Hello,

I will be in Charlotte for 3 weeks for job training. Unfortunately I am not a big civil war buff, most of the things to do seem to do with that, maybe I just need to be more open to it. ASheville is about 2 hours? That might be a weekend trip.

Are there any art museums or small collections? Always looking for good independent bookstores, coffee shops, interesting restaurants (small family owned), and I need a yoga studio big time! Staying at Marriot Residence Inn Research Park. Any suggestions appreciated! Thanks.

I would ask your hotel staff. The Marriott people are usually a wealth of knowledge. You could also ask the local Chamber of Commerce or go to a search engine, such as Google, and type in "things to do in Charlotte".

I may be too late to reply to this, but here goes anyway. I have lived in Charlotte for 14 years and I have never done ANYTHING Civil War related. Don't know where you got the idea that's all there is, but...

If you're in downtown Charlotte, there is the Mint Museum of Craft and Design with a nice collection of art glass and other such items. The Mint Museum of Art is about 2 miles from downtown.

Your hotel is in the University City area, which is maybe 8 miles from most of the things you are looking for sadly. The area around the hotel is mostly chains. If you have a car, you can visit the North Davidson (NoDa)neighborhood, with unique shops, art galleries, restaurants and music venues. You can also visit the Plaza Midwood area for more fun, cheap restaurants, some antique stores and some great local bars.

The South End is another area for food and nightlife.

There is the new Whitewater Park here, not far from downtown but a drive from UC. Asheville is about 2.5 hour drive, but a great day trip or overnight on the weekend. Lovely bookstore called Malaprops is your ticket.

The best local flavor stuff is going to be NoDa, Plaza Midwood and Elizabeth - all very close to downtown Charlotte.

You sure you're going to Charlotte, or Charlottesville ?

HazardNC,

I think I got the civil war idea from a poster that was asking about Charlotte and said he/she was a big civil war buff. I obviously did not do my research!

I am here now, and yes we are pretty far away from anything other than chains. We do have a car, so going downtown to NoDa district tonight for their Gallery Crawl, and this weekend there is Taste of Charlotte. I will have to check out the Mint Musuem.

A weekend in Asheville may be in the works, so thanks for the info on the bookstore! Thank you for all of the suggestions!

Everyone here has been so friendly and welcoming. My stress level has decreased by a measurable amount...! Even driving, I know no one is going to be leaning on their horn on me!

I hope you got to Taste of Charlotte. Granted, many of the restaurants that participate are "chains" too, but at least it's an excuse to get downtown.

See if you can pick up a copy of Creative Loafing magazine -- they're often found outside restaurants. This free news mag has lots of listings for things to do. Here's a link http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/index

On Sundays, the Charlotte Symphony gives free concerts at the band shell at Southpark mall. This is quite a tradition, and many folks "park their blankets" early and have candlelit picnic dinners. On Thursdays, Center City Partners sponsors Alive After Five, which is free admission. You can buy food and drinks and liste to free live music. http://www.charlottecentercity.org/n...ackaction=list

Have fun in Asheville - eat at the Early Girl Eatery and make sure to visit their farmer's market. You will fall in love with Asheville.

Hello again! I guess this will be turning into a mini trip report. Hope it helps someone else spending time here.

Didn't make Taste of Charlotte, a friend visited me from Raleigh. We went to NoDa, had the best crawfish dip, seafood gumbo and red beans and rice at Boudreaux's and went into The Boulevard, an "Art Space" which has lots of different artists who display and sell their works/crafts. I really enjoyed this. Friday night I had gone with a coworker to the Gallery Crawl, ate some pizza at the former Magic Mushroom (now Moon Dog cafe I believe), and spent time browsing in Real Eyes bookstore. I really like this area. It was hopping on Friday night. My friend loved the Dog Bar, and wished she had brought her dog. It was just starting to rain at this point.

