What to See in Charlotte - Top Sights and Attractions

Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina. Discovery Place Science is a science and technology museum for all ages, located in Uptown, Charlotte, North Carolina. The facility's exhibits and activities focus on hands-on experiences. It has a "Thinker Space" and labs, a two story urban rain forest, aquariums, live animal exhibits, stages for demonstrations, space for traveling exhibits, and event space. Discovery Place Science also operates The Charlotte Observer IMAX Dome Theater, sometimes referred to as an OMNIMAX theater. It is the largest IMAX Dome Theater in the Carolinas.

The museum opened in 1981 and was renovated in 2010. The IMAX Dome was opened in 1991. The theater naming rights were secured by The Charlotte Observer.^[1]

Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Billy Graham Library is a public museum and library documenting the life and ministry of Christian evangelist Billy Graham. The 40,000-square-foot complex opened to the public on June 5, 2007. The library is located on the grounds of the international headquarters of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in Charlotte, North Carolina, a few miles from where Graham was reared. The library is styled after a dairy barn, with a mechanical "talking" cow, to reflect Graham's farm-based childhood.

The main galleries within the library showcase numerous presentations, pictures, music, artifacts, and voices from throughout Graham's ministry. One gallery is entirely devoted to Ruth Bell Graham, the wife of the evangelist. There is a dairy bar café and bookstore called "Ruth's Attic." All visitors enter the Library through doors at the base of a 40-foot (12 m) glass cross. Also located on the Library grounds is the Prayer Garden, where Ruth Graham was buried on June 17, 2007.

Ruth Graham initially opposed to being buried at the library, and instead preferred her home at the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove near Asheville to be her final resting place until just before she died. In March 2009 Wilma "Billie" Barrows, the wife of Billy Graham's longtime Music Director Cliff Barrows, was interred on the Library grounds. In April 2013, Gospel singer and Graham's regular featured soloist George Beverly Shea was interred there as well. Barrows was buried next to his wife on the grounds after his death in November 2016.

Graham's funeral following his February 21, 2018 death was conducted on March 2, 2018 in a tent, similar to the tents where he held his first crusades, on the grounds of the Library. Prior to the funeral, Graham had laid in repose in his childhood homeplace next to the library as well as lying in honor at the United States Capital in Washington, D.C. Following the funeral, Graham was buried next to his wife in the Library's Prayer Garden.^[10]

Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. Bank of America Stadium is a 74,867-seat football stadium located on 33 acres in uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It is the home facility and headquarters of the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League and Charlotte FC of Major League Soccer. The stadium opened in 1996 as Ericsson Stadium before Bank of America purchased the naming rights in 2004 under 20-25-year agreement, worth $140 million. Former Panthers president Danny Morrison called it " classic American stadium" due to its bowl design and other features.

In addition to the Panthers, the stadium hosts the annual Duke's Mayo Bowl, which features teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and either the Southeastern Conference (SEC) or the Big Ten Conference. The stadium was planned to host the annual ACC Championship Game through at least 2019; the game was moved in 2016 but reinstated in 2017. The largest crowd to ever attend a football game at the stadium was on September 9, 2018, when 74,532 fans watched the Panthers defeat the Dallas Cowboys 16–8.^[11]

Park in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Green is a one and a half acre park at 400 South Tryon Street in uptown Charlotte, North Carolina. At one end of this so-called pocket park are the Mint Museum and the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art; at the other end is the Charlotte Convention Center. Next to it stands Charlotte's historic St. Peter's Catholic Church. The Green is the site of various public events, such as movie screenings and free plays, including summer performances by the Charlotte Shakespeare Festival. This park is frequently the site of public art and sculpture, including three giant computer-timed fish fountains, a popular feature with children in the summer. Mosaic benches and stools are tucked away in shady side paths. Five large sculptures by the French artist Niki de Saint Phalle stood in The Green from January through October 2011.

The park has an overall theme of world literature. Prominent among the permanent sculptures are large bronze representations of books from the canon of world literature, for example, Roots by Alex Haley. There are quotes by famous writers and many whimsical direction signs pointing to real places but combined to form the name of well-known authors, for example, signs pointing to Edgar (Wisconsin), Allan (Saskatchewan), and Poe (Alberta). Other signposts point to cities named Charlotte around the world.

Close to many takeout restaurants, the Green is a favorite lunchtime destination for people who work in Uptown Charlotte, and consistently gets five star reviews from user review website Yelp.com. It is also a popular venue for weddings and receptions.

From late November to early January The Green used to feature a small ice rink—the only outdoor rink in Charlotte; but in November 2011, after seven years on The Green, the rink was moved to the NASCAR Hall of Fame plaza.

