The city is yours to explore
Get to know Charlotte.
Find a day out, a useful local guide or the next step after a move. Start with what you need below. We cover Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and selected trips farther afield, with each destination's location identified.
01 / Start exploring
What do you need today?
Keep admission costs down
Compare free library and outdoor visits with museum offers that depend on the day or the people in your group. Check what parking and extra activities add.
Explore free things to do →Make an indoor plan
Start with indoor options, then confirm the venue's hours, tickets and program requirements for your visit.
Compare rainy-day options →Plan with children
Choose between a playground, a library visit, art and nature. Follow the venue's age guidance before promising an activity to the whole family.
Start a family outing →Find a park with the right facilities
Filter for recorded amenities such as playgrounds, restrooms and parking. Check the individual park before relying on a facility being available.
Open the Park Finder →Find a starting point for a walk
Use the greenway parking guide to choose an entrance, then check the route and current notices.
Find greenway parking →Get settled after a move
Find the agencies for utilities, collection days and North Carolina paperwork. Each task has its own requirements.
Plan your first weeks →Need to travel across town? Plan the outward and return journeys with CATS. Arriving by air? Start with the CLT airport guide.
Know what you are looking for? Search our guides, or look up a business or organization in the directory.
02 / Follow your curiosity
A few good places to start.
U.S. National Whitewater Center
Choose trails, activity passes or events, then check the current arrangements.
/things-to-do/us-national-whitewater-center/
NASCAR Hall of Fame
Plan a racing-history museum visit in Uptown.
/things-to-do/nascar-hall-of-fame/Charlotte food halls: compare locations and plan a visit
Compare food halls by setting and area.
/eat-and-drink/food-halls/Fall outings near Charlotte: farms, festivals and foliage
Choose a fall outing and check the operator’s current season.
/seasonal/fall/03 / Explore with tools
Choose the right tool
Park Finder
Select the recorded facilities you need and browse matching park records.
Greenway map
Look at mapped trail segments, surface information and public entrances. Confirm closures and the exact access point before setting out.
Public-art collection
Look up works by place or artist. Use the public-art guide for background and check access to the work you want to see.
04 / Behind the guide
Look closer. Go further.
The research sits underneath the guide so visitors get useful Charlotte answers without having to decode the database first.
Read each guide’s sources and research date. Some directory entries have detailed evidence; others establish a place's identity and website. Check the official venue or agency for today's operating details. Source records help you assess a claim; they do not rate service quality or guarantee access.
These figures describe the research behind the site. They do not establish current opening hours, parking availability or service quality. For the available datasets and research notes, see Research & Open Data.
Explore a little further
Explore Dilworth
Start with the neighborhood story: streetcars, landscape planning and the places that explain the area.
Read the guide →
Handbook goods · In development
Keep a little Charlotte.
Neighborhood prints, postcards and field notebooks inspired by the guides. Explore the concepts while the collection takes shape.
See what we are developing →Questions people ask
Is everything free? The guides are free to read. Some places and activities charge admission. Check the venue’s current terms and include travel, parking and optional extras in your budget.
How do I check a claim? Follow the sources beside a guide’s facts and read its research date. The Directory distinguishes detailed evidence from checks that establish a place’s identity and website.
How current is the information? A guide’s research date and the site’s build date describe different checks. Hours, prices and access can change afterward, so use the venue or agency’s current information before travelling.
I’m visiting. Where do I start? Use “What do you need today” to choose an outing. If you are arriving by air, start with the CLT airport guide.
Is this useful for residents? Yes. Start with greenway parking, libraries, first-weeks paperwork, rainy-day options or the parks and public-art tools.
How do I suggest a correction? Use the Corrections page and include a source for the proposed update.