10 Best Sights in Charlotte, North Carolina

Home of Fury 325, North America's fastest giga coaster (reaching 95 mph and 325 feet high), Carowinds is a place for thrill seekers. The 57 rides include multiple high-intensity roller coasters. Just across the South Carolina border on Interstate 77, Carowinds also boasts a water park, live concerts, and an interactive 3-D experience.

Check Carowinds's website for current hours and deals. It's usually cheaper to buy tickets online than at the gate.

A 1774 stone building forms the centerpiece of this museum that traces central North Carolina's history over the last three centuries. Settler Hezekiah Alexander and his wife, Mary, reared 10 children in this house and farmed the land. Learn about the lives of early residents in the area through exhibits and displays.

This bright garden is known for its painterly display of colors. There's a perennial garden, wildflower meadow, Canal Garden, an orchid conservatory, and other themed areas.

You'll find a butterfly pavilion, bugs galore, nature trails, a puppet theater, and hands-on exhibits just for children at this museum. Kids can experience up-close interaction with animals, and explore the Fort Wild outdoor play area.

The last remaining Catawba River plantation open to the public, this living-history site interprets 19th-century farm life in North Carolina’s backcountry. James Latta, a traveling merchant, built the plantation’s Federal-style home in 1800 and soon became a cotton planter. According to family documents, the entire Latta family assisted with production on the 742-acre farm, but it would not have been possible to maintain the plantation without the back-breaking labor of more than 30 slaves. Today, visitors can tour the home as well as reconstructed slave quarters and a yeoman farmer’s home. Historically appropriate farm animals and special weekend programs, such as folk craft demonstrations, round out the experience.

Built in 1836 as the first U.S. Mint, this building has been a home for art since 1936. The holdings in its impressive permanent collections include fashion, ceramics, coins and currency, and art of the ancient Americas.

Your ticket stub gets you free admission to the Mint Museum Uptown (good for two days).

This 22-acre state historic site 10 miles south of central Charlotte marks the humble birthplace and childhood home of the 11th U.S. president, nicknamed "Napoléon of the Stump" for his excellent speeches. Guided tours of the log cabins (replicas of the originals) show what life was like for settlers back in 1795.

This historic site, about 22 miles east of Charlotte, is where America's first documented gold rush began, after Conrad Reed discovered a 17-pound nugget in 1799. Guided underground tours of the gold mine are available, as well as gold panning (from roughly early April to late October), walking trails, and a stamp mill.

Set in Myers Park, one of the city's most exclusive neighborhoods, this 4-acre garden is a serene environment for feathered visitors and others. The grounds include a nursery and education building.