For families and foodies, Charlotte, North Carolina, offers ‘a surprise and delight factor'

Chicago Tribune

07-05-2025

Charlotte, North Carolina, a prominent banking city, has emerged as a major tech hub in recent years, and while that has certainly helped contribute to the spectacular skyline, it's also had a widespread effect on the cultural attractions and culinary offerings.
'My favorite thing about Charlotte is my ability to be who I am,' said Greg Collier, one of Charlotte's most beloved chefs and restaurateurs. 'I've never felt like I needed to fit in. I get to be myself in a place that is inclusive.'
Collier specializes in Southern classics and soul food with a thoughtful personal touch at breakfast spot Uptown Yolk, famous for its chicken and waffles, and 3rd & Fernwood, where casual comfort food rules the day.
'People all have their ideas of what Southern food is,' he said, 'but we're looking at it through a lens of the dope farmers and dope ingredients here, and creating a dish from heritage and homage.'
Collier has earned national accolades for his food and is proud to be an ambassador for his city.
'We've always been known for banking,' said Collier's wife and business partner, Subrina. 'Now, Charlotte has a soul too, and our soul is diversity.'
Charlotte also has one of the busiest airports in the country, so getting there is easy, with daily direct flights from Chicago.
Whether you're in town to catch one of the six pro sports teams that call Charlotte home or visiting to try out one of the 13 restaurants that have received James Beard nominations in the past few years, you're sure to fall in love with the Queen City.
The nickname pays homage to Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of Britain's King George III at the time the city was founded in 1768.
First-time visitors can take an hourlong walking tour with Uptown Funk for just $15 for an overview of the city's history, sports and arts, then visit museums like the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art and Mint Museum, which are just around the corner from one another.
Visitors to the recently renovated Sullenberger Aviation Museum can see the Airbus 320 'Miracle on the Hudson' aircraft that Capt. C.B. 'Sully' Sullenberger landed on New York's Hudson River on Jan. 15, 2009. The Sullenberger museum, a Smithsonian Institution affiliate, is on the grounds of Charlotte Douglas International Airport and expects more than 120,000 visitors a year for tours and private events since a renovation.
Arts scene
'There's a rising creative energy here,' said Matt Olin, co-founder of Charlotte is Creative, a nonprofit dedicated to connecting artists and creatives to business training, funding, networking and paid gigs.
'We're championing the idea of artists as creative entrepreneurs and small businesses,' Olin said. 'Charlotte is really beginning to recognize, value and support its creative community, and that's a mindset shift that needed to happen.'
One of the best places to experience this newfound creative energy is Camp North End, a former Ford Motor Co. factory and missile production plant that's now a 76-acre playground home to more than 60 shops, restaurants and small businesses, with vibrant murals covering seemingly every door and dumpster and wildflowers blooming between the abandoned railroad tracks. Grab a coffee or wine at HEX and go for a wander.
'There's a surprise and delight factor here,' Olin said. 'You never quite know what you're going to get.'
He recalled once stumbling upon an impromptu breakdance battle in a screen printing shop. Throughout spring and summer, concerts, outdoor markets, festivals and even a pop-up roller-skating rink keep Camp North End lively.
'It's really become a canvas for our growing local arts scene,' Olin said. It's also a great place to shop for locally made souvenirs, from stationery and plants to art, accessories and vintage records and books.
Another great place to view street art year-round is TAOH Outdoor Gallery, Charlotte's first graffiti park.
Fuel up with good food
Three Charlotte chefs and restaurants were nominated for James Beard Awards this year, including Sam Diminich from Restaurant Constance, a small farm-to-table gem in the up-and-coming Wesley Heights neighborhood.
The menu here is dictated by seasonal produce from nearby farms, but Diminich infuses these local ingredients with global flavors, like pork belly pupusas and sea scallops with sweet potato spaetzle, or a signature chocolate miso caramel tart.
Optimist Hall is a great place to dine midday, with a brewery and more than 20 food stalls, ranging from tapas and wood-fired pizza to Ethiopian and Indian food, plus plenty of indoor and outdoor seating.
For a hearty family-style meal, Supperland is a rustic steakhouse in a restored mid-century church with banquette seating from refurbished pews and an open kitchen with roaring fires in place of a pulpit. Most everything touches the flames, from steaks to ember butter roasted oysters, bone marrow grilled broccoli and even a s'mores cobbler for dessert.
Charlotte's newest fine-dining darling is Albertine, with impressive food and service. The ambitious menu offers unique Middle Eastern flavors in a glamorous dining room filled with plush, velvety booths and marble tables.
Begin with a meze platter, selecting red or green schug, black-eyed pea hummus, stracciatella, white Turkish anchovies and chorizo-stuffed dates, accompanied by buttermilk man'oushe sourdough flatbread generously dusted with za'atar. Succulent golden tilefish, grilled short rib and spit-roasted vegetables are flavored with spices and condiments like green tahini, peanut dukkah and ras el hanout. Desserts here are a standout, too.
Family-friendly fun
For an active day of outdoor adventure, head to Whitewater Center, home to the world's largest manmade whitewater river. While whitewater rafting is the calling card here, there are also treetop ropes courses, zip lining, 40 miles of mountain biking trails, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, rock climbing and bouldering.
If you're feeling particularly daring, try free-solo climbing over a 20-foot deep pool. You might not make it to the top, but you're sure to make a splash. There's also a new 70-acre off-leash dog park and Wildwoods playground with tree houses and boulder gardens for younger children.
Kids and teens will love Carowinds, just outside the city. The amusement park has nearly 60 rides, including Fury 325 for daredevils, the world's fastest and tallest giga coaster. There's also a 26-acre waterpark and family-friendly Camp Snoopy, with two new rides this year, including Charlie Brown's River Raft Blast, where you can drench family and friends with water cannons along the way.
Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens has a fun new addition for kids. Lost Hollow Kimbrell Children's Garden already features an amphitheater, sunken pond and play spaces; a new adventure trail and medieval castle-inspired wooden playground at the edge of the prairie provide even more opportunities for imaginative play in nature.