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This must be the weekend to visit Charlotte! I have Friday to kill while my husband is interviewing and then we are staying till Sunday afternoon to look around.
What are some areas that I should be visiting in terms of neighborhood stuff: artsy areas, things for kids to do, locations that will give us a quick overview of what Charlotte has to offer (restaurants, etc)? On Saturday we are having a realtor show us around so I am looking mostly for Friday and then Sunday.
We will be staying at the Ballantyne Resort for the duration of our visit (we arrive tomorrow afternoon).
This must be the weekend to visit Charlotte! I have Friday to kill while my husband is interviewing and then we are staying till Sunday afternoon to look around.
What are some areas that I should be visiting in terms of neighborhood stuff: artsy areas, things for kids to do, locations that will give us a quick overview of what Charlotte has to offer (restaurants, etc)? On Saturday we are having a realtor show us around so I am looking mostly for Friday and then Sunday.
We will be staying at the Ballantyne Resort for the duration of our visit (we arrive tomorrow afternoon).
Thanks!
Well, welcome to Charlotte! This MUST be the place to be this weekend! Don't forget, Saturday night is our Carolina Panthers playoff game, so uptown will be busy with fans. Of course, you might WANT to go uptown then just to get a sense for how our fans behave and what our tailgating is like, in addition to how many places are hopping before and after in general. You could drive to the southern most Lynx light rail station (at I485 and South Blvd), park and then ride with the crowds uptown for some added fun.
If you are staying in the Ballantyne area, I take it the potential job is in that part of town? Well, there are many things you could try to see as a visitor, but since this is a trip to see the part of town you'd most likely work and live in I'd say stick to that part of town while you go around by yourself - don't try to see EVERYTHING on all sides of the city in this short visit - though later I hope you will see the lakes and other neat areas.
You may want to plan to ride over to Fort Mill, SC by yourself, just to see it and rule it out (or in) as a place to house hunt with your realtor. Your realtor will have enough to show you in just the Ballantyne area, so if you go over to Fort Mill by yourself you'd be in better shape time wise later. I'd also suggest you check out the South Park area - maybe visit the mall if shopping is important to you, but also just to see the area to be sure you don't want your realtor to take you there too
We had one of those realtor maps with the areas on it and it was great to work with and really gave me a mental picture of things....then figure out the desired drive time...budget...and work from there...
However, my best bit of advice is to rent first...then buy...it took us quite a while to explore and get a feel for areas...we lived in a cheap apartment and out of boxes for a few months (to make re-moving pretty painless) ... was great especially when renovations were going on in the house! Although I guess if you have kids in school, you might not want to move them twice which I understand..In that case, I'd plan several visits and focus on each area at a time...
First thing is make sure the car rental has GPS, Charlotte's roads can be quite challenging to newcomers as road names change often.
In uptown, they have a really nice children's library and Discovery Place. I know at Discovery Place they were having a Pompei exhibit but I thought I heard at one point they were remodeling the children's area so call ahead on that one. Located in uptown is a visitor's center, so you might want to visit thier first or if you have time check out the website. You will have to pay for parking in uptown.
Charlotte Visitor Center in Uptown
Monday - Friday 8:30AM - 5:00PM
Saturday 9AM-3PM
Closed on Sundays
You should def. check out Dilworth Area, Southend, Southpark, and Myers Park/Queens college areas. These are probably the highlights of South Charlotte (very nice, good food, expensive). Of course where you are staying out in Ballantyne is nice too.
Here is a map I have been working on for a friend: Google Maps
Depending on the age of your child, a park may be just in order for your trip. I would recommend that you visit Freedom Park (1900 East Blvd) and also William Davie Park (4635 Pineville Matthews Road). My children love both of these parks, and you can spend some time speaking with the other parents about living in Charlotte. Good luck with your trip.
I would visit Tega Cay (next to Ft. Mill) as well. It's a unique area that might appeal to you. It's more of a drive-around type of place and in the middle of the day should not take too long to get to!
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