The Green is owned by Wells Fargo and was designed by Wagner Murray Architects of Charlotte and was completed in 2002. This small and serene green space is an integral part of Charlotte's Second Ward.^[14]

Theater in Charlotte, North Carolina. ImaginOn: The Joe and Joan Martin Center is a collaborative venture of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and the Children's Theater of Charlotte located in Charlotte, North Carolina. This 102,000-square-foot landmark learning center opened on October 8, 2005. ImaginOn was designed by Gantt Huberman Architects and Holzman Moss Bottino Architecture, and is owned by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

ImaginOn hosts the Spangler Children's Library; the Teen Loft, a library for the teens of Mecklenburg County; Time Warner Tech Central; the Story Lab, a collection of interactive multimedia workstations exploring the arts of narrative; Studio I, an audio/video recording and animation studio; the Hugh McColl Family Theater (seating capacity 570); and the Wells Fargo Playhouse (seating capacity 250), as well as administrative offices for the Children's Theatre of Charlotte and library staff.

ImaginOn is notable as the first LEED-certified public facility in Mecklenburg County. ImaginOn is certified as a 'green' building at the silver level by the U.S. Green Building Council.^[17]

Park in Charlotte, North Carolina. Freedom Park is a 98-acre park in Charlotte, North Carolina. Located at 1900 East Boulevard, between Charlotte's historic Dilworth and Myers Park neighborhoods, the park is centered on a 7-acre lake, and is about 3 miles from the heart of Charlotte's downtown area.

The park has paved trails, tennis/volleyball courts, sport/athletic fields and playground equipment. The park contains a 2-8-0 steam engine that is fenced and has safety bars added over the tender, but one can walk into the cab. In earlier years the train was open and kids could climb on top of it and under it. During that time period there were two fire engines with an old-fashioned handle crank in front for the engine. Both fire trucks had the insides and rear hose area open for kids to explore, play and learn. There used to be a F-86 Sabre jet fighter there and an army tank that kids could play on.

Free films and musical performances in the park pavilion are featured throughout the summer. Every September Freedom Park is the site of the five-day-long Festival in the Park, which annually attracts over 100,000 visitors, and has been recognized as a Top 20 Event by the Southeast Tourism Society. Adjacent to Freedom Park is the Charlotte Nature Museum, a fun and learning center for young children operated by Discovery Place, which exhibits animals and plants of the Piedmont region.^[18]

Public university in Charlotte, North Carolina. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is a public research university in Charlotte, North Carolina. UNC Charlotte offers 24 doctoral, 66 master's, and 79 bachelor's degree programs through nine colleges: the College of Arts + Architecture, the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, the Belk College of Business, the College of Computing and Informatics, the Cato College of Education, the William States Lee College of Engineering, the College of Health and Human Services, the Honors College, and the University College.

UNC Charlotte is the largest institution of higher education in the Charlotte region. The university has experienced rapid enrollment growth of 33% over the past 10 years, making it the fastest-growing institution in the UNC System and contributing to more than 50% of the system's growth since 2009. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". In 2020, it surpassed the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to become the second-largest school in the UNC system by student enrollment.

It has three campuses: Charlotte Research Institute Campus, Center City Campus, and the main campus, located in University City. The main campus sits on 1,000 wooded acres with approximately 85 buildings about 8 miles (13 km) from Uptown Charlotte.^[22]

Catholic church in Charlotte, North Carolina. St. Peter Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic church at 507 South Tryon Street in Charlotte, North Carolina. Established in 1851, it is the oldest Catholic church in Charlotte, and until 1940 was the only Catholic church in the city. St. Peter's was originally at the extreme southern limits of the city, but today it stands in the heart of uptown, across from major art museums and next to The Green. It is most likely the oldest surviving edifice on Tryon Street.

The original structure stood from 1851 until 1892. The building was damaged during the civil war and in 1892 was deemed structurally unsafe. The present structure, in a simplified Victorian Gothic style rendered in dark brick, dates from 1893.

As the city grew and new parishes were established in the suburbs, St. Peter lost so many members that it ceased being a formal parish in 1970, and did not regain full parish status until 1986. Since that time, in cooperation with other churches in Charlotte, particularly their sister church, St. Peter’s Episcopal, they have been working to help the poor and unfortunate of Charlotte through low-cost housing, help for AIDS victims, and outreach to the homeless. Since 1986, St. Peter's has been staffed by the Jesuits.

A prominent feature of the church interior was a triptych by American painter Ben Long, a three-part fresco depicting Christ’s Agony in the Garden, Resurrection, and Pentecost. The fresco was severely damaged in February 2002 and cannot be fully restored. Following the damage to the fresco, the interior of the Church was renovated in 2007.^[24]

Providence Presbyterian Church and Cemetery is a historic Presbyterian church and cemetery located at 10140 Providence Road in Matthews, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The church was built in 1858, and is a rectangular, gable-front Greek Revival style frame building. It is three bays wide and four bays deep on a low stone foundation and features extraordinarily tall window openings on all four sides. Adjacent to the church is the contributing church cemetery, with the oldest grave marker dated 1764. Providence Presbyterian Church, the oldest intact and only antebellum frame church in Mecklenburg County.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Providence Presbyterian Church came to life from the influx of Ulster Scots to the American ‘promised land’ in the 1700s, a group of people shaped by faith and the idea of a new frontier. They migrated south, took part in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars and established deep roots in Mecklenburg County. It’s no surprise that Providence Road – one of Charlotte’s main thoroughfares – takes its name from our church while other roads, such as Rea Road and McKee Road, are named for members of the PPC congregation over the past 250+ years.

