Three great areas come to mind for historic neighborhoods in Charlotte. First is 4th Ward, located near the center city. A lot of Victorian homes and restored mill buildings. Not too many shops, but a couple good bars/restaurants including Alexander Michaels. www.charlottecentercity.org/nav.cfm…
Second is Southend. Southend is a bit spread out, but generally stretches along the light rail line from Bland St. station to the East/West Blvd station. Several art shops and a lot of good restaurants. Southend is experiencing huge growth right now thanks to the transit. http://www.historicsouthend.com
The next would be NoDa, Charlotte's arts district. Two of Charlotte's most popular live music venues are located here; Neighborhood Theater and the Evening Muse, along with unique shops, art galleries, and some of the best dining in the city. http://www.noda.org
Dilworth and Plaza-Midwood are two other very desirable historic neighborhoods that offer unique shops.