Charlotte NC is a popular destination for tourists from all over the world. With so many amazing places to choose from, it can be hard to know where to go. To help make your decision easier, we’ve compiled a list of the best places to visit in Charlotte NC based on traveler ratings and reviews. So whether you’re looking for a romantic getaway spot or an adventure playground, there’s something for everyone in this metropolis!
The Best Place to Visit in Charlotte NC
Carowinds
- Address: 300 Carowinds Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28273, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.5 (26519)
- Phone: +1 704-588-2600
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: ClosedTuesday: ClosedWednesday: ClosedThursday: ClosedFriday: 4:00 – 10:00 PMSaturday: 11:00 AM – 7:00 PMSunday: 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM

5 Replies to 15 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Charlotte NC
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Top 15 Tourist Attractions in Charlotte NC

U.S. National Whitewater Center
- Address: 5000 Whitewater Center Pkwy, Charlotte, NC 28214, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (8294)
- Phone: +1 704-391-3900
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: Open 24 hoursTuesday: Open 24 hoursWednesday: Open 24 hoursThursday: Open 24 hoursFriday: Open 24 hoursSaturday: Open 24 hoursSunday: Open 24 hours
- Reviews:
Had an amazing time here on a weekend. We were lucky to visit on the day they had the build your own boat event. It was packed and there was an amazing atmosphere. It was fun to watch the enthusiasm with which people cheered and the creativity and resourcefulness of the participants. I personally tried the mountain bike rental for the first time and enjoyed it. My friend tried the rafting and had a great time as well. They have a huge number of trails to explore and a wide range of activities (zip lining, rock climbing, rafting/ice skating) to choose from. Perfect spot to spend a day outdoors.By Chetan Suresh (a month ago)Wow this place is amazing and has many outdoor adventures you can try. I brought my Mountain Bike to ride the 50+ miles of trails and it definitely didn’t disappoint. They also have rafting, kayaking, zip lines, walking, running trails and it’s just a great place to bring your family for a day of outside adventures.By Don Savage (4 months ago)Absolutely one of the best adventures available. Four of us had a fantastic time.
Zip line very fun. 100 foot drop/jump. Seriously I was a great big baby.
The staff member at the top of the stairs on the tower was Sooo sweet and patient with me. Walked me through it kept me completely safe. Scared totally.Safe absolutely.A complete blast yes.
Do it again? Of course. Seeing the children with zero fear totally embarrassing.
Rafting through the rapids so easy. 3 of us tried our best to fall out of the raft. But we stayed in and made it through 4 sets of runs.
The rafts are safe, the staff super attentive. The equipment seemed quality. An hour went way too fast
Good food, clean park, easy parking, ginormous 400 plus acre site. So many staff members.
I was completely impressed
Great store with fantastic equipment, supplies, clothing. Top notch.
They provide everything you need to enjoy your day.
This is a must see and experience adventure.
By S R (6 months ago)One of the best places in the Charlotte area. They have something for everyone to enjoy the outdoors. From hanging out in the shade people watching to trail running, mountain biking, zip lining and climbing. Seriously, there’s also yoga and kayaking and I could go on. The facilities are well kept and maintained and the trails are well managed. Events (races) are run efficiently and are adorable. Love love love the whitewater center.By Pinky Parsons (5 months ago)This place is so fun and amazing! Definitely worth the drive from Hampton roads! From the customer service(shout-out to Mr. Bill in guest services) to the instructors. Customer service is not lacking. Everyone was pleasant, knowledgeable and enthusiastic about helping customers. The facility was very clean! Adventure Rafting was SOOO fun & I can’t wait to come back and try a full day pass to experience everything and even Big Water. Thanks for the incredible experience !!!By C.T Williams (2 months ago)
Freedom Park
- Address: 1908 East Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28203, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.8 (6380)
- Phone: +1 980-314-1002
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: 7:00 AM – 7:00 PMTuesday: 7:00 AM – 7:00 PMWednesday: 7:00 AM – 7:00 PMThursday: 7:00 AM – 7:00 PMFriday: 7:00 AM – 7:00 PMSaturday: 7:00 AM – 7:00 PMSunday: 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
- Reviews:
This park has raised the bar for what a park can be, I may have to begin issuing tiers. I would place this park on a S-Tier level. ??
I was not able to see all that this park has to offer but from what I was able to witness this place has everything. From a great place for portraiture, activities for the kids, a place to have a cookout and/or even a FAMILY REUNION, there a mini amphitheater and a walk/run trail and a nature preserve. ? ?
If you are ever in Charlotte North Carolina, do yourself a favor and check this place out you will not be disappointed. ???
