Welcome to Charlotte: A Delegate’s Guide to the Queen City
Fast Food:
- Cookout
- Steak ‘n Shake
Steak n’ Shake is most commonly known for its incredible steak burgers and franks since the 1930s. Some of the steak burgers include the Original Double ‘N Cheese, the Single, the Triple and the Bacon ‘N Cheese Double. Others prefer the specialty steak burgers, such as the Guacamole, Royale, Cheesy Cheddar, Western BBQ ‘N Bacon and California double. Specialty fries include Thin ‘N Crispy fries, Cheese fries, Chili Cheese Fries and Bacon Cheese fries. If you do not wish to eat fries, you can always order extra sides, such as fruit, beans, salad and soups.
- Bojangles
Looking for some inexpensive, greasy, southern food? Bojangles is a distinct fast food in the sense that it offers a variety of different foods where anyone can find something they love. For breakfast, there are many kinds of biscuits, like plain, cheese, bacon, egg, sausage, gravy, Cajun filet and steak. For lunch and dinner, there are several chicken dinners to pick along with family dinner combos that come with your choice of “fixins,” or side items. Fixins include mashed Potatoes, macaroni ‘n cheese, canjun-seasoned fries, Bo-tato rounds, dirty rice and cole slaw.
Parks:
- Freedom Park 1900 East blvd.
Freedom Park is considered the “Central Park” of Charlotte. The 98-acre park is centered on a seven-acre lake just three miles from Uptown. The park is complete with paved trails, tennis/volleyball courts, athletic fields and playground equipment. Its outdoor island amphitheater hosts many concerts, festivals and events throughout the year. It is certainly the hub of the Charlotte park social scene. The park even has a large shelter complete with offices, a living room, a TV, a kitchen and a concrete patio. The south side of the park features large grassy areas for those who love the outdoors. Visitors will find people laying out, studying, picnicking or even enjoying an outdoor yoga class. A section of the Little Sugar Creek Greenway, a 20-mile paved trail, runs through Freedom Park.
- The Green 400 S. Tryon Dr.
The Green is a one and a half acre “pocket park” located in uptown Charlotte between the Mint Museum and the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art on one end and the Charlotte Convention Center on the other end. The Green holds various events such as movie screenings and free plays. This park is the site of many works of public art and sculptures. It has two large computer-timed fish fountains and many mosaic benches on surrounding side paths. The Green has an over-arching theme of modern literature. There is a large bronze sculpture representation of books from world literature. It also features signs pointing to different cities named after famous authors. For example, there is a sign pointing to Edgar, Wisconsin; Allan, Canada; and Poe, South Carolina. There are many takeout restaurants surrounding the Green that makes it a popular lunch spot for people who work in the Uptown area.
- Marshall Park 800 E. 3rd St.
Marshall Park is located in the governmental plaza area of Charlotte and features a reflecting pond, numerous benches and an amphitheater. This six and a half acre urban park is home to a statue of Martin Luther King and a Holocaust memorial monument. Many grassy areas around the park give visitors unobstructed views of the beautiful Charlotte skyline. Marshall Park is also a popular lunch spot for those working in the Charlotte uptown area. Marshall Park is often the site of group prayer or meditation for a variety of different religious groups.
Music Venues:
- The Wine Vault 9009 J M Keynes Dr. Suite 1
If you’re near the UNC Charlotte area (University City), the Wine Vault hosts musicians throughout the weekend. The small outdoor venue serves an array of beers and wines to enjoy while you enjoy the magic of live music. The acts will serenade you until the time comes where the sky gets dark and the nightlife begins to call.
- Verizon Wireless Amphitheater 707 Pavilion Blvd.
The Verizon Wireless Amphitheater is also in the university area and has performers from all genres. The great thing about amphitheaters is that they are outdoors and have parking for tailgaters. If you can’t afford a ticket to the show or aren’t interested enough to pay, going just to tailgate is always an option. Meeting your friends for some grilling, games and fun should be on every one’s weekend agenda. A concert at Verizon will give any boring evening a touch of excitement.
- The Fillmore 1000 Seaboard St.
Nightlife:
- The Epicentre 210 E. Trade st.
The Epicentre is the central location of uptown Charlotte. It’s the perfect place to go for everything from shopping to dining to having a few drinks with friends. The Epicentre houses a bowling alley, a movie theater and a convenience store, as well as restaurants such as Wild Wing Cafe, Moe’s Southwest Grill and Enso Asian Bistro. For those seeking retail therapy, there is an upscale boutique called Revolution. The Epicentre is also the place where you will find bars such as Whisky River and Howl at the Moon as well as clubs such as Suite and Kazba. There is an a hotel, gym, tanning salon and a physician’s office there to ensure that once you get there, you never have to leave!
- How at the Moon 210 E. Trade St. (located inside of Epicentre)
Howl at the Moon is a “dueling piano bar” located in the Epicentre. There are two baby grand pianos placed in the middle of the bar and brave souls get the chance to go up to the pianos and belt out their favorite songs while giving the ivory a little tickle. But make sure to pick a well-known song because the audience loves to sing-a-long. If pianos and sing-a-longs aren’t your thing, you can always settle for a great drink (I recommend the “Fruit Roll-Up”) or you can opt for a bucket drink, though you’ll need friends to help you tackle one of those. There is also a balcony area if you need a break from the pianos or just want to check what everyone else in the Epicentre is up to.
- Crave 500 W.5th St.
Crave is a premier dessert and hookah bar in the heart of uptown Charlotte. The lounge is mostly known for their decadent desserts (the cupcakes are to die for) and many different fruit-flavored hookahs to choose from. Crave also has an extensive menu of delicious drinks and a food menu as well. If you’d like to take a load off in a chic, upscale and hip environment, Crave is the place to be. The establishment is located off of W. Fifth Street.
- The Boardwalk Located off of JW Clay in the University City
The Boardwalk in the University area of Charlotte is where you can find a steady amount of people just about any time of the week. During the day people go to the Boardwalk to do some hardcore shopping at the two strip malls that surround it. On one side you will find Ulta, TJ Maxx, Rack Room Shoes and Michael’s among other places. On the other side you’ll find Old Navy, Chico’s and Talbot’s. There is also great dining at the Boardwalk where you can find everything from cheesesteaks to Asian food to a good ole burger and fries. The Boardwalk sits on a small lake, which makes it a great place to bring a date, feed the geese or go paddle boating. At night, the Boardwalk becomes the talk of the town. Boardwalk Billy’s and Bad Dog bring out a lot of people for dancing, mingling and really great drink deals. These areas are highly frequented by UNC Charlotte students.
Shopping:
- SouthPark Mall 4400 Sharon Rd.
- Northlake Mall 6801 Northlake Mall Dr.
- Concord Mills 8111 Concord Mills Blvd.
Category: Lifestyle, Niner Times
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