owned restaurants in Charlotte, though the few that I had visit have closed at the time of writing this. Be sure to check her list for a few more options 🙂

The other spots I visited though were thankfully also great options and made it on the Charlotte travel guide.

• Optimist Hall: Classic (but contemporary-styled) food hall of over twenty restaurants and shops. Great for large groups or if you can’t decide on what you want. We ended up sharing food from Felix Empanadas and The Dumpling Lady, and highly recommend both booths!
• Flower Child: A more health-food focused place, which is nice if you don’t want to get the midday itis after a heavy lunch. I actually didn’t know they were a chain (my b, lol) but loved their bowls! Vegan and paleo friendly!

Dinner

Dinner though? Dinner is really the highlight of this Charlotte travel guide. After getting completely burned out of travel after 3 weeks on the road, Charlotte (and its food) brought me back up to speed. Regardless what you think of the South, it is undeniable that they got some of the best chefs to come out of this country. So when you’re planning out your day, make sure to leave room for dinner.

• Leah & Louise: A hands-down ALL STAR restaurant, you’re gonna want to make reservations early. James Beard nominated, with the bite to back it up, the menu pays homage to the Mississippi river valley foodways (Memphis, Jackson, Mississippi and New Orleans) through new takes on Southern classics.
• Haberdish: You’re probably going to be over in the NoDa neighborhood anyway (I went twice in my short trip), and Haberdish is the perfect spot to end the day there! Everything I ordered was delicious, and special shoutout to their Sweet Tea Honey Cake!
• Tacos El Regio: Wynee approved! We didn’t try many tacos in Charlotte, but these have got to be some of the best! They seem to be hailed for their salsas, which are a bit spicier than average, but they give a lot of avocado to balance it out! I wasn’t expecting to find great Latino-owned restaurants in Charlotte, but the city KEEPS surprising me!

Drinks & Dessert

And finally, the little sweet treats that make life just that much more enjoyable! This Charlotte travel guide wouldn’t be complete without everyone’s favorite add-ons! There’s something sweet for everyone in Charlotte.

• Smallcakes Utopia: This is my top recommendation because they have both freshly baked cupcakes and HOMEMADE ice cream. The best part – their specialty is unique and exciting flavors. I’m talking pecan pie cupcakes, wedding cake ice cream, and even some pet-friendly flavors for your furry friends!
• Two Scoops Creamery: If you’re just feeling ice cream though, I really enjoyed Two Scoops! I believe they have multiple locations, but I went to the South End location. It was POPPIN. They have so many flavors and a ton of vegan options as well – it’s the perfect night cap!
• Reigning Doughnuts: Owned by the same folks behind Haberdish, so you know it’s good. Also in NoDa, you’ll find these cake donuts in a little window at the back of a building, so it feels like you’re in on a local’s gem.

And I’m a SoCal girl, so you KNOWW I had to get my juice. I didn’t get to try a ton of different juice bars in Charlotte, but one that I highly recommend is Hip Hop Smoothies! While they have a few locations, I actually visited their mobile truck and wowww their smoothies are fantastic! I also love that their drinks are named after iconic Hip Hop songs.

However, if you’re looking for DRANKS, I am not the right person to ask haha. As a mostly-sober individual, my Charlotte travel guide did not include any alcoholic treats. However, I do hear that there is a great cocktail scene in Charlotte, especially in South End. I’d recommend heading there for a night out drinking because the bars and lounges are all really close and walkable, and you can easily catch a rideshare back to your lodging.

A few other recommendations I have gotten from friends for the best bars in Charlotte are: Novelty House (great rooftop) and Salud Cerveceria (brewery).

How to Play

The more I reflect back on my time in Charlotte, the more I realize that it would make a wonderful place to live. One reason for this was that I was completely content just…existing in Charlotte. I’m a pretty on-the-go type of traveler. I like to pack my itinerary with fun things to do, and lots of tours and activities and shopping and snacking…and while I did snack quite a bit, I didn’t really “do” much in Charlotte.

And it felt perfect.

