DO I need a car to visit Charlotte

[urbancharlotte]

Originally Posted by jjcasey

My husband and I would just like to come down for a few days to get away on a budget. Is Charlotte a walking city at all or is a car essential? If anyone can recommnend places to visit/ things to do without a car that would be great!

Like others have stated, you'll be fine in center city (just the cost of parking a car alone will make you wish that you hadn't rented one). Most areas outside of the center city can be reached by bus or light rail. At a cost of $5.25 per person, you can purchase an all day transit pass (unlimited bus and train rides all day). For those who are unfamiliar with the city's mass transit, there is a phone # (704-336-RIDE or 704-336-7433) for all transit related questions.

[writer55555]

The Lynx Blue Line mentioned above (Charlotte's light rail system) should be sufficient for you to get around Charlotte, especially if you stay at a hotel in uptown. Below is a link to everything you need to know about Lynx (you can get on the line in uptown at 3rd street, 7th street or at the main hub on E Trade Street):

Charlotte's Lynx Train Guide | LYNXcharlotte.com

Depending on what you want to do, you may find you don't even need to leave uptown as there's tons of bars, clubs and restaurants right there (Ri Ra's, the Irish pub mentioned above, is one of my favorites). I highly recommend Howl at the Moon at the EpiCentre if you like a dueling piano bar. Also, I stayed at the Marriott in uptown this weekend and they gave us a complimentary breakfast (with really great food) plus free passes to three bars for that night.

If you're looking for more cultural types of things to do in Charlotte, there's always some sort of play or symphony performance or art gallery (i.e. Bechtler Museum is mentioned above). The site below usually has a pretty good list of Charlotte events happening every weekend:

Charlotte NC events - concerts, theater, festivals, free events & kids events

Enjoy your time here!