I’ve just enjoyed a balmy Southern Friday evening in Charlotte, North Carolina, which is probably best known as the heart of NASCAR country.
No, I wasn’t at a stock car race, speaking of interesting sports.
Last night I enjoyed dinner at the very not Southern, Baja-ish Cabo Fish Taco restaurant, followed by a stroll through local art galleries during the twice-monthly Gallery Crawl in the hip NoDa arts district in Charlotte (I’m in the area researching a combination NASCAR/travel article for an upcoming issue of Automotive Traveler.)
“NoDa” is part of the current fad of every American city trying to have a neighborhood shorthand name like New York City’s SoHo, which is “south of Houston Street.”
NoDa is the “North Davidson Street” area of Charlotte; it’s a National Register Historic District and former textile manufacturing hub (one of the mills has been converted to swank lofts and apartments.)
The galleries were fun and and had a variety of art mediums: sculpture, pottery, paintings, fabric art, etc. I liked the caffeinated paintings by artist Tony Java!, but I’m trying to save my pennies for next week’s visit to the Southern Highland Craft Guild Folk Art Center in the North Carolina Blue Ridge mountains.
I was particularly interested in the NoDa Neighborhood Theatre, which bills itself as a “non-smoking, all ages live music venue.” I could hear famous white-haired blues/rock guitarist and singer Johnny Winter wailing away in there last night, so I stood on the sidewalk for a minute and enjoyed my own private mini-concert.
My itinerary is pretty jam-packed with both NASCAR events and investigating attractions that have nothing to do with stock car racing. Today I’ll attend the NASCAR All-Star event (a fun race for big bucks) then tomorrow I’ll check out the Levine Museum of the New South for a cultural twist. The Levine features the exhibit “Cotton Fields to Skyscrapers: Charlotte and the Carolina Piedmont in the New South. Covering 8,000 square feet, the exhibit features Charlotte and its 13 surrounding counties as a case study to illustrate the profound changes in the South since the Civil War.”
Monday brings a visit to the US National Whitewater Center (outdoor recreation and a multi-channel whitewater circulating river where the US Canoe and Kayak teams train) and a stop at Pit Crew U, where NASCAR pit crews learn how to magically refuel a car, change all four tires and make other adjustments in just a few seconds.
Tuesday I head out for a three-day road trip in the western part of North Carolina, driving up the stunning Blue Ridge Parkway, right past the Cold Mountain featured in the Civil War novel and movie of the same name.
Friday through Sunday I’m back in Charlotte for racing activities and the big Coca-Cola 600 race on Sunday May 27th — in case you open-wheel fans aren’t watching the Indy 500 instead.
Whenever I can post, I’ll certainly try to get you some more North Carolina travel gems ”hot off the presses.”
Technorati tags: travel, Charlotte, North Carolina, NASCAR
I’m here for the Carnival of Cities and quite envious of your itinerary. Well, except for the NASCAR stuff – you can keep that.
I grew up near New Orleans and our family summer vacations took us all over the South, including your lovely neck of the woods. I’ve always loved that part of the country and wanted to live there before fate planted me in a paradise many thousands of miles away. Thanks especially for reporting on the eclectic art and cultural offerings. Lucky, lucky you!
I’m here with Carnival of Cities as well. Thanks for the explanation of SoHo. I never knew what that meant!
Hi Sheila – Welcome to North Carolina! If you think it is balmy now, you should come back in July and August.
I hope you enjoy your travels through the Blue Ridge Mountains. You will definitely find it much cooler there than in Charlotte. I grew up in Western NC, so I’m quite biased in saying that I think it is one of the prettiest places in the world. (Of course as a Hawaii enthusiast and blogger, Hawaii has to be “up there” as well.)
If you find yourself in Boone, try a family style dinner at the Daniel Boone Inn or grab a sandwich at Macadoos. Blowing Rock is nearby and is a quaint little mountain town. There are also lots of art galleries in and around the area.
I hope you enjoy!!