The holiday season is winding down and now is your chance to set the tone for a new year. Time is precious, so don’t waste it on anything mediocre. Whether you need to pick up a card, want a massage, or are looking for a date night spot, these are our top picks for the best things to do in Charlotte NC.
Best Spa in South End: Selenite
Selenite’s mission centers on clean beauty and wellness. A beauty shop on the first level and a spa on the second, they offer everything from carefully selected products to luxury massage and facials. There is also an option to book one of several one-on-one mindfulness (yoga, reiki, meditation) sessions to cultivate beauty from within.
Best Linen Store: Bedside Manor
Create a welcoming and comfortable space for yourself and your guests with Bedside Manor’s help. Bedside Manor is the place to fulfill all your home and hosting needs, from warm down comforters to fitted robes, candles, and more. Their many store specialists are eager to help customers find exactly what they need.
Best Facial in Ballantyne: Skin Loft
Owner Caryn’s facial treatments are a holistic journey, starting with the building and maintaining of the skin’s integrity. She specializes in manual sculpting/lifting techniques, aesthetic fascia release, and drainage facials. Skin Loft, located in Ballantyne, provides a truly comprehensive skincare experience within a luxurious setting.
Most Stylish Interiors in South End: Amodenary
A fusion of modern and contemporary styles, Amodernary renews the outdated, inspiring a mix of the old and the new to help you create a space you would want to come home to. Owner Carlos Fuller brings his passion for interiors and furniture to the greater Charlotte area, and beyond. Visit in person today in South End.
Best Destination Event Space: North Corner Haven
North Corner Haven is a fully operational farm and boutique event destination with over 600 acres of hardwood forest, pastures, and ponds. It’s a place where people still collect their own eggs for breakfast, catch fish straight from the pond, and go riding along the farm road. And, it’s a place where, since 2015, some of Charlotte’s most stylish corporate meetings, team retreats, company anniversary parties, and weddings have been held.
Best Women’s Apparel in Myers Park: Chosen Boutique
Chosen Boutique is a high-end clothing store nestled in Myers Park. The shop carries everything from casual daywear to gala gowns. You can also shop an array of jewelry from six different local designers.
Best Timeless Southern Style: New South Homes
CEO and principal designer Melissa Lee and her team have worked on hundreds of projects, everything from small room updates to large residential custom builds. Her previous experience as a fashion retail buyer developed her talent to balance upcoming trends with classic, timeless style for her discerning Southern clients.
Best Gift Shop in Dilworth: Paper Skyscraper
With truly something for everyone, specialty gift shop Paper Skyscraper not only houses brand favorites like Jelly Cats, Bogg Bags, and Assouline books, but also showcases North Carolina and Charlotte brands. When you have an occasion that calls for a gift, Paper Skyscraper is the perfect first stop. A visit here is one of the best things to do in Charlotte NC.
Best Wine List in Uptown: Aria
The taste of Tuscany resides in Uptown. Aria marries atmosphere and presentation beautifully to bring a luxury dining experience and extensive wine list to Uptown. The wine list is carefully crafted to bring out the very best flavors and aromas of the seasonally changing menu offerings. Be sure to ask for a tour of the whole list, given by exceptionally knowledgeable staff.
Best Italian Small Plates Uptown: Cichetti
Specializing in Venice’s version of the “small plate,” Cichetti offers traditional and authentic Italian small plates and doubles as a wine bar. They offer wines from around the world by the glass and bottle, as well as beer and select cocktails to complement their seasonally reflective menu.
Best Massage Membership: Mood House
Mood House, in Dilworth, offers more than just the traditional bodywork arrangement. Massage membership packages help make wellness and relaxation an important part of your routine. They offer gift memberships as well as personal ones. Mood House makes choosing restoration and recharge easy by offering several different monthly services.
Best Fresh Bread in NoDa: Local Loaf
Located in the NoDa neighborhood, Local Loaf offers some of the best fresh bread in Charlotte. Since 2013, their chef, Adam Spears, has continued to serve regulars and new visitors food made with fresh local ingredients and most importantly. No matter what the reason to purchase fresh bread, this is your neighborhood spot.
Best Comfort Food in Elizabeth: Catalina Kitchen
If you want to spend the afternoon catching up with friends, Catalina Kitchen and Bar is the perfect place for a comfort food stop. Located on 7th St. this local restaurant offers food from grilled meats to handmade pasta and fresh seafood. You can also expect a wide variety of cocktails and a diverse drink menu.
Best Orthodontist in South Charlotte: Mint Hill Ortho
Being new in town can be hard, especially when you are trying to find the best places to attend your health care and regular checkups. Mint Hill Orthodontics is one of the best places to take care of your smile in Charlotte. With affordable prices, great braces and Invisalign deals, this is the ortho for all your needs.