By Greg LaCoste (4 months ago)What a fantastic place for photo shoots, walking, running, family time together. Many picturesque views. Nice playground area for kids. Playground is well maintained. Football fields. Very calming and serene place with the lake and broad walk along the lake. Three hours flew by very fast.By Yuliana Demid (11 months ago)What a beautiful, wonderful, park! Great walking and cycling paths, history markers, playgrounds, BBQ pits and shelters, and even a Carolina Panthers Play 60 obstacle course for all ages! Extremely dog friendly too unlike what I had read previously which made me leave my dog behind. Won’t make that mistake again. Even if your not particularly close to Charlotte, it is worth the drive and one can easily kill an entire day there. Check it out, you will NOT be disappointed.By Asian Adventures (4 months ago)Beautiful park! Very large and wonderful scenery. Everything is accessible by bike or on foot, and there are plenty of benches and large grassy areas. The water is very pretty with not too many geese.By Rowan Sunderland (3 weeks ago)Simply a wonderful park. I loved all the space that it had and places to walk and a lot of activity going on such as picnics, walks, Sports on fields, wedding pictures, exploring, excellent Kids Play Gym, great nature scenes, a natural Amphitheater and more. Well done Charlotte!By Suzie Jackson (6 months ago)
NASCAR Hall of Fame
- Address: 400 E M.L.K. Jr Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28202, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (5256)
- Phone: +1 704-654-4400
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PMTuesday: ClosedWednesday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PMThursday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PMFriday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PMSaturday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PMSunday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Reviews:
If you are in Charlotte, it is a fun place to visit and good for all age groups. You can buy tickets at the booth or book online, either you it works. Consider family membership option if you are family of two and have 2-3 kids, as the family membership provides more value for money and you get two buddy passes which you can use immediately during the visit if you have more than two adults in your group. Simulation drive is included with the family membership, so value instead of combo tickets. It is a long line sometimes and probably most times to get into simulation. You can easily spend 3-4 hours at the museum, rest rooms are clean and very accessible.By satish baratam (6 months ago)We visited early afternoon on a weekday, no waiting to get in and I recommend you pick a ticket package that best suit your needs. You may not want to take part in all the Halls attractions. We did the simulator and photo with lunch credit package. You also get a $10 speed (gift) shop voucher included. The displaces are beautifully displaced with detailed narration. We enjoyed ourselves.By Todd Matthews (5 months ago)My boyfriend and I came here for a day date, there was no line or anything- we like to do things that are fun and interactive. This was my first time at the hall of fame and there was more to do than I expected. The tickets are pricey but It would be a great place to bring kids if I had any. But it’s great for just adults too! I definitely recommend doing the racing simulation if you go, they were closing soon and let us do it for free and it was super fun, but typically you have to pay extra for it. We live uptown so we didn’t have to pay for parking but I suggest finding street parking and walking a little bit as opposed to a parking deck.By Sable (9 months ago)NASCAR Hall of Fame has many historical cars from the foundation of the company. It has a race car’s time line. They show interesting information about combustion engines and racing engineering overall.
In the second floor they have fun activities, for example driving simulations and even a station to practice how to provide maintenance to a car during a race. (Similar to Pits)
Side Note: it as an inner bridge connection to the Charlotte’s Convention Center.
I think that NASCAR Hall of Fame is a must if visiting Charlotte. It was enjoyable, fun and very informative.
By Homero Daniel Rodriguez (2 weeks ago)It’s interesting and neat to see the cars. But for 34 dollars and 12 dollars for parking. Unless your a really big fan of racing save yourself some money and skip this. There’s a 12 minute movie that was interesting. But the best thing that is offered is the simulation it will have a long wait unless your going to stay all day plan on going on it once. Nascar is a billion dollar sport and this was the best they could do for its hall of fame, sorry but it’s a big disappointment.By Jason Brandt (9 months ago)
Romare Bearden Park
- Address: 300 S Church St, Charlotte, NC 28202, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (4975)
- Phone: +1 704-432-4280
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: Open 24 hoursTuesday: Open 24 hoursWednesday: Open 24 hoursThursday: Open 24 hoursFriday: Open 24 hoursSaturday: Open 24 hoursSunday: Open 24 hours
- Reviews:
It’s a lovely park with statues and waterfall. There are benches for people to rest, also you can seat on the grass and enjoy the view. It’s not a big park, but it locates in the center of Charlotte and you can see skyscrapers from here. Especially its wonderful at night time. I definitely recommend to visit it.By Elena Makoviy (5 months ago)It’s a nice park in the middle of the city. Evenings are pleasant. It has a big playground where kids can play and run around.
