Charlotte attractions

With a mission to inspire a love of plants through educational programming, classes, and botanical displays, the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens offers year-round splendor. Split between two outdoor gardens and a packed greenhouse the botanical gardens are a perfect spot for a relaxing stroll through the expansive grounds.

Opened in 1992, the Blumenthal Arts Center offers live music, theater, dance, and comedy across three performance spaces: the Belk Theater (the largest venue of the three), the Booth Playhouse, and the Stage Door Theater. Bringing Broadway tours and performers across all genres to the Charlotte area, the Blumenthal Arts Center always has something about to light up the stage.

Formerly BB&T Ballpark, Charlotte’s Truist Field is one of the best minor-league baseball stadiums in the U.S. Home to the Charlotte Knights, a Triple-A Minor League Baseball team in the International League, the stadium sports some 10,000 seats—both VIP and otherwise—and a hitter-friendly status. With excellent views of the game and the skyline, it’s a fun evening out.

Set on the grounds of Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CDI), this may be the only attraction in Charlotte you can visit within a few minutes of retrieving your luggage. Dedicated to the history of aviation in North and South Carolina, the 50-craft collection set in a 40,000-square-foot hangar includes several military and passenger planes. You’ll also find a reproduction of the Wright Brothers original 1903 Wright Flyer, which was flown in nearby Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. You can also explore a detailed exhibit dedicated to airline captain Sully Sullenberger’s miraculous Hudson River landing of US Airways’ Flight 1549; this flight was bound for CDI when it struck a flock of geese. While here, don’t miss an opportunity to climb into the cockpit of a fighter jet or to see the S.56B, one of only two single-engine biplane flying boats in the world. Please note The Carolinas Aviation Museum is currently closed for relocation. The reopening is scheduled for 2022.

Connect with nature at Discovery Place Nature in Charlotte. Located next to Freedom Park, this interactive and educational museum features nature trails, live animals, a butterfly pavilion, hands-on exhibits and activities, and a range of shows and programs, offering a fun and educational day out for the whole family.

A nature-filled respite just a mile from Uptown Charlotte lies the quiet Wing Haven Garden and Bird Sanctuary. Designed and cared for by a married couple with a passion for ornithology, Elizabeth and Edwin O. Clarkson transformed their home and backyard into a lush and always-verdant bird sanctuary.

The McDowell Nature Center is a hub for educational programs and serves as the gateway to 1,132 protected acres of the McDowell Nature Preserve. Touted as the oldest preserve in Mecklenburg County, the open space comprises of mostly-forested terrain that runs along the banks of Lake Wylie and is ripe with miles of hiking trails.

At the intersection of Trade and Tryon Streets in Charlotte lies Independence Square, a focal point of the city that features a public art display. Erected in 1995 and completed by American sculptor Raymond Kaskey, the square hosts four, 24-foot-high bronze figures that personify Charlotte’s past and future.