Best Fine Jewelry in Myers Park: Tiny Gods
Looking for a fine gift for a significant other, a relative or a friend? Check out Tiny Gods, a fine jewelry store located on Crescent Avenue. Their mission and vision is to connect people to their favorite and most meaningful pieces of jewelry. Founded in 2020, Tiny Gods makes for one of the best places to shop jewelry in Charlotte.
Best Spa in Dilworth: Toccare
With intentional knowledge and detail, Toccare’s providers give each client unique attention they deserve during facials and massage. Toccare is a holistic spa focusing on natural, tailored, non-invasive treatments and practices to help their clients enhance their natural beauty. This is one of the best things to do in Charlotte NC if you’re ready to unwind.
Best Hidden Bar in Elizabeth: Puerta
From the same team behind Crunkleton, Puerta is an intimate Elizabeth restaurant (conveniently directly beside Crunkelton) serving up fare inspired by various regions in Mexico. Our favorite part, however, is the small, cozy bar/lounge area in the back of the restaurant. Tequila is the focal point of the drink menu. Moreover, the lounge is perfectly dimly lit, just quiet enough, and still effortlessly connected to the rest of the restaurant.
Best Contemporary Art in Myers Park: Shain Gallery
Charlotte is a city that opens doors to artists of all kinds. If you are looking for the best place to check out contemporary art in Myers Park, stop by Shain Gallery. Established in 1998, this gallery exhibits artists from all places and seeks to place artwork in people’s homes. All told, if you are looking to shop or view art, make your way to Shain Gallery. A visit here is one of the best things to do in Charlotte NC for art lovers.
Best Wine Bar in NoDa: Bar a Vins
Nestled on Davidson Street, Bar a Vins quickly became one of the best wine bars in the NoDa neighborhood after opening back in 2022. If you’re looking for an excellent glass of wine and a refined bar snack or a cozy place to spend the evening with friends or a date, Bar a Vins is the spot.
Best Pub in Plaza Midwood: Workman’s Friend
Whether you’re looking for a warm and cozy refuge on a wet winter evening or a lively neighborhood haunt to watch a Saturday afternoon college football game, Workman’s will deliver. Rustic wood bar shelving, antique mirrors, vintage Guinness advertisements, boarding house wallpaper, a crackling fireplace on one side and transitional shutters on the other, and a respectable selection of Irish whiskey and beer make this pub the best in Plaza Midwood.
Best Pad Thai in South End: Hawker’s
At its best, pad thai is both tangy and sweet, chewy and crisp, and saucy but not soggy. No one achieves this balance better in South End than Hawker’s. Alongside pad Thai, Hawker’s also dishes out a delicious medley of other Asian street fare.
Best BBQ in West Charlotte: Noble Smoke
Traditional Southern recipes + custom-built smokers + patience = the hands-down absolute best barbecue in west Charlotte. Noble Smoke is a tribute to legendary pitmasters, an iconic dish, and the Southern impulse to gather and gab. Sampling this regional staple is one of the best things to do in Charlotte NC.
Best New Year’s Workout Addiction: Barry’s
Excellent trainers, bumpin’ music, and grade-A amenities make this South End boutique fitness studio an easy favorite. Plus, newcomers get their first class for free. Additionally, the easily modifiable workout means it can work for nearly every fitness level. It’s a cult favorite in major US cities for a reason.
Best Lox Bagel in Charlotte: Poppy’s
Poppy’s fan-favorite bagels are made fresh (multiple times!) daily. Opened in 2010, this bagel and sandwich hub with locations in both South End and Providence makes a darn near perfect lox bagel. Think ample cream cheese, thick slices of salty lox, capers and sliced red onions. It’s a solid choice any day of the week for both breakfast and lunch.
Best Charlotte Bowl of Ramen: Futo Buta
Futo Buta has been a favorite of ours in the city since its inception. The cozy ramen shop has great music, fast service, and reliably excellent food. There are classics like the pork belly ramen on the menu, as well as a vegan option and twists like the “fire and ice bowl” with kimchi and salmon.
Best Fine Art in SouthPark: Anne Neilson Fine Art
Founded in 2014, Anne Neilson Fine Art quickly became a temporary home to thousands of fine art pieces. Located in Charlotte’s SouthPark, the gallery’s mission has a unique goal in mind: to give back to a different meaningful organization each month as a way to give back to their community.
Best Farm-to-Table in Montford: Flour Shop
Led by Chef Trey Wilson, Flour Shop sources fresh, in-season ingredients from the Carolinas (even from Wilson’s backyard garden) and then transforms them using traditional culinary techniques and open fire into some of the most delicious dishes in Charlotte.
