Attractions in charlotte

There are attractions to appeal to many interests in Charlotte, the largest city in the Carolinas.

Begin with the easy-to-find 100 N. Try on Street in the city center. The Bank of America Corporate Center, sixty stories high, is the tallest building between Philadelphia and Atlanta. In the lobby, art lovers will find the largest secular fresco in the U. S.

Nearby, lovers of photography and film will enjoy the Light Factory, one of the few museums specifically dedicated to these media.

Two miles south east of city center, the Mint Museum is housed in a building that served as the first branch of the U.S. Mint from 1836 to the Civil War. In the 1930’s, it opened as North Carolina’s first art museum. Today, it has several notable collections and hosts important traveling exhibitions.

The Levine Museum of the New South will appeal to history buffs. This interactive museum tells the history of the South from the Civil War until the present.

For a different slice of history, the Billy Graham Library offers a historical presentation of his life and times. Charlotte is the birthplace of the famous evangelist. This site also includes a tranquil prayer garden.

Lovers of gardens will enjoy the Wing Haven Gardens and Bird Sanctuary, noted for its plantings and formal gardens that provide a special habitat for birds.

The Charlotte Nature Museum brings families and nature together year round with indoor and outdoor exhibits, including a butterfly pavilion and a nature trail.

Back near city center, Discovery Place is a hands-on science and technology center for families. Part of the complex is the Charlotte Observer Imax Theater, the first large screen movie theater in the Carolinas.

If families find educational fun at Discovery Place, they can find just plain fun at Carowinds, an amusement park with a variety of roller coasters and thrill rides. It is open, at least part time, from March through October.