1. Belmont Abbey College
City: Belmont, NC
Category: Education
Telephone: (888) 222-0110
Address: 100 Belmont–Mt. Holly Rd.
Description: Founded in 1876 by Benedictine monks, Belmont Abbey College provides an education rooted in the 1,500-year-old tradition of value-based teaching. Approximately 1,000 students from 25 states and 15 foreign countries attend “The Abbey,” located 15 minutes west of Charlotte across the Gaston County line.Numerous undergraduate and preprofessional programs prepare students for graduate school and a variety of careers. Belmont Abbey also offers Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Programs. Students ages 22 and older who are pursuing a bachelor’s degree can enroll in the Adult Degree Program with weeknight, weekend, and day classes designed to work around job and family schedules.In an area of the South known for its abundance of Presbyterians, Baptists, and other Protestant denominations, the private school is proud of its rich Roman Catholic heritage. The picturesque 650-acre Belmont campus, once used for farming and forestry, is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Highlights include the Abbey Basilica, a striking German Gothic Revival cathedral erected in 1892–1893 by the monks, and its intricately painted and heat-fused windows that resemble stained glass.
2. Holy Angels
City: Belmont, NC
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (704) 825-4161
Address: 6600 Wilkinson Blvd.
Description: A ministry of the Sisters of Mercy of North Carolina, this nonprofit facility 20 minutes away in Belmont is a full-time residence for 70 children and adults with multiple and severe mental disabilities. Other services include education; nursing; physical therapy; and vocational, horticulture, and arts programs. Many residents work nearby at Holy Angels’ small business, Cherubs Cafe & Candy Bouquets, in downtown Belmont.
3. Belmont Drive-In Theater
City: Belmont, NC
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (704) 825-6044
Address: 314 McAdenville Rd.
Description: Take a trip back to the ’50s at this drive-in. Located in nearby Belmont, this theater offers first-run movies as well as some second-run, and for only $4 per person.
4. Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden
City: Belmont, NC
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (704) 825-4490
Address: 6500 South New Hope Rd.
Description: Named one of the Nation’s 20 Great Gardens by HGTV, Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden is among the most significant visitor attractions to open in the Charlotte region in the last two decades. This superb destination is located just south of Belmont along the banks of Lake Wylie, and convenient to Charlotte.Its features include a spectacular 13,500-square-foot Visitor Pavilion and the 8,000-square-foot Orchid Conservatory. The conservatory is the only glasshouse in the Carolinas dedicated to the display of orchids and tropical plants. The Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden’s nearly 400 acres also include themed gardens, a dozen sparkling fountains, a woodland trail, a unique gift shop, and a grassy outdoor amphitheater for special events. The garden offers educational classes for all ages, summer camps for kids, semiannual plant sales, and Holiday Lights at the Garden, a Christmas celebration that features more than 600,000 lights and live entertainment throughout the month of December. Because of its beauty, the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden has become a popular place for weddings.The garden was born in 1991 when local textile magnate Daniel J. Stowe set aside this large parcel of family land with the vision that it develop into one of the world’s best botanical gardens. The master plan for the site calls for expansion in phases over the coming decades to include such aspects as an English walled garden, children’s garden and learning center, home demonstration garden, restaurant, and gardens and docks on Lake Wylie.Open daily from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Admission is $10 adults, $9 seniors, $5 children ages 4 through 12, free to members and children under age 4. Group rates available.
5. Catfish Cove
City: Belmont, NC
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (704) 825-3332
Address: 1401 Armstrong Ford Rd.
Description: Probably the most famous fish camp remaining in Gaston County, Catfish Cove is located on a secluded stretch of the Catawba River. The all-you-can-eat buffet is most popular, and the modest salad bar is fresh and tasty. The service is good and everybody seems to know everybody. Dinner Tues through Sat; lunch buffet Sun.
6. Old Stone Steakhouse
City: Belmont, NC
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (704) 825-9995
Address: 23 South Main St.
Description: A shining example of the redevelopment of downtown Belmont, Old Stone Steakhouse took over the old police department and turned it into an upscale steak house with a mountain lodge feel. Stone accents and exposed wooden beams make it warm and inviting. For fun, the owners left the words “Belmont Police Department” on the back wall. Successful Charlotte restaurateur Nick LaVecchia is a partner in Old Stone, which serves choice USDA steaks and a few interesting items like black and bleu Cajun sirloin, Tuscan chicken penne, and salmon and poached pear salad. Open for lunch and dinner Mon through Sat.
7. Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden
City: Belmont, NC
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (704) 825-4490
Address: 6500 South New Hope Rd.
Description: Named one of the Nation’s 20 Great Gardens by HGTV, Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden is among the most significant visitor attractions to open in the Charlotte region in the last two decades. This superb destination is located just south of Belmont along the banks of Lake Wylie, and convenient to Charlotte.Its features include a spectacular 13,500-square-foot Visitor Pavilion and the 8,000-square-foot Orchid Conservatory. The conservatory is the only glasshouse in the Carolinas dedicated to the display of orchids and tropical plants. The Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden’s nearly 400 acres also include themed gardens, a dozen sparkling fountains, a woodland trail, unique gift shop, and a grassy outdoor amphitheater for special events. The garden offers educational classes for all ages, summer camps for kids, semiannual plant sales, and Holiday Lights at the Garden, a Christmas celebration that features more than 600,000 lights and live entertainment throughout the month of December. Because of its beauty, the garden has become a popular place for weddings.The garden was born in 1991 when local textile magnate Daniel J. Stowe set aside this large parcel of family land with the vision that it develop into one of the world’s best botanical gardens. The master plan for the site calls for expansion in phases over the coming decades to include such aspects as an English walled garden, children’s garden and learning center, home demonstration garden, restaurant, and gardens and docks on Lake Wylie.Open daily from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Admission is $10 adults, $9 seniors, $5 children ages 4 through 12, free to members and children under age 4. Group rates available.