‘Providence’ expresses the founders’ firm trust in the faithfulness of God to work all things for God’s purpose, which is a bedrock tenant of their Presbyterian faith. One of the original seven colonial Presbyterian churches in the county, PPC served as the center of the Providence Community. Though that community has grown exponentially over the years as Charlotte has become more and more populated, the same could also be said of the church today: it still sits at the center of many of the community member’s lives.

Starting with their first minister Rev. William Richardson 1767, to today’s Senior Pastor Walt McCanless, Providence Presbyterian Church has had its fair share of servant leaders. Many worked to grow our congregation from one generation to the next— through times of want and times of wealth. Among those were enslaved communicants who, though denied full membership in the church, contributed much to it during the time prior to the Emancipation Proclamation. They were instrumental in building the “new” sanctuary of 1858. This is the historic building where they continue to meet for worship today.

They welcome members and visitors alike to share in worship and connect to God’s people and purpose. A wonderful side benefit of visiting them is the opportunity to stroll a property rich in history. The Providence first ‘pulpit,’ also known as Preaching Rock is at the entrance to the cemetery, where markers pre date the Revolutionary War. As one continues through the back gate, folks can visit the historic enslaved cemetery, a sad reminder of a dark period of our history. This path leads to the nearby spring that first drew worshipers to this spot and provided water for baptisms, as well as drinking water for people and their horses.

History is too valuable a teacher to be forgotten. Providence Presbyterian Church seeks to learn and grow from the lived faith of Providence’s fathers and mothers. And where their lived experiences were less than consistent with the gospel, reflecting instead their cultural milieu, they seek forgiveness and reconciliation.^[26]

Water park in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ray's Splash Planet is a Mecklenburg County, North Carolina funded water park located in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The aquatic facility is operated by the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation department. Ray's Splash Planet is considered one of the largest indoor water parks in both of the Carolinas and is the largest water park in Charlotte, North Carolina, with over 29,000 square feet of space and using over 117,000 gallons of water at 87 degrees. The water is cleaned and sanitized through the use of chlorine, filtration and an ultraviolet germicidal irradiation system. There are multiple attractions including the Blue Comet, a three-story figure 8 slide, and other family friendly attractions like the Orbiter, Saturation Station, the Vortex, Meteor Showers, Moon Beach and the Sea of Tranquility. The water park also features a fitness center and gymnasium shared with the Irwin Academic Center, an educational center of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools system. The first floor of the facility includes the pool area, locker rooms, birthday party classrooms and concessions stand. The second story includes the fitness center with an aerobics/dance studio. Access to the indoor gymnasium is also located on the second floor. Ray's Splash Planet is located on North Sycamore Street near Johnson & Wales University and is just off Interstate 77 in North Carolina in the Third Ward section of Uptown Charlotte. The water park opened on October 15, 2002 with help from Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation's partnership with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Major competitors are Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina, Great Wolf Lodge in Concord, North Carolina and Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe in Greensboro, North Carolina.^[31]

Cemetery in Charlotte, North Carolina. Old Settlers' Cemetery is a city-owned cemetery located at 200 West 5th Street, right in the middle of Charlotte, North Carolina. It was the first municipal burial ground in Charlotte and contains the graves of many early settlers, with gravesites dating from 1776 through 1884. Prominent people buried in Old Settlers' include Nathaniel Alexander, Greene Washington Caldwell, Revolutionary War hero Major General George Graham, and Thomas Polk, Charlotte founding father and great-uncle of United States President James K. Polk. Also contained in the cemetery is an obelisk honoring North Carolina planter and politician William Davidson.

Old Settlers' was Charlotte's only city operated cemetery until 1854, when—due to space limitations—it was closed and the City opened Elmwood/Pinewood Cemetery. By the 1940s the cemetery was in poor condition and was only preserved through the efforts of Charlotte historian and legislator Julia McGehee Alexander.

Old Settlers' Cemetery recently had a $500,000 restoration. With its majestic old oaks and brick lined pathways, it is more park than cemetery and is a centerpiece of Charlotte's Fourth Ward Historic District.^[32]

Park in Charlotte, North Carolina. Independence Park is a 24-acre urban park at 300 Hawthorne Lane situated at the western end of the Elizabeth neighborhood in Charlotte, North Carolina. The park was created in 1924 at the urging of Charlotte industrialist Daniel Augustus Tompkins, founder of the Charlotte Observer, and is the oldest public park in Charlotte.

Independence Park is split into two sections by Hawthorne Lane. Both sections lie below street level which gives the park a secluded and tranquil atmosphere, despite the fact that the site commands excellent views of the Charlotte skyline. The lower park contains a winding path, a rose garden, large, leafy trees, a reflecting pond, and a gazebo. The upper park contains more trails, a playground, several athletic fields, and the 300 seat Independence Park Stadium.

Independence Park is the site in Charlotte of the Afro-Caribbean themed Juneteenth Festival of the Carolinas on June 19 of each year.^[35]