Carol M. Highsmith Archive/Library of Congress
Charlotte
This 19th-century cotton plantation occupies a small corner of a scenic nature preserve, a dozen miles north of Uptown Charlotte. Exhibits in the visitor center tell the story of the Latta family and their 32 slaves, while guided tours lead through their small clapboard home. You鈥檙e then free to wander around neighboring structures such as the imposing carriage barn.
Drive another 200yd after you leave to reach the shoreline of Mountain Island Lake, a pretty spot for a picnic.
8.8 MILES
The Sullenberger Aviation Museum, honoring Captain Chesley Burnett 鈥淪ully鈥 Sullenberger III, is located at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
Levine Museum of the New South
10.08 MILES
Tracing the story of the 鈥楴ew South鈥 that emerged from the ashes of the Civil War, this committed museum explores the years of Reconstruction, Jim Crow鈥
12.61 MILES
The US Mint opened its first-ever outpost in Uptown Charlotte in 1837, using gold mined from the mountains nearby. Transported 3 miles southeast a century鈥
10.36 MILES
The race-car simulator ($5) at this rip-roaring Uptown museum hurtles you onto the track and into a 15-car race that feels surprisingly real. Elsewhere,鈥
10.06 MILES
A stunning modernist edifice tucked between mighty skyscrapers, the Uptown portion of Charlotte鈥檚 Mint Museum consists of two distinct halves. One makes a鈥
9.97 MILES
Illustrating simple scientific principles with eye-catching displays, Discovery Place is targeted largely at kids. It centers on a steamy rainforest that鈥
Kings Mountain National Military Park
29.63 MILES
As Major Patrick Ferguson learned on the summit of Kings Mountain, threatening American patriots isn't a good idea. In the fall of 1780, General Lord鈥
10.06 MILES
An Uptown landmark, thanks to sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle鈥檚 huge mirror-tiled Firebird out front, this showcase for 20th-century art was donated to the鈥
0.71 MILES
A pleasant woodland stroll within the Latta Plantation Nature Preserve leads past aviaries holding predatory birds that have suffered injuries 鈥 you may鈥
2. Sullenberger Aviation Museum
8.8 MILES
The Sullenberger Aviation Museum, honoring Captain Chesley Burnett 鈥淪ully鈥 Sullenberger III, is located at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
9.93 MILES
This small park celebrates the African American artist and writer Romare Bearden, born in Charlotte in 1911. A pretty spot to admire the Uptown skyline or鈥
9.97 MILES
Illustrating simple scientific principles with eye-catching displays, Discovery Place is targeted largely at kids. It centers on a steamy rainforest that鈥
10.06 MILES
A stunning modernist edifice tucked between mighty skyscrapers, the Uptown portion of Charlotte鈥檚 Mint Museum consists of two distinct halves. One makes a鈥
6. Bechtler Museum of Modern Art
10.06 MILES
An Uptown landmark, thanks to sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle鈥檚 huge mirror-tiled Firebird out front, this showcase for 20th-century art was donated to the鈥
7. Levine Museum of the New South
10.08 MILES
Tracing the story of the 鈥楴ew South鈥 that emerged from the ashes of the Civil War, this committed museum explores the years of Reconstruction, Jim Crow鈥
10.1 MILES
This thriving Uptown art museum was named in honor of former city mayor and civil rights champion Harvey Gannt. Its three small galleries host changing鈥