I might not be able to call Charlotte, N.C. area my home anymore, but it will always be a close second because of the people who live there.
We find ourselves going there often – sometimes for a weekend trip to see my family. I’m always looking for new places to go, but there are certainly places that have become our go-tos.
Here are my favorite places to visit when I’m home for the weekend.
Skyline Views
For the best views, we go to either the top of the Target parking deck on Metropolitan Ave. or we head to Camp North End. Both are great, but if you’re looking to get some shopping done at stores like Trader Joe’s and West Elm, the Target view is your best bet.
Staying Active Outside
For outdoor activities, we always head to the Little Sugar Creek Greenway. We get on at Park Road Shopping Center and walk to Freedom Park, which is the perfect spot for a picnic. Park Road is my favorite shopping center in Charlotte. We normally stay a while after our walk to visit the retail stores and grab a macaron from Amelie’s French Bakery (another all-time favorite). We also love Dilworth, the area on the other end of the greenway by Freedom Park. There you can find restaurants like The Mayobird, The People’s Market at Dilworth, Duck Donuts and Kid Cashew.
Shopping Small
To me, the best morning in Charlotte is grabbing a coffee at Undercurrent Coffee and heading right next door to one of my favorite small shops, Moxie Mercantile. Moxie Mercantile has two locations, but I like the one on Commonwealth Ave. the best.
Indoor Activities
If we’re looking for indoor fun, we normally head to Southpark Mall (mainly because it has a Madewell) or The Mint Museum, an art museum in uptown. And if you’re in uptown, you have to visit 7th Street Public Market and get a latte from Not Just Coffee.
The Newest Favorite
Optimist Hall is the perfect place to go when you don’t know what you want to eat. They have everything from dim sum to ice cream to tacos, and the atmosphere is fresh and clean. It’s literally a millennial hub, and it houses another favorite store – Archer Paper Goods.
Dinner Out
If you’re feeling fancy or want to take someone on a hot date, I recommend Mama Ricotta’s. We went there on New Year’s Eve and it was excellent. We also love Paco’s Tacos and Tequila, Another Broken Egg Cafe and Pinky’s Westside Grill (get the fried pickles).
NoDa
We sometimes find ourselves in NoDa grabbing a coffee at Trade and Lore or Smelly Cat, and checking out the murals. We used to go to the Amelie’s in NoDa all the time on late night dates since they’re open 24 hours. It’s definitely a Charlotte staple.
Higher End Shopping
We also frequent Atherton Mill in South End. There’s a Not Just Coffee location there too, and it’s right beside Free People and Anthropologie – the perfect place to grab coffee and go window shopping. Right down the road is Hex Coffee, where Asher swears they have the best latte on tap he’s ever tasted.
What are your go-to spots in the Queen City?
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