Uptown Charlotte: A Self-Guided Audio Tour to the Heart of Queen City

Charlotte, USA

2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Offered in: English

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Overview

Immerse yourself in Uptown Charlotte's vibrant history and explore at your own pace on this self-guided audio tour. Discover the untold tales of Charlotte's fearless patriots, including the controversial story of how North Carolina declared independence before the rest of the colonies. Hosted by an actor and tour guide, Phil Biedron, this tour offers complete flexibility and control over your exploration. Spend two hours uncovering hidden gems, taking your time at each stop.

Acquaint yourself with Uptown Charlotte on a self-guided audio tour
Discover the Old Settlers Cemetry, The Green, the main library, etc.
Listen to the controversial and concerted stories of North Carolina
Lifetime access to the tour and unlimited use

What's Included

Lifetime access to this tour in English
Offline access to audio, maps, and geodata
VoiceMap App for Android and iOS

Food/Drink
Smartphone and headphones
Tickets or entrance fees to any museums or other attractions en route
Transportation

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Coco and the Director
100 W Trade St, Charlotte, NC 28202, USA
Before arrival, please install the VoiceMap mobile app and use the code provided on your confirmation ticket. This is a self-guided audio tour that you can start, pause, or restart at any time and complete at your own pace. Detailed starting point instructions are available after downloading.

End point

Romare Bearden Park
300 S Church St, Charlotte, NC 28202, USA
The tour ends in front of the fountain in Romare Bearden Park.

Arranged start time

Confirm time with the local provider in advance of your experience.

07/30/2020 - 04/07/2027
Monday - Sunday : 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM

Itinerary

Thomas Polk Park (Pass By)

First Presbyterian Church of Charlotte (Pass By)

Old Settlers Cemetery (Pass By)

The Dunhill Hotel (Pass By)

St Peter's Episcopal Church (Pass By)

McGlohon Theater at Spirit Square (Pass By)

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library (Pass By)

The Green (Pass By)

St Peter's Catholic Church (Pass By)

Mint Museum Uptown (Pass By)

Bechtler Museum of Modern Art (Pass By)

Latta Arcade (Pass By)

Romare Bearden Park (Pass By)

Charlotte center city (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Infants must sit on laps
Service animals allowed
Most travelers can participate

Near public transportation
Stroller accessible
Not wheelchair accessible
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

3.8

based on 34 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Directions Can Be A Bit Confusing

Roman_S, Dec 2025

We liked that all we really had to do was walk, and it would automatically play when we were in range of the next talking point stop. Unfortunately it still needs improvement. There are a few parts where the guide doesn’t verbally explain in what direction you need to walk next, so you also need to depend on a visual map in the app. We got confused during one stretch where the route map went up and back on the same street, with different talking stops in each direction, so we thought the app was broken as we passed by some marked points and there was no talking, but we later realized that we needed to walk past those first marked spots and then come back later to those spots to hear the right stuff in order. That wasn’t clear from the map nor the verbal instructions. Once we figured that out, all went smoothly.

Very confusing. Not for car driving

Angel_S, Dec 2025

I don’t think there was anything wrong with the tour in and of itself, but I contacted customer support to determine if I could do this in my car versus walking and it does not work. This is not good to do other than a walking tour because I was all turned around and confused. I’m not from here so it was very difficult to understand when there’s a lot of one-way streets. I didn’t even complete the tour and just drove myself around in circles.

Response from Host, Dec 2025

Hi, As you pointed out, this is a walking tour and advertised as such. We've matched the audio time to the talk time so it isn't possible to do this tour via a car and have the same experience. It also follows a set route so that we're able to provide clear and concise directions for someone walking. Thanks, Alicia

Charlotte Tour

Peter_G, Dec 2024

It was great, however at times difficult to understand due to the noise around. Plus, the narrator speaks way too quick for foreigners. But it was an interesting experience.

Tour was great, the app...

Julianne_R, Jun 2024

Tour was great, the app is sensitive to distance, I would expand proximity to trigger the audible so it starts soon or you can find shade. Otherwise great!

Excellent

Gail_G, Feb 2024

Once I got past the download frustrations I loved the app. Our self guided walking tour was fascinating. Good audio, great information, and we saw sites that would’ve been missed otherwise. I highly recommend this tour.

This was a NO Go!

Nancy_H, Sep 2023

We could not get the app to work & had to forfeit the whole experience- we did our own walk around Charlotte- would have been nice to hear the narration

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Hi Nancy We're sorry to hear you had a bad experience. This is usually a highly-rated tour. Could you please message us directly at support@voicemap.me with more information about what happened? Thanks, Alicia

Wonderful time we had!!

Deborah_B, Jul 2023

Brenda-Best Tour Guide EVER!!! So informative and friendly. We were able to learn so much of Charlotte’s history.

big waste of time on a supposed guided tour of Charlotte NC

Stewart_B, Jun 2023

We clocked repeatedly on the link sent to us, spent lots of time calling to get help so we could take the self guided tour of Charlotte. The link never worked so we wasted all that time we could have used exploring Charlotte. Then we asked for a refund we were told their policy is not to give refunds. We will not use Viator again.

Response from Host, Jul 2023

Hi Stewart We're sorry you had difficulty starting the tour. We don't provide a link but a voucher code to start the tour. We also never received a refund request from you. Please can you contact us directly about your experience so we can investigate what happened? Thanks, Alicia

Tool a bit buggy

vladimir_g, Jun 2023

the app is a bit buggy, does not give correct directions all the time. suggest use ear buds. the tour is good. nice, short notes for the guiding points.

The background history of...

Laurie_P, Apr 2023

The background history of both the city and the points of interest was very thorough and interesting. The app made it easy to follow the narrated path and see which points were next on the tour. A great way to see a city!

Good tour and very informative once we figured out how to use everything.

Jennifer_P, Mar 2023

The directions to acquiring the app and how many people in your group need it is confusing as we didn't use headphones and there were only two of us. The description of the tour did not say there would be an extra charge for the voice app. That would have been nice to know prior to purchasing the tour.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Hi Jennifer Each member of your party is required to purchase a copy of the tour. They're a once-off experience, similar to a group tour, with a guide, and group tours typically charge for each person joining the group. The product description does say that you'll need to pop in your headphones after downloading the tour using the VoiceMap app. The app is free to download so you wouldn't need to purchase anything else. Thanks, Alicia

Walking through history

Tricia_B, Jan 2023

Great way to see the city and learn its history at your own pace. Many of the stops had benches near by so you could sit and enjoy learning. Must go into the hotel - beautiful lobby.

Uptown tour of Charlotte.

Kathryn_M, Oct 2022

Liked the self guided tour idea, price was right and easy to do. Occasionally my audio seemed to skip compared to my location. Mostly worked ok.

Interesting historical facts

Nathan_J, Oct 2022

I enjoy learning about the places I visit, so this audio tour was perfect. Ended up walking about 2 miles at my own pace, exploring other things as I wanted. Many historical facts learned about Charlotte.

Unable to complete

Elizabeth_K, Oct 2022

Could never login to the tour, the instructions were not clear. Downloaded the app and the code never worked. Waste of money and time.

Response from Host, Oct 2022

Hi Elizabeth We're sorry you weren't able to use the tour. I've sent you a message to get more information on how our instructions could be clearer. We provide 4 simple steps and the code is listed below the steps. We've also provided you with a refund. Thanks, Alicia

Fun and educational tour of Charlotte, NC

Sydina_R, Jun 2022

The audio tour was convenient, easy to use, very educational, and loads of fun! Narrator was relatable, told great stories and very funny. I would absolutely recommend to friends and family.