Charlotte

1. Charlotte History

Around the middle of the 1700's, Scotch-Irish settlers came along the Great Wagon Road from Philadelphia. Near the Catawba River, they stopped and built a settlement which continued to grow as new neighbors moved in. The name for this new settlement was Charlotte in honor of the wife of King George III, who was the king of England.. In 1768, Charlotte became an incorporated city. Charlotte was located in the new county of Mecklenburg, which was also named in honor of Queen Charlotte's homeland of Germany. This is how Charlotte became known as the "Queen City."

1799 brought a new experience for Charlotte with the discovery of a 17 pound gold nugget, bringing more prospectors and the opening of new mines. It didn't last, though, as the call from California's gold fields took away the miners. Cotton was also a staple crop for Charlotte. The railroad came to town and helped the economy stabilize even more.

Charlotte Convention and Visitors Bureau
Charlotte Chamber of Commerce

2. Attractions

Discovery Place
301 N. Tyron Street, Charlotte, NC
An interactive family of museums, Discovery Place offers a hands-on science center, an IMAX dome and a planetarium.

No Da – Charlotte’s Historic Art’s District
NoDa is now the home to the City's best collection of galleries and performance venues; some of the funkiest full service restaurants including authentic Cajun cooking, Southwest cuisine, a Creative pizza eatery and more.”

Paramount's Carowinds Water and Theme Park (Direction)
Carowinds is the Charlotte’s area premier water and theme parks. The attractions include:

Mint Museum
The Mint Museum has two locations, the Mint Museum of Art and Mint Museum of Craft and Design.The Mint Museum of Art features a rich collection of American fine and decorative arts with particular strengths in pre-Columbian art and traditional European ceramics; while the Mint Museum of Craft + Design presents the ever-evolving field of international studio craft and design.

Mint Museum of Craft + Design

Mint Museum of Art

McDowell Nature Center and Preserve
15222 York Road, Charlotte, NC 28278
Map
"McDowell Nature Center serves as the gateway to the 1108-acre McDowell Nature Preserve and is the source for educational programs and information on the preserve's natural communities, flora, and fauna. The preserve, the oldest in Mecklenburg County, has been left 90% undeveloped and protects mostly forested, rolling terrain along the banks of Lake Wylie.”

Charlotte Bobcats Arena:
333 E. Trade St., Charlotte, NC 28202
The Charlotte Bobcats Arena entertains fans by bringing them the games of the NBA Charlotte Bobcats, WNBA Sting and ECHL Charlotte Checkers. This facility was completed in 2005 and includes numerous food and beverage services. It also hosts various concerts, hockey games and other entertainment events.

Jerald Melberg Gallery:
3900 Colony Road, Charlotte, NC 28211
This gallery contains artwork from artists worldwide. The staff has over 50 years of experience. The gallery first opened in 1993. The purpose of the gallery is to inform people, collectors and corporations. Many individual artists display their work.

Wing Haven:
248 Ridgewood Ave., Charlotte, NC 28209
Four acres that combine formal gardens with woodlands in a residential setting. Find many pools, re-circulating fountains and dripping bird baths.

3. Restaurants and Nightlife

Charlotte has 100s of restaurants, bars and dance clubs.There are dozens in downtown which are all within walking distance of the conference hotel.Just outside the downtown loop (I227/E. John Belk Fwy/E. Brookshire Fwy) further restaurants can be found in the Dilworth area (SW of downtown) and Elizabeth neighborhood (SE of downtown).A 10 minutes drive north-east of downtown are the restaurants of the No Da Historical Arts district.A 20 minutes drive north-east of downtown is the University City area around UNCC which has many additional restaurants.“Creative Loafing – Charlotte” is a local, free arts and entertainment newsprint magazine that can be found in many hotels and shops as well as on-line.Creative Loafing has an extensive restaurant guide, in particular for the downtown/midtown restaurants.

Below are just a few of these many restaurants frequented by UNCC members of your friendly VR Conference committee:

Ri Ra (Downtown) - Map
208 N. Tryon St.
Charlotte, NC 28202
(704)333-5554
“Rí Rá Irish Pub & Restaurant strives to create the ultimate dining and entertainment experience. The Ri Ra goal is to deliver the quintessential Irish Pub experience.”

Fuel Pizza (Downtown) - Map
214 N Tryon St
Charlotte, NC28202
(704) 350-1680
Many consider this the best pizza in the city!

Cajun Queen ( Just outside the loop ) - Map
1800 East 7th Street
Charlotte, NC
(704)377-9017
“Enjoy the friendly, laid-back atmosphere of 'Nawlins without having to leave your back yard. Experience the sensation of true New Orleans cuisine has never been easier. We have a number of entree and drink specialties, including Dixie Beer - the beer that made New Orleans famous!”

Udipi Pure Vegetarian (Cuisine University City area) - Map
9510 University City Blvd.
Charlotte, NC
(704)549-0600
Highly rated vegetarian Indian cuisine.