Charlotte Real Estate
Greater Charlotte Arts and Recreation
Greater Charlotte Arts and RecreationThe Charlotte, NC region has an opportunity around every corner for the
recreational athlete. There are more than 20 area YMCAs that offer everything from swimming, weight training and yoga classes to youth and adult leagues for basketball, baseball and soccer. In addition, Ray's Splash Planet is an indoor water park in Uptown that's drawing families for year-round fun.
If you like adventure, the area boasts a host of beautiful parks and lakes. Whether you're a duffer, hiker, fisher or swimmer, you'll find a variety of outlets for your activity.
Public Parks
There are, literally, hundreds of public parks in the Charlotte area. Latta Plantation Nature Preserve is one of the largest. The 1,343-acre preserve on the wooded banks of Mountain Island Lake includes an equestrian center, 16 miles of hiking and riding trails, fishing and picnic shelters. Its also home to the Carolina Raptor Center, a rehabilitation facility for injured birds of prey. There are several other nature preserves, such as 1,108-acre McDowell Nature Preserve on Lake Wylie and 727-acre Reedy Creek Park and Nature Preserve in northeast Charlotte.Each county in the region has a variety of parks in varying sizes. Many of the larger parks have lakes or ponds for fishing, but be prepared to abide by state fishing regulations.
There are also countless ball fields available for public use. Check with the county park and recreation department if you'd like to rent a field and picnic shelter for your league tournament or family reunion.
State Parks
The area also boasts a number of state parks. Crowders Mountain State Park, south of Gastonia, is a popular hiking and rock climbing spot. Lake Norman State Park in Iredell County provides access to Lake Norman, including a new swimming beach and mountain biking trails. Kings Mountain State Park in York County has 16 miles of hiking trails amid its 6,883 wooded acres, and nearby Kings Mountain National Military Park, the site of a Revolutionary War battle, adds another 4,000 acres.
Water Sports
Charlotte is also known for its water recreational opportunities. The U.S. National Whitewater Center opens along the banks of the Catawba River in 2006. The park, which covers 300 acres, is modeled after the 2000 Olympic facility in Sydney, Australia, and will bring Olympic-caliber athletes from around the country here to train. The center also includes an artificial river with controllable rapids, an adventure center with climbing walls and ropes courses, more than 11 miles of hiking and biking trails and a 37-acre island for camping.The Charlotte region is home to three lakes, all of which are sources for hydroelectric power for Duke Energy Corp. There are more than 20 public boat launching areas on the three lakes and at least 25 marinas.
Lake Norman, the largest manmade lake in North Carolina, has 520 miles of shoreline that touches four counties: Mecklenburg, Iredell, Lincoln and Catawba. The lake is packed on weekends from spring through fall with boaters, jet skiers, fishermen and water skiers.
Mountain Island Lake, in northwest Mecklenburg, is the source for Charlotte's drinking water. It's also home to a waterfowl refuge, so keep your eyes open for some unusual creatures.
Lake Wylie, on the border of York, Gaston and Mecklenburg counties, is smaller than Lake Norman with 325 miles of shoreline, but is equally popular with local residents. You can rent pontoon boats, hire a chartered boat or fish from a dock or bass boat.
Lake Norman, Lake Wylie and Mountain Island Lake have restrictions regarding watercraft operation, so be sure to check with the respective marine commissions to learn the rules.
Golf
Aside from water sports, perhaps the Charlotte region's most popular recreational activity is golf. The Carolinas are home to some of the finest golf courses in the country, and Charlotte certainly has its share. In the last decade, there has been a boom in public-access course construction, creating much-needed alternatives for those who do not belong to the area's private country clubs.For more than 60 years, the region has drawn some of the most respected names in golf course design, including Tom Jackson, Tom Fazio, Arnold Palmer, Raymond Floyd, Greg Norman and Jack Nicklaus. You don't have to drive to Pinehurst to experience a Donald Ross course, either. Two little-known gems in the Charlotte region Monroe Country Club and Mooresville Golf Club feature Donald Ross designs. And you can see the stars play in the Wachovia Championship at Quail Hollow Club in May.
Charlotte area golf has something for everyone. There are several courses owned by the City of Charlotte and surrounding counties where you can play 18 holes very economically. If you prefer to feel as though you're playing at an exclusive club, you can play courses such as Ballantyne Resort, Birkdale or Highland Creek. When it opened a few years ago, Ballantyne was dubbed the best new public course in the state.
Several public-access courses offer league play for men and women, as well as youth programs. There are also a number of excellent golf schools in the area, including the schools at Regent Park and Ballantyne Resort. Ballantyne Resort is home to the nationally known Dana Rader School of Golf; Rader is ranked by Golf Magazine as one of the Top 100 instructors in the country.
