The Heart of the City
By Katherine Younger
Charlotte
is a vibrant city of the New South with a real
sense of energy and growth that can be felt
throughout the streets of the center city. When
it comes to entertainment in the heart of the
Queen City, the choices are many, the activities
are exciting, and the atmosphere is electric.
What's more, the Gold Rush Circulator that
traverses Center City Charlotte in three lines
makes it easy to get to and from all the sights
in the dynamic arts and entertainment district.
So come on—let's hop on the Gold Rush and see
what treasures we can uncover in the Queen City.
The main artery of the city is
Tryon Street where you can hop on and off the
Gold Rush's Orange Line, which runs up and down
making frequent stops at sites and attractions
along the way. A good place to start your ride
is Independence Square (or simply "The Square"
to locals) at the intersection of Tryon and
Trade Streets, which in the 1700s served as the
crossroads of two Indian trading paths. Both the
Orange and Red Lines of the Gold Rush make stops
here, so it's a convenient place to use as a
point of departure. Charlotte is well known for
its works of public art, and the four giant
sculptures by Washington artist Raymond Kaskey
that stand on each corner of Trade and Tryon are
perhaps the city's favorites, symbolizing the
cornerstones of Charlotte's growth.
The Bank of America Corporate
Center (100 N. Tryon) is located on a corner of
The Square and is the tallest building in
Charlotte. Inside, the Shops at Founders Hall
features a six-story glass atrium that encloses
a beautiful winter garden as well as some of the
best shopping in the center city with a variety
of stores from flowers and candy to books and
apparel.
Going north past The Square
you'll come to the Blumenthal Performing Arts
Center. The stylized state-of-the-art center
hosts national touring Broadway productions in
one of its three performance spaces. Among the
many performance groups to call the center home
are the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, the NC
Dance Theatre, Opera Carolina, the Charlotte
Philharmonic Orchestra, Carolina Voices, and the
Carolinas Concert Association. Guided tours of
the facility are free and are available the
second and fourth Monday of each month between
11am and 2pm.
The Mint Museum of Craft +
Design, which is located at 220 N. Tryon Street,
is just a few blocks north of the Performing
Arts Center. Designers and artisans take center
stage at this branch of the Mint Museum housed
in a former department store. Its mission is to
showcase work in the traditional craft mediums
of ceramics, fiber, glass, metal, and wood. The
museum specializes in pieces that reflect
artistic excellence with permanent collections
that explore contemporary art in craft media and
craft developments from the 19th century through
the mid-20th century.
Hop off the Gold Rush at the Main
Public Library at 310 North Tryon Street. Here
on the main level you'll find the mural “Before
Dawn” by nationally known artist Romare Bearden,
who was born in Charlotte. This piece, a stained
glass tile mural, is part of his "Mecklenburg
County" series and is a recollection of
Bearden's childhood depicting his grandmother
making breakfast. Right across the street from
the library at 301 N. Tryon is Discovery Place.
Kids of all ages will find science more exciting
than ever here as they watch live sea creatures
romp in the aquarium ocean touch pool, view the
stars, stroll through a rain forest, or see an
exhilarating adventure on the five-story screen
at the IMAX Dome Theatre.
Down the block from the library,
Spirit Square Center of Arts & Education (345 N.
College St.), residing in the historic old First
Baptist Church, is dedicated to the performing
and visual arts and arts education with seven
galleries, three theaters, and hundreds of
workshops and classes.
One
of the last stops on the Orange Line on North
Tryon is the McColl Center for Visual Art, which
is housed in a beautiful restored church. The
center serves as both a haven for working
artists and a setting for community interaction
by developing unique exhibits and innovative
classes.
Going back down Tryon Street on
the Orange Line you'll come to Visit Charlotte
at Main Street on the corner of Tryon and 2nd
Streets. At the visitor's center you'll find an
array of gifts and souvenirs of the Charlotte
area.
Just a few blocks south of the
visitor's center, you can pick up the Gold
Rush's Blue Line, which makes a loop around the
city. Along the route you'll pass the
state-of-the-art Charlotte Convention Center;
Marshall Park, a beautiful city park with a
lake; and ImaginOn, a one-of-a-kind children's
library and theater combination with interactive
exhibits and displays that complement theater
productions.
Just past ImaginOn on the Blue
Line is the Levine Museum of the New South,
featuring 40,000 square feet of exhibition and
public space focusing on the history of the
Piedmont region of the Carolinas from 1865 to
the present. The permanent display at the museum
traces the growth of Charlotte using
multisensory, multimedia, and interactive
programs and exhibits that tell the story of how
Southerners created the New South.
Across
from the Levine Museum is the Center City Green
Market, which is open every Saturday from 8am to
1pm. In addition to a huge selection of fresh
fruits and vegetables, flowers, and handmade
crafts, the market offers bi-weekly themes and
activities for adults and children alike.
Circling all the way around the
city on the Blue Line you'll come to Bank of
America Stadium (800 S. Mint St.), home of the
NFL Carolina Panthers and the Meineke Car Care
Bowl, which is held annually in December.
Make your way back to The Square
where you can pick up the third of the Gold
Rush's lines—the Red Line—which runs up and down
Trade Street through the Historic Fourth Ward
and loops back up 4th Street by the Charlotte
Bobcats Arena where the NBA team plays its home
games. Take some time to enjoy the peaceful
streets and quiet beauty of Fourth Ward, a
pre-streetcar neighborhood that retains many of
its fine homes and original buildings.
Highlights of the area include the First
Presbyterian Church (200 W. Trade) that was
built in 1845 by Scots-Irish settlers and
Settlers Cemetery at Church and Popular Streets.
The cemetery is the city's oldest burial ground
and contains the graves of Charlotte's earliest
citizens, including Thomas Polk, the city's
founder, Dr. Nathaniel Alexander, a
Revolutionary War surgeon and governor of North
Carolina, and William Davidson, a member of the
U.S. House of Representatives from 1818 to 1821.
The northwest corner of the cemetery was
reserved for the graves of slaves.
Near the end of the Red Line is
Johnson & Wales University, where over 2,100
students represent 42 states and 10 foreign
countries. The newest of Johnson & Wales' six
campuses, the Charlotte campus opened in
September of 2004 and currently enrolls students
in the College of Business, the College of
Culinary Arts, and The Hospitality College.
At the western end of the Red
Line, walk a few blocks to Ray's Splash Planet
(215 N. Sycamore St.), an indoor water park and
fitness facility with an interactive water
playground, tube slide, lazy river,
super-soakers, lap pool, and fitness equipment.
The kids will have a blast spending the
afternoon splashing around.
There are plenty of other ways to
see the city. If you're looking for a little
romance, or just a fun way to explore, try a
ride on Charlotte Center City Carriage Tours.
The driver will serve as your guide as he takes
you through the center city in an elegant
horse-drawn carriage. You'll see uptown's most
popular attractions as well as the beautiful
homes of Historic Fourth Ward. Pickups are on S.
Tryon Street in front of Discovery Place between
6th and 7th Streets. Call 704-301-5111 for more
information. Or take a ride on a Charlotte
Pedicab and see the center city sites in a fun
and safe way. Pickups can be arranged from your
hotel, and tours are available
Wednesday-Saturday. Call 704-777-4508 for more
information.
With so much to see and do,
you'll want to come back to the Queen City again
and again!
