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Charlotte has things to do like any big city, but none of those listed moves it up on my list of places to go.
I have a world-class amusement park an hour or so from my house. 3-4 more on an easy weekend trip. A lot of people can say the same.
NASCAR hall of fame? Not interested.
I go go whitewater rafting down the road a little ways, but it's seriously not my thing.
If I want to see an aquarium in that part of the world, I hear Georgia has a good one.
Thank you for shedding some light on Charlotte though, but as a tourist destination, it still doesn't strike me as anything to go out of one's way for.
Memphis to me just has that History and Soul that you would want to go there to visit the City for, it's Popular for that reason, and more of a Tourist Destination. I just don't see that in a Charlotte. Charlotte is going to have things to do due to it being a City it's size but it's just not a Memphis! Like stated before, Memphis to visit, Charlotte to live.. Memphis is a pretty rough Big size City, but don't get me wrong, it does have some nice Burbs, even sprawling over into MS. It just wouldn't be my choice of City to live..
Charlotte has things to do like any big city, but none of those listed moves it up on my list of places to go.
I have a world-class amusement park an hour or so from my house. 3-4 more on an easy weekend trip. A lot of people can say the same.
NASCAR hall of fame? Not interested.
I go go whitewater rafting down the road a little ways, but it's seriously not my thing.
If I want to see an aquarium in that part of the world, I hear Georgia has a good one.
Thank you for shedding some light on Charlotte though, but as a tourist destination, it still doesn't strike me as anything to go out of one's way for.
Exactly. Charlotte is one of those clean, shiny, new cities that has a lot of nice amenities like good shopping and dining that make it nice to LIVE in, but it's still stuff that you can find in other cities across the country, and often stuff that other cities do BETTER or have MORE of. So basically, it has nothing that's so unique to Charlotte or that's so much better than it is in other parts of the country that it warrants a special visit, unless you are already going there for something else anyway. I have NEVER heard anybody say, "I'm going on vacation to CHARLOTTE!!!" Never.
On the other hand, as crappy as Memphis is to live in and as far behind as it is in amenities that are pretty much a given these days in other cities and metros of similar or larger size, people visit Memphis for vacations all the time. Heck, Elvis and Graceland don't interest me at all, but even if you just go by Graceland alone, Graceland has been the most visited residential house in AMERICA behind the WHITE HOUSE for many, many, years now. So as nice as Charlotte is and whether you are an Elvis fan or not, you have to admit that Charlotte doesn't have one thing that unique or interesting that brings people in droves from all over the WORLD to visit each year like Memphis does.
Last edited by NoClueWho; 02-16-2018 at 09:08 AM..
Exactly. Charlotte is one of those clean, shiny, new cities that has a lot of nice amenities like good shopping and dining that make it nice to LIVE in, but it's still stuff that you can find in other cities across the country, and often stuff that other cities do BETTER or have MORE of. So basically, it has nothing that's so unique to Charlotte or that's so much better than it is in other parts of the country that it warrants a special visit, unless you are already going there for something else anyway. I have NEVER heard anybody say, "I'm going on vacation to CHARLOTTE!!!" Never.
On the other hand, as crappy as Memphis is to live in and as far behind as it in amenities that are pretty much a given these days in other cities and metros of similar or larger size, people visit Memphis for vacations all the time. Heck, Elvis and Graceland don't interest me at all, but even if you just go by Graceland alone, Graceland has been the most visited residential house in AMERICA behind the WHITE HOUSE for many, many, years now. So as nice as Charlotte is and whether you are an Elvis fan or not, you have to admit that Charlotte doesn't have one thing that unique or interesting that brings people in droves from all over the WORLD to visit each year like Memphis does.
That's just my point and Agreed It also proves a point of how a City like Memphis could easily pull it's self Together and become not only a Major Tourist destination but also a Great Metro area to live if it could only improve in some departments. I think one of Memphis's biggest issue starts with Crime and poverty. A lot of people automatically think Crime ridden and hood when you hear the City Memphis, a stigma and stereo type that needs to be adjusted when there is a lot more to the City than that. The city actually has some nice districts, actually shocked me a bit. The atmosphere just kinda throws me there... I tend to go for the New and shinny when it comes to laying my head at night!
Exactly. Charlotte is one of those clean, shiny, new cities that has a lot of nice amenities like good shopping and dining that make it nice to LIVE in, but it's still stuff that you can find in other cities across the country, and often stuff that other cities do BETTER or have MORE of. So basically, it has nothing that's so unique to Charlotte or that's so much better than it is in other parts of the country that it warrants a special visit, unless you are already going there for something else anyway. I have NEVER heard anybody say, "I'm going on vacation to CHARLOTTE!!!" Never.
On the other hand, as crappy as Memphis is to live in and as far behind as it in amenities that are pretty much a given these days in other cities and metros of similar or larger size, people visit Memphis for vacations all the time. Heck, Elvis and Graceland don't interest me at all, but even if you just go by Graceland alone, Graceland has been the most visited residential house in AMERICA behind the WHITE HOUSE for many, many, years now. So as nice as Charlotte is and whether you are an Elvis fan or not, you have to admit that Charlotte doesn't have one thing that unique or interesting that brings people in droves from all over the WORLD to visit each year like Memphis does.