I will eventually do a longer post on my concept of “Tier Cities,” but in short it’s basically how I categorize cities in my head and the belief that cities of different tiers can’t accurately be compared to each other. Anyways, Charlotte is a Tier 3 city – a small big city. What makes or breaks a Tier 3 city for me is how easy it is to relax there while still being entertaining – they usually have more domestic tourism than international. Other Tier 3 cities would be like Portland (OR), Austin (TX), and Denver (CO).

Are you seeing a trend?

Anyway, while there are plenty of things to do in Charlotte, I admittedly didn’t do all that much. Again, I was four weeks into a road trip, so my Charlotte travel guide was more low-key. And I STILL had a great time! So if you’re looking for an itinerary that’s a bit slower-paced, then this is the Charlotte travel guide for you!

Funny Bus Comedy Tour

Starting off this Charlotte travel guide with possibly the most touristy thing on the list, the Funny Bus Comedy City Tour. As the name suggests, it is a city sightseeing tour on a bus, but the twist is that it is framed as a light comedy show. Tickets were $35 USD and although my expectations were pretty low, it was actually quite fun.

You learn a good amount about the city through funny stories, lighthearted historical retellings, and of course local insight into the ins and outs of Queen City by Charlotte comedians. You can also BYOB (or wine) for the ride! There are two different tours, the PG-13 and the R-rated, so pick whichever would be more appropriate for you and your group.

If you prefer city tours of the spookier variety, I had a friend recommend the Charlotte Ghost Tour! It equally sounded fun and interesting, but I had opted to do a ghost tour in one of my future road trip stops (Savannah, Georgia) and I wanted to save my courage for that. Let me know if the haunted walking tour makes it on your Charlotte travel guide!

Levine Museum of the New South

If you really want to understand the shift in southern economics after the Civil War, then you need to add the Levine Museum of the New South to your Charlotte travel guide. If you’re unfamiliar with the American Civil War, in the most basic of basic basic basic summaries: they (white Americans) were fighting over the right to own slaves, which was the foundation of the fledgling settler country we know as the USA. The North was more industrialized, the South was agrarian (though, they had factories too).

The North, in general, was more anti-slavery, but don’t run to give them morality points. The white North couldn’t care less about Black people, save for some particular groups such as the Quakers. To working European immigrants, slavery was a “threat” to their labor force and jobs. Meanwhile, in the South, the richest men in the country were made even richer (and thus more powerful) off the literal backs of enslaved African people. The South didn’t need to protect domestic jobs and markets because they could sell their slave-produced cotton and tobacco overseas.

As America further colonized west, slavery was at the base of each side’s congressional representation (power). It all came to a head in the Civil War.

Spoiler, the South lost.

The Levine Museum of the New South is a must-do for any Charlotte travel guide because it thoroughly explains what happened to the South and its economy after losing the Civil War, and what tactics the Southern elite used to remain in power and further oppress and marginalize Black Americans. And…also the method they used to pit poor white Americans and immigrants against Black Americans…super juicy stuff.

The museum has some great rotating exhibitions as well that touch on a wide range of topics like the inequality of climate change, the roots of mass incarceration, and cultural insight on local and nearby Indigenous communities.

Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts and Culture

The Harvey B. Gantt Center should DEFINITELY be on your Charlotte travel guide because it is part museum, part interactive art and culture space. It preserves and celebrates excellence in the history and culture of African-Americans in Charlotte and the country at large, and is one of the best spots to find regular upcoming community events like yoga on the roof, artist and chef talks, and even dance workshops.

No other city makes it quite as easy to engage in the local art scene as Charlotte. It is also a super affordable attraction to include in your Charlotte travel guide and you get a discounted parking pass which is super dope. I didn’t get to take one of their guided tours, but if that’s also not an option for you, there’s also an e-bike Black history tour through Charlotte that is amazing!

Go to a Festival

One of the great things about Charlotte is that there is always something going on – so when you’re planning your trip and putting together your Charlotte travel guide, look into whether it overlaps something fun in the city!

