Dog Friendly Spots in CLT
If you walk down the streets of the Southend neighborhood in Charlotte, around every corner is someone walking their dog. The rail trail makes a great city-view stroll with your pup, but there are also a ton of dog-friendly hangouts in Charlotte! If you can’t bear to leave your furry friend at home, keep reading.
Lucky Dog Bark & Brew
2220 Thrift Rd
Charlotte, NC 28208
With several CLT locations, this is one of the most popular dog bars in Charlotte. It is an indoor/outdoor sports bar, but also offers daycare, boarding, and grooming services. The pups can play while the people hang!
Sycamore Brewing
2161 Hawkins Street
Charlotte, NC 28203
Located in Southend, this is one of the most popular breweries in Charlotte. Did you know you can bring your dog along, too? While dogs can’t run loose, they can hang out on leash as you enjoy a drink with friends! Dogs are also invited to the very popular Front Porch Sundays, where local businesses pop up at Sycamore for you to shop.
U.S. National Whitewater Center
5000 Whitewater Center Parkway
Charlotte, NC 28214
If you love the outdoors and desire an adventure with your best fur pal, try bringing him to the Whitewater Center! On leash, your pup can enjoy paddle boarding, kayaking, or hiking. The Whitewater Center also has fun events that are dog friendly. Just check their calendar!
Hoppin’
1402 Winnifred Street
Charlotte, NC 28203
Hoppin’ is a really fun, hip bar in Charlotte where you can serve your own beer/cider with a wristband connected to your card. Dogs are welcome to join in on the fun! Be sure to check out the list of everything they have on tap.
Seoul Food Meat Co.
1400 S Church St Ste A
Charlotte, NC 28203
Enjoy Korean BBQ and karaoke–and enjoy it all with your pup! Seoul Food Meat Co. has an outdoor, fenced dog park where your furry pal can run free. This fun restaurant has four stars on Yelp. See what people have to say about it!
Cheap (But Not Skimpy) Date Spots
Whether you’re looking for an easy, low pressure date spot for meeting someone for the first time or you just want to go on a date that won’t break the bank after you pay the babysitter and get yourself a drink, Charlotte has a wide variety of free to low-cost cultural offerings. Don’t miss the last one on this list—it’s a bonus for Saturday nights with the kids to get you through the aftermath of a fun night out.
The Charlotte Folk Society
926 Elizabeth Ave
Charlotte, NC 28204
Celebrating almost thirty years of folk music, this organization has more than just string-bands. They offer monthly events on the second Friday of every month. The events include food trucks, bluegrass, and acoustic music and the main event – a concert in the sanctuary – at 7:30 p.m.
Free but a $10 per person donation is suggested.
McColl Center for Art & Innovation
721 N Tryon St
Charlotte, NC 28202
(Located at W 10th St and N Church St)
Located in a historic, neo-Gothic church in Uptown Charlotte, the Center houses nine artist studios and over 5,000 square feet of gallery space. Admission is always free, but donations are accepted. Even Parking is free!
Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Friday & Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Light Factory
1817 Central Ave
Charlotte, NC 28205
If photography is what interests you, let Charlotte’s only space dedicated to the photographic arts into your life. The art on these walls is always changing, cycling through signature events like their Annual, and curated exhibitions guaranteeing there is never a dull visit.
There no admission for the gallery.
Wednesday through Saturdays from 12 noon to 6 p.m.
Charlotte Lit
1817 Central Ave
Charlotte, NC 28205
The Charlotte Center for the Literary Arts is in the SAME building as The Light Factory, but caters to the written word rather than photography.
There is a fee for the wide variety of workshops, but the quarterly poetry and art poster series is free and the community conversations are just one of the many engaging formats this organization offers. Check it out!
South End Gallery Crawl
South End is home to the largest concentration of art galleries in Charlotte and this twist on a Pub crawl offers you the chance to tour the following:
118 E Kingston Ave
Suite 16
Charlotte, NC 28203
Elder Gallery of Contemporary Art
1520 S Tryon St
Charlotte, NC 28203
1910 South Blvd
Suite 130
Charlotte, NC 28203
The first Friday of each month
Admission is free.
Mint Museum
500 S Tryon St
Charlotte, NC 28202
The innovative program, “ArtBreak,” at Levine Center for the Arts is a guided 30-minute tour of either The Mint Museum Uptown, the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, or the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Art + Culture, designed to give you a break during your lunch hour. It’s held at noon on the third Thursday of each month.
Admission is free to both the Uptown and Randolph Rd locations.
ImaginOn / The Joe & Joan Martin Center
300 E 7th St
Charlotte, NC 28202
This collaborative effort between the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and Children’s Theatre of Charlotte is a 102,000-square-foot space that is a dedicated library space for kids 11 years old and under, four multi-use classrooms, a teen-only library, a multi-media production studio, and an interactive exhibit space.
Hours:
Monday to Thursday 9:00am – 8:00pm
Friday to Saturday 9:00am – 5:00pm
Sunday 1:00pm – 5:00pm
Photo by Cody Hughes @clhughes21
The Novice Guide to Cheap (Real) Art
Your significant other is right. It’s time to let the Scarface poster go. Or even the Starry Night, if you’re fancy like that. You are an adult. With a mortgage, more than one checking account, and your own health insurance. You know the difference between a 401K and a Roth IRA. You need art. Real art. Yes, Michelle Pfeiffer in that dress was art, but that’s not what I mean. Because you’re an adult, you know real art is expensive.
