Warm up and enjoy the season better with some fun winter activities in Charlotte. Get your gloves and puffer jacket and get ready to enjoy any one of these events for all ages and interests.
Words By: Lorenza Medley
Museum of Illusions
Cost: From $22, purchase tickets online!
Location: 601 S. Tryon St. Charlotte, NC
Looking for a fun and unique indoor activity in Uptown? Challenge your senses at Charlotte’s Museum of Illusions! The museum offers a variety of interactive exhibits, illusion rooms, and mind-bending visuals designed to amaze and entertain. Explore incredible optical illusions, holograms, and snapsome unforgettable photos along the way. Whether you’re with friends or flying solo, the Museum of Illusions is the perfect place to immerse yourself in a world where nothing is quite what it seems!
Jingle City Bar
Cost: $15 and up per person
Location: 300 E. Morehead St.
From Nov. 26 to Dec. 24, The Jingle City Bar will be coming to Charlotte. The event is located in a 12,000 square foot warehouse and has multiple interactive and unique Christmas themed rooms. From Nov. 26 to Dec. 24, the event allows children anytime before 8 p.m. and becomes a 21+ event with a live DJ and holiday drinks afterwards.
Gingerbread Lane
Cost: free
Location: 10000 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy
Gingerbread Lane is an annual display in the Ballantyne Hotel that is open to the public. The display is full of beautifully crafted and unique gingerbread houses. Each vote is $1 and all proceeds from the votes goes to the Levine Children’s Hospital.
Charlotte Ballet -Winter Activities In Charlotte
Cost: $25 – $125 per person
Location: 130 N Tryon St
This December the Charlotte Ballet will be performing one of our favorite winter activities in Charlotte. We cannot wait for their classic rendition of The Nutcracker at the Belk Theatre. The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra will be performing Tchaikovsky’s score during the performance. Make sure to get tickets as soon as possible because they sell out fast.
Charlotte Christmas Village
Cost: $5 per person
Location: 324 S Mint St
From Nov. 24 to Dec. 23, the European-style holiday market will be coming to the Queen City. There will be live entertainment, food and a lot of shopping. Guests can visit Santa on Thursdays and Fridays at 5 p.m. and at noon on Saturdays and Sundays. Bring Fido to run freely around the dog park on December 5 and 12 from noon to 8 p.m.
U.S. National Whitewater Center
Cost: $25 per person
Location: 5000 Whitewater Center Pkwy
Ice skating is a classic winter activity. The over 24,000 square foot ice rink in the Whitewater Center has four distinct skating areas which include two ice trails and two free skate zones. Guests can choose from an all access pass or a single activity pass and check in is at the River Center.
WinterFest at Carowinds -Winter Activities In Charlotte
Cost: $25 and up per person
Location: 300 Carowinds Blvd
Visit one of the best winter attractions in North Carolina, WinterFest at Carowinds, taking place on select nights between Nov. 13 and Jan. 9. The Wonderland Parade will debut on Nov. 22. There is amazing food, rides and activities to enjoy at WinterFest. Take the kids to decorate cookies with Mrs. Clause, skate on Snow Flake Lake, or pose for pictures with Santa.
Christmas Town
Cost: free
Location: McAdenville, NC
From Dec. 1 to Dec. 26, visit the most festive town in the United States, appropriately dubbed Christmas Town, McAdenville, NC. In a national survey by USA Today, McAdenville was ranked fourth in the 10 Best Holiday Lights Displays in the Nation. Since the 1950s, the town has transformed into a Christmas paradise for everyone to see.
Charlotte Motor Speedway Christmas
Cost: $30 to $40 per car
Location: 5555 Concord Pkwy S
From Nov. 19 to Jan. 16, Continental Tire and Tire Pros presents one of the most anticipated holiday traditions in the southeast, Speedway Christmas at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The event will be open from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and features four million lights hung across the four-mile course, hundreds of creative displays and synchronized lights with Christmas music from 101.3 FM.
Holiday at the Garden – Winter Activities In Charlotte
Cost: $14.95 per adult
Location: 6500 South New Hope Road, Belmont, NC
From Nov. 26 to Jan. 2, the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens presents Holiday at the Gardens, one of the most beloved winter activities in Charlotte. Stroll the winter display and take in the holiday lights placed all over the gardens. From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., guests can sing along to classic winter songs, grab a bite from the food trucks, sip some festive drinks and roast marshmallows over the fire. Children under two years old get in free, $7.95 for children two to 12 years old and $12.95 for seniors, guests over 60 years old.
German Christmas Market at the Olde Mecklenburg Brewery
Cost: free
Location: 4150 Yancey Rd
Between Nov. 26 to Dec. 19, Olde Mecklenburg Brewery will be hosting a Weihnachtsmarkt, or a German Christmas Market, for four weekends. The market will be open from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, noon to 9 p.m. on Saturday, and noon to 7 p.m. on Sunday. Guests can do some shopping, listen to holiday music and sit by the fire pits. Enjoy their Gluhwein, a spiced wine, and Yule Bock and Dunkel, types of Christmas beers.oldemeckbrew.com