Then we met up with a friend of hers she hadn't seen in a long time at Las Ramblas, a new tapas place in the Dilworth section. If only I weren't so full from Boudreaux's! I HAVE to get back to Las Ramblas, the food coming out looked amazing. Good sangria, and I did have a little lemon creme brulee for dessert! I would like to see more of this area too. Afterward we went to City Tavern for a couple of drinks, but it was raining so didn't get to sit on the roofdeck! Of course it had been sunny all week , but with my good friend and new friends it was all good!

Last night a coworker and myself went to the Mint Museum, free on Tuesdays from 5-10. I did some research and was so pleased with myself, we ate at Providence Cafe on Providence Rd and had a lovely meal. Warm baked brie with a cherry sauce on top surrounded by fresh fruit and a sliced baguette for spreading was our appetizer. Not to mention the piping hot bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping! For dinner I had pan seared trout with a delicious pecan maple sauce on the side, yukon gold mashed potatoes and green beans. My coworker had an amazing looking petite filet with a crabmeat toppping, also with mashed and asparagus. A couple of nice glasses of pinot grigio (they had an interesting wine list too), and we were so happy. We finally felt like we were in a neighborhood instead of strip mall land!

We were even happier when we got our dessert, cappucino ice cream cake that was to die for!! It cost about $80 for the two of us, very reasonable, and the food was just so good. The atmosphere was relaxed, some were dressed up, others in jeans. Service was terrific, efficient and friendly.

We really enjoyed the museum, the setting is beautiful and I loved the mix of exhibits. I will be going back, as we arrived a little late due to our relaxed dinner. There is a good mix to the collection, everything from ancient Maya ruins, to contemporary photography. I wnat to get to the craft section of this museum also, as I like glasswork.

I am hoping to get to the Levine Musuem also that looks interesting, and I think they sponsor some walking tours, although it may be too hot for that now!

Thanks for the links, Hazard, where exactly is Plaza Midwood? I will let you know how I make out in Asheville. Thanks again!

I am glad you are enjoying Charlotte! I find so many people visiting family here stick to the burbs and all they see are strip malls and chain restaurants.

The Plaza-Midwood neighborhood is not too far from the Mint Museum. But, if you're coming from University City, you can either take the freeway or take Tryon Street. Do a mapquest search from your hotel or office for 1921 Commonwealth Avenue 28205 zip. This is the address for the Penguin Restaurant, where I take everyone who visits me. The Penguin is laid back, intersting mix of people, good fried pickles (yes - fried pickles) and burgers. On the same street, there are tow other places to eat, Dish (southern style and pretty good) and Thomas St Tavern which is a better bar than restaurant. On Central Ave, there are some cool shops, a bakery and a coffee joint, plus pizza and an old fashioned Dairy Queen.

I should add I am glad you found Las Ramblas. I like their atmosphere and I hope they do well. It's a fairly new restaurant.

Another very cool street to check out is Elizabeth Avenue. This is maybe two miles from the heart of downtown. There isn't much in the way of shopping or museums, but there are some good restaurants and a really cool bar. For dining, there's the new Custom Shop which brags that the menu was created by David Pasternak (a famous NYC chef/restauranteur), Carpe Diem (local favorite), NoFo on Liz (casual) and Cuisine Malaya (Malaysian, sushi). There is a new ice cream parlor I think called the Elizabeth Creamery and a bar whose name is it's street address (but I can't remember it!). Go here for their rooftop bar with great views of downtown Charlotte and cool young crowd. I'm in my mid-40's, so I won't be going back here (I felt very old), but it is cool.

Thanks hazard, for all the great suggestions. I am heading back tomorrow for another three weeks. One other restaurant we tried and really enjoyed was "Terra" also on Providence Rd. The service was outstanding as was the food. I had steak frittes, my companions had poached salmon and shrimp risotto. Pre meal we each had a tiny lentil salad. Creme brulee for dessert. The staff was so attentive, when my companion thought it was going to rain and looked outside, the waiter immediately came over and asked him if he wanted to go outside and get the umbrella. Just very attentive service.

