Visit Charlotte
330 S. Tryon St
Charlotte, NC 28202
(704) 334-2282
Population
395934
Time Zone
Eastern
Latitude/Longitude
35.22° /-80.84°
Today's Forecast
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HIGH: 77
LOW: 47
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If you are looking for a city with traditional roots in agriculture, commerce, and industry, then Charlotte is the right place. If you are looking for a modern city that is a leading center of banking and distribution, then Charlotte is that, too. If you are seeking theater, music, or dance performed in a beautifully constructed arts center, or if heart-stopping basketball is your game, then Charlotte is the place to visit.
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In addition to its fine selection of European and American paintings, the Mint Museum of Art has an exceptional collection of porcelain and pottery. The museum's gold coin collection includes many examples of the half eagle, quarter eagle and one dollar pieces that were produced here when the building served as the first branch of the U.S. Mint. To view the work of contemporary craftspersons, visit the museum's downtown branch, the Mint Museum of Craft + Design.
For the naturally curious, Discovery Place, one of the nation's top-rated science museums, offers a tropical rain forest, ocean aquarium, a three-story domed movie theater, live demonstrations, and a planetarium. Or, take in the Charlotte Nature Museum, where youngsters can delight to live animals from North Carolina, a living insect display, and a flutter of colorful activity in the Butterfly Pavilion.
Charlotte's historical attractions include the Levine Museum of the New South, celebrating the technological and industrial developments that have taken place in the city over the last 150 years, and the Charlotte Museum of History and Hezekiah Alexander Homesite, where you can tour a large house made of rock originally owned by one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. The American Freedom Bell is on the grounds.
For those looking for theater, music, or dance in Charlotte, there is something for everyone at the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. If football is your game of choice, catch the NFL's Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. For those looking for hard-driving action on the basketball court, the Bobcats of the NBA play at Charlotte Bobcats Arena, which opened in 2005. The arena also hosts the Checkers of the East Coast Hockey League. Head south to catch triple-A baseball from the Knights, Chicago White Sox affiliates and members of the International League, who play at Knight's Castle in Fort Mill. Northeast of the city, Lowe's Motor Speedway is the place to go for top-name NASCAR action.
In Charlotte, you have the opportunity to visit a very special kind of nature preserve, the three acres of walled gardens at Wing Haven Gardens and Bird Sanctuary. Built as a labor of love in the heart of the city, the sanctuary is filled with food-producing trees, shrubs, and foliage, all planted with the single purpose of attracting birds. More feathered creatures are on display to the northeast at the Carolina Raptor Center, a rehabilitation facility for birds of prey, where visitors can tramp the nature trails and see eagles and other raptors in outdoor aviaries. It's located on Mountain Island Lake on the grounds of Latta Plantation Nature Preserve, the site of Historic Latta Plantation.
A ten-mile drive from Charlotte will take you to the huge theme park/water park, Carowinds, where you'll find thrill rides, live entertainment, and Nickelodeon Central for the small fry. Gold was discovered in the Charlotte region in the early 1800s, and you can still do a little panning yourself at Reed Gold Mine, a state historic site about 20 miles east of the city.
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