Hidden Gems and Things To Do?

[vindaloo]

Originally Posted by Chef Jer

Hello all,

I am moving to Charlotte next week (I know there seems to be a ton of these threads) and would like some insight from some of the locals.

My girlfriend and I have moved around a lot for our education and career over the past 5 years - Miami, Denver and currently Pittsburgh. We have only been in Pittsburgh for 6 months but we both loath it here! I have accepted a job that allows me to live anywhere on the east coast. With Charlotte being a hub for US air and the mild winters - we chose your city.

We chose to live in Southpark and already have an apartment. In short, I am not looking for advice on should we move, where we should move or will we find a job.

We are excited to come to Charlotte and would like to get recommendations on restaurants, things to see and things to do. Could you please help point us to some of the things that make your city special? A local BBQ joint that's off the beaten path, a farmers market, an exceptional scenic drive to take.

Thanks in advance and we are excited to explore a new place!

-National Whitewater Rafting Center

-Charlotte Motor Speedway and NHRA Dragstrip

-Historic sights like Latta Plantation and the place near Fort Mill where the "Patriot" was filmed

-Walking parks like Jetton on Lake Norman

-Meatballs at AKIA

-Pub crawls uptown

-Dinner and drinks at Birkdale

-Walks around uptown, 4th Ward, Southend, Dilworth, Freedom Park, Elizabeth, and Myers Park.

-Carolina Mall (Concord)

-Carowinds if young at heart

-People watching at the bus station (forget this one)

-Check the live performances in town both theatrical and musical

The list goes on, but I must go. My company has arrived. Good luck.

Check the yellow pages for the particular restaurant you seek. By the way, Southpark is an excellent choice for a residence and I compliment you on your confidence.

[Chef Jer]

Originally Posted by darciedawn

I'm relocating there soon from the Pittsburgh area too (West Virginia on the border there). I know what you mean about loathing Pittsburgh. Good luck on your move. Maybe we'll run into you checking out those fried pickles. That solidified my desire to move in two words! LOL

Good luck on your move as well. I don't want to bad mouth Pittsburgh too much. I grew up in the northeast (Syracuse) and had a small idea of what to expect.

The past six months have just reinforced that we are not suited to living in the northeast. What many see as having character - we see as old and run down. Many enjoy the change of seasons - we can't wait for summer and are worn down by the gray and cold.

Pittsburgh is full of great people and I have loved working here, I just could never be happy living here especially after living in Miami (Aventura) and Denver.

Originally Posted by vindaloo

-National Whitewater Rafting Center

By the way, Southpark is an excellent choice for a residence and I compliment you on your confidence.

Thank you for the recommendations. We felt Southpark had the right combination of what we wanted and was still a reasonable cab ride to uptown.

The confidence comes with experience This is going to be our 4th city since leaving Syracuse almost 5yrs ago. We are hoping to set down some roots this time and break our current record of 21 months in one place since we started this amazing journey.

[pgilbert]

Don't forget to come up to lake Norman area. Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson all have a lot to offer besides the lake itself. Stop at a visitors center and you'll get a lot of info.