Here are a few places to look for real art that won’t set you back on your savings plans.
C3 Lab
2525 Distribution St
Charlotte, NC 28203
Instagram: @c3lab
C3 Lab is a multi-functional art-centered space. Operating as a gallery and as a co-working space, they host exhibits featuring local, regional, national, and international artists in styles ranging from traditional, contemporary, to hybrid art forms. The gallery’s annual art exhibit is the perfect time to browse and buy.
This year’s theme centers on “Intersection: Personal styles, careers, and life don’t always function together in harmony, but when you intersect the common thread of the love of art throughout a creative space, with the true spirit of collaboration – an interesting collage emerges to tell a meaningful story.”
Check it out Friday, December 7, 2018, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
CPCC Holiday Art Market
1201 Elizabeth Ave
Charlotte, NC 28204
CPCC Art Galleries host an Annual Holiday Art Market in Ross Gallery on CPCC’s Central Campus. Students, faculty, and other local artists will offer a wide variety of ceramics, jewelry, paintings, and photography. There’s even an under $50 section!
November 5th-December 5th, 2018
Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
ArtPop
Currently located at:
555 S McDowell St
North Tower
Charlotte, NC 28204
Instagram: @artpopstreetgallery
ArtPop is a street gallery. They feature local artists on billboards, buses, news racks, at airports — and turn the everyday “into opportunities for artistic appreciation and discovery.” Four times a year, the art of the current selection of ArtPoppers are shown, gallery-style, at Le Meridien Hotel Charlotte. Can’t wait for the next showing? Visit the ArtPop website artists’ page. From there, you can find individual artists’ websites for pricing info.
Lark & Key
128 E. Park Ave
Suite B
Charlotte, NC 28203
This lovely South End spot featuring art and craft is a great place for a novice collector to begin. Check out the website’s “Art for $500 and Under” page.
And don’t forget that art encompasses more than 2-D works. A collection of handmade pottery mugs, vases, or bowls can be an inexpensive way to begin an art collection.
Ruby’s Gift
3204 N Davidson St
Charlotte, NC 28205
Instagram: @rubysgiftnoda
This NoDa boutique showcases a variety of textiles, pottery, paintings, photography, and jewelry by local artists.
Slate Furniture + Art Collective
1401 Central Ave
Chartlotte, NC 28205
Instagram: @slateinteriors
Perfect if you need to branch away from Scarface and Ikea. The Plaza Midwood furniture and art collective showcases rotating exhibitions of local talent and famous artists.
Hours:
Tuesdays – Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Photo by Cody Hughes @clhughes21
Nine Date Night Spots
Looking for some great Charlotte eateries perfect for your next date? We’ve got you covered.
Haberdish
3106 N Davidson St
A “southern kitchen and craft cocktail bar”, this eatery boasts food that is amazing to both eat and photograph. The dishes have regional touches from Haberdish’s mill history in the NoDa neighborhood. Don’t miss out on the fried chicken!
Haymaker
Heirloom ingredients, preservation, and sustainable meats and seafood is all good, but nothing beats splitting a basket Levain bread with butter as you watch the sun sets across Romare Bearden Park.
Bardo
1508 S. Mint St. Unit B.
The place to go for an intimate vibe, and eclectic, American small plate food. Located in Charlotte’s dynamic South End neighborhood, this is the perfect place for a sweet treat like the carrot cake with ginger, cream cheese and opal basil.
Dilworth Tasting Room
300 East Tremont Ave.
Located in the heart of Dilworth, this circa-1940’s style building creates an atmosphere reminiscent of the wine bars and Enotecas of Europe. On Tuesday’s you can get a free cheese board with a wine flight. Take these treats out to the secret garden and koi pond for a magical experience at night.
Fahrenheit
222 S Caldwell St.
The experience of Fahrenheit is all about the cocktail and the sweeping views of Charlotte’s skyline at night. The new American cuisine is great, but you’ll remember the romance of the view.
Dressler’s Restaurant
1100 Metropolitan Ave #125
or 8630 Lindholm Dr, Huntersville
This restaurant is a relaxed, cozy location for a perfect date that doesn’t try too hard. The signature dish, Just for the Halibut, started as a monthly special that only was available every now and then, but became so popular it was added as a regular menu item.
Halcyon
500 S. Tryon St.
Browse the art in the Mint Museum Uptown before heading to the refined Halcyon, in the same building. An upscale farm-to-table restaurant, Halcyon is a “celebration of artisanal farms, dairies and wineries from the Carolinas and beyond. . . “ Start with the blue cheese souffle.
O-Ku
2000 South Blvd #510
This South End restaurant boasts a fresh and innovative take on traditional Japanese sushi and cuisine. Don’t pass up the edamame with pink Himalayan salt and truffle oil.
Upstream
6902 Phillips Place
After a movie at Regal Phillips Place Stadium 10, walk over to this longtime Charlotte establishment for a sweep of the affordable sushi menu featuring day boat seafood and award-winning Pacific Rim cuisine.
Photo by Cody Hughes @clhughes21