The only prob is some kids do rash biking. I think they need to stop those bikes/scooters from entering the park.By Vinayak M (3 months ago)Absolute beautiful park! There’s a huge field to play catch or kick ball in. Or lay out in the field for a picnic. There’s even a dog ? park for the fur babies. There’s benches all over for sitting as well as a beautiful water exhibit. This park is right across from the baseball field and a block away from the stadium ? .By Brittney Beckem (a month ago)The park has been an important break away from our south Charlotte suburban community. The park attracts us each time for a variety of reasons. Playing Frisbee, biking, walking, cooling off, picnicking, and frankly the list goes on and on. You will always see plenty of action in the park all throughout the year. Being so close to Truist ballpark, the action can be non-stop for the baseball ⚾️ enthusiasts! Bring the family, and support one of the covered parking garages in the ares on the weekend for the best prices which we found at $10 all day ?.By Michael R. Ingelsby (6 months ago)My first time at here, on my way back to the football games. I see a beautiful park. I would like to come with my family when I have time. It look very beautiful. I recommend u guys would go check it out.By Myo Z. Oo (a month ago)
Discovery Place Science
- Address: 301 N Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (4386)
Mint Museum Uptown
- Address: 500 S Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (1562)
First Ward Park
- Address: 301 E 7th St, Charlotte, NC 28202, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (1341)
Billy Graham Library
- Address: 4330 Westmont Dr, Charlotte, NC 28217, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.8 (1221)
UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens
- Address: 9090 Craver Rd, Charlotte, NC 28262, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (1194)
Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture
- Address: 551 S Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (1105)
Levine Museum of the New South
- Address: 401 S Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (839)
Bechtler Museum of Modern Art
- Address: 420 S Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.4 (655)
Metalmorphosis
- Address: 3701 Arco Corporate Dr, Charlotte, NC 28273, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.5 (562)
Little Sugar Creek Greenway
- Address: 1133 Metropolitan Ave, Charlotte, NC 28204, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (412)
Fourth Ward Park
- Address: 301 N Poplar St, Charlotte, NC 28202, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (380)
Although Charlotte NC is a large state with many amazing places to visit, these 15 locations stand out as the best according to traveler ratings and reviews. Did your favorite spot make the cut? Let us know in the comments above!
Best amusement park by a long shot in the area. 2 really good coasters (Fury and the Intimidator) and tons to do with the family. If you’re at least somewhat local, the season pass is a great deal and I got a discount for being a veteran. All day meal pass is pretty cool too! They have a couple great places to eat (plus some generic stuff of course). My kids LOVE the water park.
I am posting this as a mom of teenagers that like walk around by themselves.
I appreciate the many different areas the park has. I enjoy walking around and seeing all the different plants, artwork, exhibits and landscaping. Whoever takes care of the plants does a wonderful job! And the variety of the various exhibits/artwork is beautiful.
There is lots of seating around the park, plenty with shade. Even some rocking chairs scattered around throughout.
All of the gift shops have a variety of items, they aren’t all the same thing. Makes for an enjoyable experience walking around and seeing a new store to browse through.
I do wish that in their app, they would clarify what restaurants/rides are closed. Two restaurants that I tried to go to were closed, although the app and Google Maps showed them as open. And a few rides that I’m excited to try have been closed each time I’ve visited.
All in all, a nice experience, even if you are just at the park for your kids to ride the rides.
It houses the oldest wooden rollercoaster in the USA. Lots of fun. We went with our entire family. Lines move pretty fast. They have lots of safety procedures in place to keep everyone safe. Food was pretty good too. I recommend the gold pass ( seasonal pass) with meal plan. It was well worth it. We went during carnival. The floats and music were great! It was a huge dance party by the end of the night. The even ended with fireworks.
I can not wait to go back!
This is a really nice amusement park. The longest line we waited in was about 15 min. The roller coasters were really fun. Unfortunately the heat wore us out and after getting to be at the water park for only about 20 min we had to get out because of storms. After waiting about another 20 min we decided to get dressed and leave, just in time for the park to open back up. But at that point we were too pooped. It was a really nice park and if we lived near by we would definitely get season passes. I highly recommend visiting this amazing place.
Great little park, just wish there were a handful more rides. With the fast pass you can literally ride every ride multiple times. Entered the park at 10am and left at 4pm. It has some amazing rides just not a ton. Very easy to walk the entire park multiple times. They make great use of the space and the design is perfect to reach all of the rides quickly. Their food options are better than any park we have ever been to and we have been to every Florida park and Virginia park. Definitely worth the price of admission. Tip #1: if you’re arriving early (20-30 min before opening)even on a Saturday don’t bother paying for the VIP parking. There is a chic fil a here too. Need more signage for VIP parking and for exits. Three more big rides would make this park a 5 Star rating.