Actually, a ton of people from the Carolinas do "vacation" in Charlotte--maybe vacation isn't the right word, but people from around the Carolinas do day and weekend trips to Charlotte. And CIAA is a vacation to some, I know a guy here in Virginia Beach who goes every year and is going again in two weekends...
Actually, a ton of people from the Carolinas do "vacation" in Charlotte--maybe vacation isn't the right word, but people from around the Carolinas do day and weekend trips to Charlotte. And CIAA is a vacation to some, I know a guy here in Virginia Beach who goes every year and is going again in two weekends...
I can see that, its a Regional City! A lot of people from all around Georgia, Carolinas, TN, Alabama go to Atlanta for weekend getaway trips as well if only to shop or for concerts. Doesn't make it a Word wide place known for History and Tourism though...
Actually, a ton of people from the Carolinas do "vacation" in Charlotte--maybe vacation isn't the right word, but people from around the Carolinas do day and weekend trips to Charlotte.
Well that's a given and is not really the type of "vacation" we are talking about. Every largest city in the region gets weekend/ocassional traffic from people who live in smaller cities and towns across the state or the surrounding area. That's a given. It's no different than people who live in Mississippi or Arkansas driving to Memphis to eat, shop, and spend a little money on the weekend.
Nobody from 2 or 3 states away or farther, though, goes out of their way to visit Charlotte JUST for vacation. For somebody from several states away or from a different region of the country who was visiting the Carolinas, they would be more likely to look at visiting SOUTH Carolina for a more unique city like Charleston or for one of the smaller beach towns like Hilton Head. And even for a "big city" experience, Atlanta is so close to Charlotte and offers so much more than Charlotte that most people from other parts of the country would just visit Atlanta instead, before Charlotte would even cross their mind.
Last edited by NoClueWho; 02-16-2018 at 09:37 AM..
I think one of Memphis's biggest issue starts with Crime and poverty. A lot of people automatically think Crime ridden and hood when you hear the City Memphis
...and as bad as Memphis's reputation is for being poor, rundown, and crime ridden, it STILL gets MILLIONS of visitors and TOURISTS (key word here) every year. That's because Memphis is a unique American city with a blatantly unique history, culture, and set of tourist attractions. Basically, Memphis has a brand all its own (and one people know worldwide, at that). Charlotte does not, so it is not nearly as popular with or appealing to potential visitors and tourists as Memphis is.
For those who don't take the time to read the links, Shelby County (Memphis) had $3.3 billion in visitor spending in 2016, while Mecklenburg County (Charlotte) had $5.2 billion. This is a substantial difference and the very meaning of perception not equaling reality...
I love Memphis, but it isn't a global tourist destination. There are Elvis fans globally, who visit Memphis for that, but that's not the same thing as being a global tourist destination. And per the numbers released by both state departments, Charlotte is a bigger tourist destination...
One may not hear someone say "let's go vacation in Charlotte", but hell, I've never actually heard anybody say that about Memphis either, and I've been all over this country. Memphis is a legacy city, and just like other legacy cities, the perception of the legacy city is legendary and tends to stay in the public consciousness longer than it should. In this case, there's a perception that Memphis is a more popular tourist destination, or even a better tourist experience.....and that's not supported by numbers or reality otherwise, numbers aside...
For those who don't take the time to read the links, Shelby County (Memphis) had $3.3 billion in visitor spending in 2016, while Mecklenburg County (Charlotte) had $5.2 billion. This is a substantial difference and the very meaning of perception not equaling reality...
I love Memphis, but it isn't a global tourist destination. There are Elvis fans globally, who visit Memphis for that, but that's not the same thing as being a global tourist destination. And per the numbers released by both state departments, Charlotte is a bigger tourist destination...
One may not hear someone say "let's go vacation in Charlotte", but hell, I've never actually heard anybody say that about Memphis either, and I've been all over this country. Memphis is a legacy city, and just like other legacy cities, the perception of the legacy city is legendary and tends to stay in the public consciousness longer than it should. In this case, there's a perception that Memphis is a more popular tourist destination, or even a better tourist experience.....and that's not supported by numbers or reality otherwise, numbers aside...
You do realize that most of that spending in Charlotte is directly related to business travelers right... Not leisurely tourists...
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It also proves a point of how a City like Memphis could easily pull it's self Together and become not only a Major Tourist destination but also a Great Metro area to live if it could only improve in some departments. I think one of Memphis's biggest issue starts with Crime and poverty. A lot of people automatically think Crime ridden and hood when you hear the City Memphis, a stigma and stereo type that needs to be adjusted when there is a lot more to the City than that. The city actually has some nice districts, actually shocked me a bit. The atmosphere just kinda throws me there... I tend to go for the New and shinny when it comes to laying my head at night!
