Recently, my best friend moved to Charlotte, NC for work. Charlotte is about a two-and-a-half hour ride from Raleigh so I try to visit when I can! The city is FILLED with hot restaurants, fun history, hip bars. No, but really Charlotte is known for their fantastic restaurant scene. It is also home to the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Carowinds.
Every time we go, I have such a great time. Whether it’s getting food, catching sporting events, or just exploring uptown. Charlotte is the biggest (and my favorite) city in North Carolina.
Make sure to check out the Four Corner Statues at Independence Square in the heart of uptown. The four bronze statues represent Charlotte’s history. They are Transportation, The Future, Commerce, and Industry.
If you take a walking tour of the city, you’ll come across tons of great street art and graffiti. As well as, the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art… a fun evening excursion!
For lunch, we ate at Vapianos, a popular Euro-chic restaurant that serves pasta, pizza, and more!
Vapianos is a super popular food chain in Europe that has crossed over to America! Charlotte, NC is one out of only three locations in the U.S. that you can try their menu. So, I was super excited to eat here!
Vapianos is set up cafeteria-style. The chefs make the food right in front of you and it’s a lot of fun to watch! You can choose from TONS of yummy options (but of course I got pasta… #ilovecarbs…).
The restaurant itself had a great atmosphere! There was plenty of funky seating and mood lighting. It’s definitely a unique dining experience.
Nicki lives right next to Romare Park, a 5.4-acre public park located right on the edge of uptown. I think it’s so cool to see green and trees next to towering skyscrapers.
It was such a beautiful day and there were tons of people enjoying the park! Some people were playing frisbee, walking their dogs, or reading by the fountains. This public park also often hosts fitness & cultural arts programs, as well as live music events.
Oh, and there are tons of great photo-ops.
[ctt template=”3″ link=”F7nDq” via=”no” ]Looking for your next adventure? Try Charlotte, NC! [/ctt]
The BB&T Ballpark sits right next to the park and there are games almost every night!
The Charlotte Knights are Charlotte’s home baseball team. However, Charlotte is really known for their football team: The Carolina Panthers! We got to root for them in the Superbowl 2 years ago ?
The Charlotte Hornets are also fun to watch on the court!
Ink and Ivy was wonderful for dinner! The interior is distinctively decorated (you’ll see what I mean) and creates a chic vibe. As we were eating, deer antlers hung over our table and drawing of bees buzzed along the wall.
At night, Ink and Ivy transform into the coolest bar in the city.
If you’re looking for a fun time, the EpiCentre is the place to be. The EpiCentre is sort of like an outdoor mall but filled with restaurants, bars, and clubs.
After dinner, we took one last stroll through the park and got to see children playing in the fountains, as well as street performers.
My best friend loves living in the city! There’s always something to do and she’s surrounded by people. Plus, her apartment complex is great! We were able to get a beautiful view of Charlotte from her patio.
I cannot wait to visit again and see more of the Queen City.
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