Uptown Charlotte, NC - weekend visit to the Queen City

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Weekend Trip to Uptown Charlotte NC – June 2012



We arrived in Charlotte around 5:30 and finally found our hotel after riding around for quite a while. I knew the hotel would be hard to find since I had read up on other peoples reviews. There was a (closed road) under construction so that might have been why we couldn’t find it very fast. I knew it was on the corner of College and 4^th but it was kind of hard to see the sign from the car. Later when we walked around the area the hotel seemed quite visible then. We stayed at Aloft and it was really very nice. The lobby is on the 5^th floor and it is a 15 story hotel. We stayed on the 15^th floor with a view of the EpiCenter.



Friday evening was spent at the EpiCenter walking around. This place has many restaurants and activities going on all the time. We also walked around the block to see the Nascar Hall of Fame.



I spent my next day touring the city on foot. My first stop was the Info Center on Tryon St. where I picked up info and maps. I headed to the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art since it was right down the street. It contains many art works including Picasso and I learned he died in 1973 which I don’t ever remember learning in school. Somehow I thought he was from many years before. He died at 92.



Next, I went to the Mint Museum of Modern Art. This one is really fantastic with lots of very interesting things. This week there was a fairy display and it was very interesting but rather gruesome. Since it was the first weekend of the month I showed my Bank of America Visa and got in free. This is a wonderful program and the first time I got to take advantage of it.



Lunch was at Vida Mexican Kitchen on Trade St. – Excellent food here and tasty fresh ingredients.



Next I went to the Billy Graham Library. On the Fourth floor are many framed photo’s of some of Charlotte’s grand Victorian homes (the painted ladies). The frames have pull out tabs which show the beautiful Victorian homes after they were demolished and new buildings took their places through out the years. From there I headed to the Fourth Ward section of the city to see some of the remaining homes which have been restored. It’s a beautiful section of town with a small park to walk through. I noticed many hand crafted birdhouses which were made from discarded items such as broken dishes and knick knacks. A very beautiful place indeed!



On my way back to the hotel I stopped at the farmers market (but it was closed) and snapped a few pictures of the inside area. This looks like it would be a fun place to go with lots of vendors selling their wares, when it’s open for business.



Went to Whiskey River in the evening and had a blast.



Charlotte is a beautiful city. It’s very clean, and safe, and I found the people to be very friendly and hospitable. I definitely will be back for a future visit to the Queen City!

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