If you’re still looking for more to do after visiting the numerous sports arenas and area parks, check out the Carolina Raptor Center which is home to more than 20 species of raptors, including eagles, hawks, owls, vultures and falcons. Discovery Place is one of the best hands-on museums in the country. The ever-changing exhibits range from life science to space exploration. The museum and IMAX Dome Theater welcome more than half a million visitors each year. The IMAX theater recently started showing full length Hollywood releases and has shown Batman Begins and Harry Potter. The Wing Haven Garden & Bird Sanctuary is a sanctuary for wild birds. Dating from 1927, three acres of gardens, dating from 1927, are enclosed on all sides by brick walls.
Check out the Lazy 5 Ranch, a 3.5 mile drive through exotic wild animal park. You can drive through in your own car and feed the animals. They also offer horse-drawn wagon rides and an excellent venue for parties. Only about 30 minutes north of Charlotte.
For family fun, also try Carowinds amusement park. Seasonal attraction about 15 minutes south of Downtown Charlotte. It has the unique distinction of being the only theme park located in two different states.
Also, try Reed Gold Mine. The Charlotte area is home to the first discovery of gold in the U.S. and you can pan for gold in the restored mine here.
The best time to visit Charlotte is usually September. The weather begins to cool and they have a month long cultural festival known as Charlotte Shout www.charlotteshout.com which has tons of stuff to do all month long. Charlotte is quickly becoming a top restaurant city in the country being home to corporate food-service giant Compass Group (www.cgnad.com) as well as a Johnson and Wales campus. The Culinary Arts Experience at Charlotte Shout draws chefs like Wolfgang Puck, Martin Yen, Rachel Ray and many more. It is one of the best culinary events in the nation.
The aforementioned Carowinds transforms into a haunted theme park, dubbed "Scarowinds" and has several haunted attractions beginning late September and running through Halloween. There is also a kid-friendly "Nick or Treat" during the day for younger kids. There are numerous haunted houses and corn mazes in the area as well, most of which can be found at www.nchaunts.com or www.charlottehaunts.com. Depending on the fall climate, a day or weekend trip to the nearby mountains and Blue Ridge Parkway offer incredible views of the autumn foliage.
Check out the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center too for shows like Mama Mia, The Color Purple, Jersey Boys, and A Chorus Line. www.blumenthalcenter.org
The relatively new and "chic" Ballantyne Village Theater shows an assortment of independent movies in the ultimate yuppy suburban sprawl area know as Ballantyne. Each season they also show old movies for only $5. They have a different theme each season, fall in love, summer retro, fright fest and have shown Casablanca, Jaws, Monty Python and the Holy Grail and many more. www.ballantynevillage.com
Also make sure to check out the brand new EpiCentre Theatres - a throwback to old Hollywood glitz and glamour, the six-screen theatre is 21+ after 7pm, and allows visitors to bring in alcoholic beverages and food from the attached restaurant, Mez.
Sports links:
NFL Football: www.panthers.com
NBA Basketball: www.nba.com/bobcats
AAA Baseball: www.charlotteknights.com(Chicago White Sox affiliate)
Minor League (AA) hockey: www.gocheckers.com (NY Rangers affiliate)
Of course, NASCAR too www.nascar.com and www.lowesmotorspeedway.com
Area parks, golf, disc golf, greenways, etc: www.parkandrec.com
Everything else: www.charmeck.org or call 311 inside the City of Charlotte or 704-336-7600 outside the City of Charlotte , city/county info line.