I did go to Asheville for the weekend, report listed under "Asheville getaway". I've reserved this coming weekend in Charleston. I love being able to see all of these places that I haven't been to before.

I went to a lecture at the Levine Musuem on "the New Southerner" by Tommy Tomlinson from the Charlotte Observer, it was a very interesting history of the city, (I learned all about "Sharon and why so many roads are named after her"!) and the influx of so many newcomers to the city.

Hope to get to the Body Worlds exhibit at Discovery Place. Elizabeth Ave will be my eating destination this week!

I am 41, so know the feeling at the bars! But 40 is the new 30 right?? Hope it's not too hot this week! Take care.

Hey, glad you had such a good time and you did hit some nice places.
Try Lulu's on Central Avenue--either for dinner or Sunday brunch. A real French bistro right here in River City. Be SURE to get an order of their frites!! They have small plates and large plates--something for everyone.
If you are serious about a yoga studio, try Peaceful Poses in Myers Park.
There is a good Japanese restaurant in Huntersville at exit 23.
Have a good time in Charleston.

Meander on out 7th to Lupie's if you get the chance.

Good choice and even more fun is The Penquin for lunch. OLD fashioned cooked to order sandwich shop.

Too bad those 2 places (Lupie's and the Penguin) are so smoky.

On Elizabeth Ave, Carpe Diem is very good and very consistant. The new kid on the block is the super hot Customshop - you must have reservations (even for the bar) on weekends and maybe weekdays. Was there Friday night. Has a real buzz about it, but god it's noisy. The cocktail bar with the great view is Loft 1523, just above Volare, a good, but too big, Italian restaurant. Technically, you need a membership to get into Loft, but they never ask to see it, however, you will have to show ID no matter how old you are (our group of late 30-somethings couldn't get in last weekend because one person didn't have their ID). It's generally a younger crowd, but it's a cool space with a great (for Charlotte) view and no smoking inside.

Oh, and I share your opinion of Terra. Top notch food in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. I just wish they'd print a by the glass wine list.

Providence Cafe is another consistently good place to go. You certainly are eating like a local.

We typically set in the 'smoking section' of Lupies &n rarely see anyone smoke. Haven't been to the Penquin since we relo'd south.

Gretchen, SanParis, and Brian,

Thanks for the feedback and tips! I would love to try all of these places, esp Lulu's! Two of my coworkers and I had lunch at Fenwick's yesterday as we had some extra time for lunch, also on Prov. Road and enjoyed it greatly. Two of us had lemon pepper pan fried trout with rice and broccoli. The other had grilled chicken with fruit. It was light, tasty and fresh!

Brian, I totally agree on the wine list, there were several I would like to have tried, but not a whole bottle! The house was very good though.

Will post more when I get back from Charleston...

We eat lunch once a week at Fenwick's. Best chef salad in the City.

Katherine ____ at Fenwick's is terrific. She used to have another restaurant just down the street that was REALLY popular also. If she has a cabbage dish on Fenwick's menu be sure to get it! Out of this world. She writes the wine column for the paper and is the wine instructor at J&W. We are going to Bentley's tonight for our anniversary!
The yoga studio I mentioned is just around the corner from Fenwick's ==A really lovely young woman runs it.

No offense, but I have never understood the broohaha over Lupies. Everything is mediocre. I think their Cincinnatti chili is downright disgusting. I suppose the atmosphere is fun, but please go to the Penguin before you go to Lupies. And, since Lupies doesn't have a fry-o-later, you can only have chips with your burger.

Lulu's is good for dinner, bad for breakfast (are they still serving breakfast?). I like the setting and certainly want to encourage and support business in that section of town.

Fenwicks makes a great burger too. Did they go smoke free because I remember they used to be very smokey at night?

I wish I had read your post before you went to Charleston, because I would have told you to try Forchette for their fries - real French fries cooked in duck fat - and Paolo's Gelato. Maybe you found these on your own?

If you are interested in some other day-trip suggestions (including an easy to reach waterfall) let me know!