A few ideas for you in the downtown area:
- Check the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center's web site to see if anything is going on during your stay
- Mint Museum of Craft and Design
- Museum of the New South
- Basketball game in the arena
- Food ideas include Blue (excellent food with jazz), LaVechia's for seafood, Mert's Heart and Soul, Sonoma, Zinc, RiRa (Irish Pub)
Other ideas:
- South Park area is great for shopping, Rooster's retaurant and Village Tavern are good food choices in that area
- Rent a car and drive up I77 to the Yadkin Valley wineries (Shelton has a beautiful winery and excellent restaurant, Rag Apple Lassie, etc) or the Swan Creek area (Raffelldini has a great patio with beautiful scenery, Laurel Gray and Buck Shoals), again north on I77 to Hwy 421. Look at NC wine Trail web site for any special events. Many of the wineries hold concerts in the evenings.
- If you are a Nascar fan, there are several team garages and the Lowe's Motor Speedway, along with Concord Mills Mall, abuot 30 minutes away.
- The NC Zoo in Ashboro (1 1//2 hours) is one of the best in the country and Childress Winery is on the way
Beaches are much further away. Charleston, SC area beaches such as Folly Beach are about 3 - 3 1/2 hours away. Charleston is worth spending a weekend if you have time! Other beaches are about 4-5 hours away.
In the mountains, Asheville is 2 1/2 hour drive and a fun, funky small city. Blowing Rock is a small moutain town about 1 45 drive time. The Blue Ridge Parkway goes by each of these areas.
