Stuck in Charlotte on a layover? Here are five quick ways to experience the city.
If you’re a Charlotte resident, where else should we send out of town visitors on a quick Queen City layover? Email charlottefive@charlottefive.com and let us know.
Exploring a new city is fun, but finding yourself in a new city due to a flight cancellation or delay can be a complicated endeavor. American Airlines, which has a hub in Charlotte, has canceled hundreds of flights — including at least 11 this week in the Queen City — citing weather, increased travel demand and a pilot shortage.
If your flight has been postponed in Charlotte, you don’t necessarily want to just sit in your hotel room and wait for the next one, right? Luckily, our city has several quick tourist-friendly experiences you can do on your impromptu visit.
Here are a few of them:
(1) Find a brewery
In Charlotte, finding a craft brewery will be easy: Just close your eyes, click your heels three times, then pick a direction. In all seriousness, the city has become known as a craft beer destination spot. Here are a few of many places you can go:
Not sure which brewery you want to try? Salud Beer Shop was named best in the country by USA Today readers, and a variety of Charlotte’s local beers can be found there. The Charlotte Beer Garden and VBGB were also named among the top beer gardens and are worth a visit.
(2) Eat some barbecue
Recently, Charlotte was named the No. 3 barbecue city in the country — and to be honest, it was a ranking that came with a lot of pushback. Critics said North Carolina’s smaller towns do a much better job of representing our state’s best barbecue. Still, your time is short and you may not have a rental car, so we’ll give you some solid Charlotte spots if you want to try Carolina-style BBQ:
If you do have a rental car, food writer Kathleen Purvis has a comprehensive list of barbecue restaurants in the Charlotte area to check out — and some of them aren’t too far from the city limits.
(3) Visit a converted mill
In recent years, several of Charlotte’s former mills have been converted into adaptive reuse entertainment spaces. Here are a few to explore:
PRO TIP: Leah and Louise at Camp North End has a chef who has been nominated twice for a James Beard Award.
(4) Entertain yourself, Charlotte-style
We don’t all talk like Ricky Bobby here (scenes from Talladega Nights were filmed in Charlotte), but if you’re looking for a tourist attraction that is specifically Southern, head over to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Other entertainment options include:
Carowinds: This amusement park includes a water park and it rests on the state line between the Carolinas. You can have your photo taken in both states while you’re here.
Discovery Place: If you have some little ones to occupy, visit Charlotte’s family science museum and they’ll forget your trip isn’t going as planned. First Ward Park nearby has a water feature they can run through after to cool off, too.
Art museums: Check out the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts+ Culture or the Mint Museum (it offers two locations). Oh, and we have selfie museums, too.
Visit Charlotte’s murals: It’s entirely possible that our city may have more murals than it does breweries. Charlotte’s local artists are — well, let’s just say that impressive is an understatement. For a starter list, check out reporter Laurie Larsh’s most Instagrammmable spots of 2020.
(5) Visit the Whitewater Center
If you want an outdoor adventure and you have time to make it out to the U.S. National Whitewater Center, drop everything and go. Activities include whitewater rafting, stand-up paddleboarding, ziplining and more. If you didn’t pack a bathing suit for your actual planned destination, you can still take a stroll around the area, watching the rafters, rock climbers and more. Maybe you’ll get lucky and your layover will coincide with River Jam.
Get our newsletter
Sign up now to get CharlotteFive in your inbox daily.
