Hi there! Are you spending a weekend in Charlotte and looking for the best things to do?
Then this post is for you!
In this guide I will be sharing my top recommendations for how to spend an amazing weekend in Charlotte, NC – the Queen City!
Keep reading for your guide to hotels, restaurants and activities in Charlotte! There is a ton to do in this city and it makes a great place to spend a weekend with friends or family.
Sleep – Hotels in Charlotte
Charlotte is home to many beautiful hotels! While many travelers will want to stay Uptown (especially those traveling for business,) I also recommend checking out the South End area.
Uptown Charlotte has a plethora of beautiful hotels to choose from and the South End area is good for AirBnbs/VRBO. Both of these areas are super walkable and there are tons of restaurants, cafes and shops.
Hotels in Uptown Charlotte
- The Dunhill Hotel: a historic, boutique hotel with a haunted history! The Dunhill Hotel in Uptown is a fantastic place to spend a weekend in Charlotte.
- Omni Charlotte Hotel: a luxury hotel located in Uptown Charlotte.
- Le Méridien Charlotte: modern design, located in Uptown Charlotte.
Eats – Amazing Restaurants in Charlotte
Breakfast + Coffee
- Coco and the Director: a cute, trendy coffee shop with lots of pastries, smoothies + sandwiches.
- The Asbury: located at the Dunhill Hotel this modern restaurant is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
Lunch + Dinner
- Optimist Hall: this food hall is a great place to eat any time of day! They have tons of delicious options to choose from, with everything from bao to tacos to chicken sandwiches. While you can’t go wrong with any of the vendors, I highly recommend the empanadas from Handmade Empanadas.
- RiRa: a fun Irish pub and the perfect place for dinner or drinks!
- Tupelo Honey: they have a great happy hour menu!
- The Midnight Diner: the perfect place for late night eats! The Midnight Diner is a retro, fun spot serving up classic diner food all night long.
Dessert
- Cheesecake Carousel: This little food cart only serves cheesecake and they are true cheesecake experts! Find them parked at 100 Tryon Street, at the corner of Tryon & Trade Street.
- Day and Night Cereal Bar: cereal themed ice cream bowls and shakes!
Activities – Fun Things to do in Charlotte
Visit the South End Neighborhood
The South End neighborhood of Charlotte is a trendy area filled with cute boutiques, restaurants and cafes. There are also many fun murals and this is a great area to check out street art.
Walking around this neighborhood you’ll also find many breweries and bars, and they’re a great place for a night out.
While in South End be sure to check out Pepperbox Doughnuts and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams – they are both delicious treats!
To get to South End from Uptown Charlotte you can take the tram or drive 5ish minutes (1.5 miles). If you have time, you could also easily walk!
Check Out Optimist Hall
Optimist Hall is a beautiful food hall located about 5 minutes by car (1.5 miles) from Uptown Charlotte.
Optimist Hall has tons of amazing food options – with everything from ramen and bao to empanadas and tacos. Everything looked so good that it was extremely hard to choose where to eat!
In addition to all of the yummy food, there are also tons of indoor and outdoor seating areas. You can come with friends to enjoy a meal, or bring your laptop to get some work done while enjoying a coffee (or a cocktail!)
Any time of day, breakfast, lunch or dinner, you’re sure to find something delicious to eat.
Explore Uptown Charlotte
The city center of Charlotte is the Uptown neighborhood. This is where you’ll find museums, restaurants, bars and many corporate offices.
Uptown Charlotte, despite being the city center, is relatively small and easily walkable! To start your day,I recommend grabbing a coffee and heading to The Green, a small park directly across from the Mint Museum and Bechtler Museum of Modern Art.
After checking out The Green, head across the street to the museums!
The Mint Museum is a four floor museum filled with galleries! The Mint Museum has numerous art exhibits on display, ranging from fashion to modern art to sculptures.
You can easily spend a couple hours wandering around this museum and viewing the art on display!
Tickets to the museum are $15 for adults and $10 for teachers, students and seniors.
Located just next door to the Mint Museum, the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art is also worth a visit.
The museum is quite small, so you can easily see all of the exhibits in an hour or so.
Tickets to the museum are $9 for adults and $7 for students and seniors.
Take a City Tour with Queen City Rides
If you’re interested in learning about Charlotte, its landmarks and its history, this is a great tour for you!
Book tickets on the Queen City golf cart and ride around the city to see and hear about many of the major sites!
Tours are 1.5 hours long and are offered at multiple times throughout the day.
Take a Ghost Tour
Personally, I think that this is one of the best things to do in Uptown Charlotte!
Although Charlotte probably isn’t the first place that comes to mind when you think of ghosts or haunted cities, it’s a lot spookier than you think! Uptown Charlotte, especially, has a dark past that has led to a ghost filled present.
On your ghost tour you’ll learn about the gold rush in Charlotte, the collapsed mines, and the ghosts that still inhabit the historic homes and businesses in the city.
This is a great way to spend your evening! You’ll learn about the history of Charlotte while also hearing some fun spooky stories.
In Conclusion
I hope you found my recommendations for a weekend in Charlotte to be helpful! Charlotte is such a fun little city and it makes for a wonderful weekend trip.
If you have any questions, or anything you’d like to add to this post, let me know in the comments below!
For even more recommendations for fun things to do in the Queen City, check out The Abroad Blog’s guide for a weekend in Charlotte!
Also, we super appreciate you sharing this post with someone you know who would enjoy a trip to the Queen City!
pin me for later!
♡Kate
Note: This post includes affiliate links. Read our disclosure here.
Oh, I’d absolutely LOVE to do the Ghost Tour! I think it’s such a fun and unique way to learn about a place and get a bit spooked out! Charlotte is one of those places I can’t wait to visit! Thanks for sharing!
I got stuck in Charlotte once and I wish I had this wonderful blog then! The Cheesecake Carousel and the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art look like so much fun. I will definitely be saving this for my next planned trip there.
The murals in the South End neighbourhood look fun! I love that Uptown Charlotte is walkable too. Both museums look great and Optimist Hall for some grub! Definitely saving for a future trip, thanks!
Looks so lovely! I’ve always heard Charlotte has good street art, but I didn’t know about the food or the museums!
I love doing Ghost Tours in different cities! It’s funny because I am only a couple hours away from there right now and I’ve never been. I’ll have to go sometime and use this guide!
What a great guide!I’d love to go back to Charlotte and do a ghost tour
I’ve been meaning to pay a visit to Charlotte, NC for awhile now, and your post has great information. I’ve heard of Tupelo Honey and The Asbury before. Great suggestions!
I’ve only been to Charlotte, NC once for business. Would love to return to this charming city – your guide will be perfect.
Oooh the Ghost tour sounds like great fun! Learning about the collapsed mines, and the ghosts sounds interesting, if a bit creepy!
Great guide, thank you very much! I have to say the ghost tour sounds right at my alley! Love a good story!
Thanks for sharing so many fun things to do. I am going to save your post for the next time I visit.
Looks lovely! I would really love to visit the cheesecake carousel! 😍
Great post! I’ve been wanting to do a trip to Charlotte. This post gives me so much inspriation. Thank you for sharing these recommendations.
Great Post!!! I truly believe that there is much more to explore new places. The world has incredible beauty which makes us visit new places for sure.
This sounds like a fun town! I love food halls and totally would go straight to the empanadas. I also love official tours of towns and seeing by golf cart sounds like a great way to do it!
I have a sister also and we are very close. It warms my heart to see you two girls experience life side by side! Much love to you both! Xo
thank you so much, Corie! Sister travels are so much fun 🙂