My trip overlapped with Charlotte SHOUT (late March-mid April), a community led multi-week festival designed to showcase our community by celebrating Charlotte’s creativity and innovation through art, music, food, and ideas. I saw a ton of great street art, tasted tons of small food businesses, and jammed out to local musicians. A few other annual events to keep an eye out for would be:

• Charlotte Wine & Food Week (April): a weekend of culinary experiences like wine tastings, cooking demos, auctions, and events like the Buenas Noches Celebration of Spanish Food & Wine
• Circle K Speed Street (May): zoom zoom, all about NASCAR! There’s also a NASCAR museum, but I’m not a big car person so I didn’t go. But if you like cars, it’s prob amazing!

Leah & Louise

I’m serious about Leah & Louise. You need to add it to your Charlotte travel guide. Make a reservation right now.

Mac Tabby Cat Cafe

Okay, don’t judge me but I really love cat cafes!!!!!

Guess what Charlotte has?

I stumbled upon Mac Tabby Cat Cafe as we strolled around the NoDa neighborhood and saw a little sign pointing out the space. It was one of my favorite “casual” activities I did in town and this Charlotte travel guide wouldn’t be complete without it.

First, they have an amazing cafe attached, so you can get a drink while you wait for your timeslot. It’s better to book in advance because they are a pretty popular spot for locals, but we were able to walk in and make a reservation for the following hour. Until then, we just continued to window shop nearby and came back when it was time.

All of the adoptable cats are from local rescues and from my experience there, the cats are well socialized and trained. Well…as well as anyone can “train” a cat haha. On weekdays, an hour-long reservation is $12 USD, and on the weekends it’s $14 USD. I believe the walk-in prices for 30 minutes are a few dollars cheaper, but I still think it’s better to make a reservation because walk-in availability is not guaranteed.

Kids are welcome, but they do have to be at least 7 years old for the comfort and safety of both the kitties and the kiddos. If you want to visit with younger kids, you can book a private room or the “Kitty Time” appointment before normal business hours that are dedicated to younger children.

Mural Walk

I was honestly surprised with how many murals there were in Charlotte. I mean, granted, I was surprised by a lot of Charlotte things and in a city as walkable as this one, it’s very easy and convenient to enjoy the street art. Plus, the nice thing about Charlotte being a little under the radar on street art, the murals aren’t as busy as in places like Wynwood in Miami.

I obviously haven’t seen all the street art, but for this Charlotte travel guide, my favorite areas for this were the South End neighborhood of Charlotte and the little shopping area near Leah & Louise. First, South End is one of the cutest neighborhoods in Charlotte and is very walkable, so between snapping pics of murals, you can also duck into unique boutiques and juice spots. Leah & Louise is farther out, but if you’re in the area anyway (probably for food), I’d recommend going a bit early to take pics with all the murals.

Even though I didn’t get to all of them, be sure to check out Wynee’s post on the most instagrammable murals in Charlotte for more spots!

Is Charlotte Safe?

Alright, and now it’s time in this Charlotte travel guide to address a few common questions folks might have when thinking of visiting Queen City: Is Charlotte safe?

Personally, Charlotte felt safe to me, especially during the day. It is a metropolis, so as always keep your common wits about you. I noticed the South End neighborhood was well-lit at night with other young (and young-at-heart) residents strolling about, so I felt super at ease hanging out there after dinner while we strolled around for dessert. South End is also great for bar hopping (as noted earlier in my Charlotte travel guide), so I’d recommend that area for some late-night fun.

The Dilworth neighborhood was also pretty solid!

Conclusion: Charlotte Travel Guide

Well folks, we are at the end of this Charlotte travel guide! Thanks for thinking through it y’all! I know it wasn’t much of a rollercoaster itinerary, but the slower pace of my experience really made Charlotte feel like home. I got a taste of living in Charlotte, and I liked it. I LOVED it in fact. So if you weren’t already keen on visiting, hopefully this Charlotte travel guide has swayed you to set a flight alert.

If you’ve visited or lived there, are any of your favorite spots missing from my Charlotte travel guide? Let me know in the comments below!

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