Fill Yourself with Some Sunshine in Charlotte, NC

Charlotte was unexpected a great city for me. I think the company that I met there gave it that outlook for me, but I think that anyone can find some great aspects to this large city. So here’s a break down.

But What Did You Do There?

I kicked off this trip with a housesit in the Ballantyne area (if you want more info on how I got my house sit, check out this post). It was close to all the little amenities I enjoyed, like Planet Fitness, and a ton of food places. It was a senior living area, so I wasn’t exactly going to meet anyone I knew my age in this area.

The first thing I did after settling into my housesit, was go to a concert downtown to see Real Friends performing live at Amos Southend, where I also grabbed some drinks. For the first time ever going solo to a concert, I made some friends and got their socials. Unfortunately, I didn’t document this trip all that well because I probably didn’t do much outside of work.

The next day, I did a little adventuring outside since the weather was extra nice. Are you interested in a nice area to walk around and maybe have a picnic? I would highly recommend Freedom Park. There’s a lake, and a lot of outdoor activities. Even though the park was pretty crowded, it was large enough not to feel that way.

I also definitely need to mention Carolina Value Village since I went to various locations in the area looking for the perfect elements to my Halloween costume. Carolina Value Village is a very cheap thrift store, and it had a lot of cheap options. While it didn’t have quite what I needed for my costume, I was tempted to buy almost everything else.

Now Who is Hungry?

My food choices were subpar, which is why most of them didn’t warrant photography. I frequented quite a few chain restaurants which were very accessible. These included, Crumbl Cookie, Panera, and Little Big Burger. I also took advantage of Taco Tuesday at Sabor Latin Street and I grabbed some southern BBQ at City Barbeque in Ballantyne.

If you’re looking for a good opportunity to get dressed up and have a fun night with some friends, look no further than Crave Dessert Bar.

This was by far the coolest part of my trip. Crave Dessert Bar is a hookah/dessert bar in downtown Charlotte. The drinks were incredible, I got Thicker than a Snicker. We also got a Smore’s Platter (with real fire for roasting) and Chocolate Covered Strawberries. The hookah lasted a while too. They have real food too like flatbreads, dips, etc. While everything on it’s own was definitely on the pricey side, it wasn’t as bad when we shared everything amongst us.

If you want to know where to get an incredible grilled cheese with some tomato bisque to pair it, I highly recommend The Workman’s Friend. Honestly one of the best grilled cheese combos I’ve ever had, and the beer was also pretty good too. The vibes in this restaurant were also great, especially for a solo traveler taking in the ambiance.

I finished off the night, and my time in Charlotte, at the Wooden Robot Brewery with my childhood best friend and her cousin. We grabbed a couple drinks, and there were lots of other people our age occupying the rest of this outdoor/indoor bar, but they also did have a good chunk of tables considering the day of the week.

If you fancy some cooking, and want to know which grocery store works best, then I’d recommend Harris Teeter, which is the grocery store known in the area.

PSA: Unrelated to Charlotte

I met up with my childhood best friend who I hadn’t talked to 15 years. This was a great reminder that you can always rekindle a friendship. The worst thing that can happen is a no, and you’re always better off asking.

Overall, I loved Charlotte and will definitely be back.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Crave Dessert Bar
• The Workman’s Friend
• Wooden Robot Brewery
• Carolina Value Village
• Amos Southend (Concert Venue)
• Freedom Park
• Blue Ridge Mtns