Coming to Charlotte for 4th of July (Greenville, King: hotel, neighborhood)

[scguy89]

Hey everyone. My girlfriend and I will be in Charlotte July 3rd-5th to see the Coldplay concert at Time Warner Arena and was wondering if you guys had any suggestions about things to do and see and places to eat. We are staying at the Aloft hotel near Epicentre and, being that I'm not stranger of these boards, I know there are some places there that we can check out. I'm looking for something memorable and unique and it would be great if we could take the train somewhere cool and I could showoff the city to my girlfriend. We are considering moving here if we are successful with our job searches and I'd love to have a great time and confirm in our minds that this is a wise decision.

So basically, are there any local restaurants near TWC that we could walk to or take the train to.

Is there a good 4th of July fireworks event that would be great for young adults (early 20s)? We enjoy a good brew or wine and would like the event to have someway to purchase alcohol. Maybe a concert series or something of that nature?

Are there any historical parts of Charlotte that we should stop by and see? Or any parts of town that usually "wow" tourists?

My experience with Charlotte has mostly been going to Panthers games or IKEA so any suggestions would be great.

Some more background about us: early 20s professionals currently living in Greenville, SC. I'm a recent Master's grad and she works at an influential non-profit.

Thanks in advance for any ideas!

[CharlotteGal]

There are a ton of restaurants downtown, both local and chains.

I highly recommend King's Kitchen - the food is fantastic! There's an added bonus that the restaurant is nonprofit; their proceeds go toward feeding the hungry. AND their food is locally sourced, as much as possible.

There's usually a fireworks display downtown, and someone sponsors an event at Memorial Stadium so you can have a seat and listen to music. We usually make a picnic and find a spot nearby - it can be tricky to find a place not blocked by trees or buildings. Last year, we stayed in our neighborhood around Kings & 3rd and saw everything just fine. There will be more info about events closer to the 4th.

The Charlotte Symphony usually has a Pops concert around the 4th; that's a lovely event. You could take a bus or cab to that location, Symphony Park outside SouthPark Mall. There's a large lawn and plenty of space. Oh, oops - just looked at the link, this year it's the same night as your concert. I'll leave this here for others reading who might be able to go.

I'm sure others will chime in with their recommendations! I hope you have a wonderful time!

[scguy89]

Originally Posted by CharlotteGal

There are a ton of restaurants downtown, both local and chains.

I highly recommend King's Kitchen - the food is fantastic! There's an added bonus that the restaurant is nonprofit; their proceeds go toward feeding the hungry. AND their food is locally sourced, as much as possible.

There's usually a fireworks display downtown, and someone sponsors an event at Memorial Stadium so you can have a seat and listen to music. We usually make a picnic and find a spot nearby - it can be tricky to find a place not blocked by trees or buildings. Last year, we stayed in our neighborhood around Kings & 3rd and saw everything just fine. There will be more info about events closer to the 4th.

The Charlotte Symphony usually has a Pops concert around the 4th; that's a lovely event. You could take a bus or cab to that location, Symphony Park outside SouthPark Mall. There's a large lawn and plenty of space. Oh, oops - just looked at the link, this year it's the same night as your concert. I'll leave this here for others reading who might be able to go.

I'm sure others will chime in with their recommendations! I hope you have a wonderful time!

Thank you for the suggestions! Where are the fireworks going to be downtown? Are they set off at a park?

I kind of don't want to miss 4th of July fireworks.

We have a car so we could drive to anyplace really. We just wanted to ride the train somewhere because we don't have one in town and I've only been on a train at Stone Mountain.