Best Dog Bar in South End: Skiptown
If you are a dog owner (or just a dog person), look no further than Skiptown for your go-to dog bar in South End. Expect turfed indoor and outdoor play areas, a mix of sun and shade, play referees, and a respectable list of beer, wine, and cocktails. Skiptown provides everything needed for humans and dogs to ditch the leash and let loose.
Best Family Activity in Uptown: Discovery Place
Carve out a couple of hours to take your kids to Discovery Place in Uptown, and you’ll be an absolute hero. Interactive exhibits, curiosity-piquing experiments, and live shows provide a multitude of ways for kids (of all ages) to tap into their inner scientist. This is one of the best things to do in Charlotte NC, especially if you have kids.
Best Children’s Library in Charlotte: ImaginOn
Although ImaginOn is technically a library, it’s also so much more. Alongside dedicated library spaces for kids and for teens, ImaginOn also has an interactive exhibit space, two theaters that host regular programming and performances, and a multimedia production studio.
Best Cocktail Bar in Elizabeth: The Crunkleton
It’s hard to pinpoint precisely what makes The Crunkleton so alluring. Is it the plush leather seating? The sliding ladder that moves across the wood-framed, brick-backed bar? The low lighting and open fire kitchen? The classically exceptional cocktails? Or everything working in concert? Visit to find out.
Best Outdoor Adventure in Charlotte: U.S. National Whitewater Center
Just ten miles from Charlotte is a manmade facility with almost every type of outdoor recreational activity imaginable: rock climbing, ziplining, ropes courses, plus two rushing whitewater channels for kayaking, SUPing, and rafting. The U.S. National Whitewater Center has everything needed for grand adventure, plus a tasty meal and cold beer at the end of the day. Spending a day here is one of the best things to do in Charlotte NC.
Best Wildlife Experience: Carolina Raptor Center
The Raptor Center is a one-of-a-kind rehabilitation facility for birds of prey located just north of Charlotte in the Latta Nature Preserve. Follow a winding trail through the woods that guides visitors from enclosure to enclosure, where visitors can have an up-close view of some of the sky’s most majestic creatures, like owls, eagles, falcons, hawks, and more. This is a truly unique experience and one of the best things to do in Charlotte NC.
Best Park in South Charlotte: Freedom Park
To escape the noise and activity of the city without ever actually leaving Charlotte, head to Freedom Park. With almost 100 acres to explore, including a seven-acre pond, Freedom Park has something for everyone, including walking/biking trails, athletic fields and courts, playgrounds, and a slew of weekend events. Spend a sunny afternoon here and you’ll see why this is one of the best things to do in Charlotte NC.
Best Plant Shop in Charlotte: Grow
If, like many millennials, house plants are your pride and joy, then Grow is the Charlotte shopping experience you need to have. Tucked into the trendy Camp North End campus, Grow offers a wide selection of plants that can be appropriate for green thumbs, brown thumbs, and everyone in between.
Best Waffle Cones in Charlotte: Jeni’s Ice Creams
For the hands-down absolute best waffle cones in Charlotte, look no further than Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. No matter which of their locations you visit, the sweet scent of waffle cones will waft through the door before you’ve even decided which flavor of ice cream to indulge in.
Best Speakeasy in Uptown: The Cellar at Duckworth’s
In true speakeasy form, The Cellar at Duckworth’s is buried underground, tucked unobtrusively at the bottom of a staircase beneath one of Uptown’s high visibility restaurants. The mood below is more subdued than the bustle above, the cocktails flow freely and the vibe is vintage.
Best Intimate Concert Venue: The Evening Muse
Visit the intersection at the heart of NoDa and you’ll find The Evening Muse, a Charlotte staple that can welcome up to 120 fans at a time. Since 2001, this funky spot has been showcasing musicians of all genres, from Americana to blues, country, folk, hip-hop, jazz, pop, reggae, rock, R&B and everything in between.
Best Museum of Modern Art in Uptown: The Bechtler
The Bechtler consists of three floors showcasing European and American modern art and its legacies. Drawing from the Bechtler family’s impressive collection, the gallery pairs these permanent pieces with national and international exhibitions. Even just a visit to the exterior of the building is a treat to see the gorgeous terra-cotta building designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta.
Best History Museum in Uptown: Levine Museum of the New South
The Levine Museum of the New South offers insight into the history of the Piedmont region and the broader Charlotte metro area, with a loftier goal of shining light on the historical context of some of the thorniest issues facing Charlotteans today. Correspondingly, don’t leave this off your list of best things to do in Charlotte NC.
Best Furniture Store in SouthPark: Maison
Maison functions as both a retail space and a living portfolio for the work of interior designer Kim Mauney. The pieces here are consistent with Mauney’s personal style, which blends classic design and timeless interiors. In addition to furniture, Maison carries home decor and incorporates a quiet nook in a corner of the shop for design consultation.