Sports
Charlotte has much to offer the casual and avid sports fan. For fans of professional football, the region is proud of their Carolina Panthers, an NFL franchise which debuted in 1995. The Panthers play in Bank of America Stadium, located Uptown in Charlotte. The team won the 2004 NFC Championship by defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia. They went onto Super Bowl XXXVII, where they were defeated by the New England Patriots in February of 2004.
From 1988 to 2002, Charlotte hosted an NBA franchise named the Charlotte Hornets. The franchise relocated to New Orleans, LA in 2002. In 2004, Charlotte was awarded its second NBA expansion team, the Charlotte Bobcats. The team plays in the Charlotte Bobcats Arena, which opened in fall 2005 in downtown Charlotte.
The Charlotte Hornets, a minor league baseball team, originated in 1901 and was active until 1973. Today, the Triple-A Charlotte Knights, is the top minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. Them team’s stadium is located just outside of Charlotte in Fort Mill, South Carolina.As for hockey, the Charlotte Checkers are a farm team for the NHL’s new York Rangers. They play at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena. Charlotte also has a professional inline hockey team called the Charlotte Outlawz.
Charlotte’s soccer team is the Charlotte Eagles of the United Soccer Leagues. Each year, Charlotte hosts the Wachovia Championship, one of the prestigious stops on the PGA Tour. Additionally, Charlotte hosts the NCAA Meineke Car Care Bowl each December at the Bank of America Stadium.
Several major stockcar races are held at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, which many in the sport consider to be NASCAR’s 'home track'. The majority of NASCAR teams and race shops are located within 40 miles of Charlotte, and most NASCAR drivers maintain a residence in or near the city. As previously mentioned, the NASCAR Hall of Fame is set to open in Charlotte in early 2009.
Charlotte is the hometown of 16-time World Heavyweight Champion, the legendary Ric Flair, nicknamed “Nature Boy”. Flair earned his first WCW title by defeating then WCW World Champion Beg Van Vader in Charlotte (His 11th in the NWA/WCW title lineage and his thirteenth overall at that time, counting his two WWF championship reigns). The bout took place at the Independence Arena in Charlotte in December of 1993 at Starrcade.
Despite the fact that no NCAA schools from Charlotte play in it, the Big South Conference is headquartered in the city. However, Winthrop University and Gardner-Webb University, both located nearby, are Big South members.
Another favorite national professional and recreational sport, golf is an similarly appreciated in and around Charlotte. The Wachovia Championship is held each May at the Quail Hollow Club. It debuted in 2003 on the men's PGA Tour, and Tiger Woods is the current defending champion. The US Open has been held at the Pinehurst course, which is located about 2 hours east of Charlotte.
Over 10,000 people from all over the country flock to Mineral Springs to enjoy the Queens Cup Steeplechase, one of steeplechase horse racing’s major annual events. The day long event, held the last Saturday of April, consists of several steeplechase races, a Jack Russell Terrier judging contest, and other activities.
Sites of interest
- Afro-American Cultural Center – dedicated to the preservation, promotion and presentation of African-American art, history and culture
- Belmont Abbey College and Basilica – the college itself, the monastery and the grotto are all on the historic registry
- The Billy Graham Library – located on the grounds of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association headquarters
- Bluementhal Performing Arts Centre
- Carolinas Aviation Museum - dedicated to the preservation of historic aircraft
- Carolina Raptor Center - dedicated to the conservation and rehabilitation of birds of prey
- The Carolina Renaissance Festival
- Carowinds - a regional amusement park located on the border of North and South Carolina
- The Charlotte Comedy Theater - Charlotte's only professionally trained improv theater and training center.
- Charlotte Convention Center
- The Charlotte Museum of History
- The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra
- Children’s Theatre of Charlotte
- Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden - a 111 acre botanical garden located just west of Charlotte in Belmont
- Discovery Place - a science museum and IMAX Dome theater
- Historic Latta Plantation
- Historic Rosedale Plantation
- Historic Rural Hill Farm
- ImaginOn - innovative educational children's library and theater
- Kings Mountain National Military Park - the site of a decisive Revolutionary War battle, located approximately 30 miles west of Charlotte in Blacksburg, SC
- Museum of the New South - located in Uptown Charlotte, focusing on Charlotte's post-Civil War growth from a textile mill town to a financial hub
- Lowe’s Motor Speedway
- The Mint Museums - two separate facilities, one dedicated to fine art and the other to craft and design
- Reed Gold Mine - site of the first gold find in the United States
- U.S. National Whitewater Center - state of the art facility opened in August 2006.
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte Botanical Gardens
- Wing Haven Gardens and Bird Sanctuary
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