One Day Charlotte Itinerary — Roaming with the Robertsons

So you have only 24 hours (or less) to spend in Charlotte, North Carolina. Maybe you have a long flight layover, or maybe you’re road-tripping through the Southeastern United Sates and want to stop in Charlotte. Whatever the reason, Charlotte sure won’t disappoint! Read on to see our itinerary for our day in Charlotte.

About Charlotte

Charlotte — aka, the “Queen City” — is the largest city in the state of North Carolina. It’s dubbed the “Queen City” after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of British King George III during the time of the city's founding (the county that Charlotte is in, Mecklenburg County, is also named after the Queen). Charlotte is a rapidly-growing metropolis and also serves as the largest financial center in the South (conglomerate banks like Wells-Fargo and Bank of America are based there). Despite all of this, Charlotte still maintains its southern flair.

“Fun Fact: Charlotte residents are called ‘Charlotteans,’ not a name that sounds similar to ‘charlatan.’”

Uptown Charlotte (what Charlotteans call their downtown).

Itinerary

Morning - Julia’s Cafe and Books

Our first stop was for a cup of coffee at Julia’s Cafe and Books. Ya’ll — this place is amazing. It’s a quirky cafe that sells used books at discounted prices, and it’s all situated in the Charlotte Habitat for Humanity building. If you’re a book lover like me (especially with used books…there’s something special about a book that has been enjoyed and shared amongst multiple people), then this spot is a must-visit.

Julia’s Cafe and Books includes a loft with tons of table seating. This is a great spot for those who are studying, working remotely, or just want to relax with a book in an oversized leather armchair (they do have a couple of those). There’s fast, free wifi and the cafe has a lot of vegetarian and gluten-free offerings (I don’t recall seeing vegan options…sorry my fellow veg-heads)!

Abraham and I enjoyed coffee at one of the tables while poring over a ton of books. And just so you know: the store accepts book donations and event space rentals.

Early Afternoon - Uptown Charlotte

One of the many museums in Charlotte’s uptown.

Harvey B Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture

I try to visit at least one museum on every trip! And if you know anything about me, you know that I love anything dealing with Black folk and the African diaspora. Our next stop was the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, located in the heart of Charlotte’s uptown. The museum boasts rotating exhibitions of work from African-American artists, with a focus on artists from the Carolinas.

A piece from the Visual Vanguard exhibition.

Standard tickets are $9 USD, but there are $7 discounted tickets for students, educators, military, and seniors (I used my old NYU I.D. and was able to cop two discounted tickets for Abraham and me). Kids 5 and under are free. The museum is located in a beautiful modern building and the staff was super friendly.

There were two exhibits on display when we visited: Visual Vanguard: An Exhibition of Contemporary Black Carolina Artists, which “surveys the struggles, strengths, and celebrations of Black creativity in the Carolinas through visual art, performance, video, and poetry.” The second exhibit was Choose Your Weapon: Views from the Front Lines of the War for Black Lives, in which photojournalist E. Mackey traveled around the U.S. to document Black Lives Matter demonstrations after the murder of George Floyd. Both exhibitions featured work that was stunning and poignant. E. Mackey’s photographs clearly conveyed the notions of pain, community, love, and resistance; the featured artists in Visual Vanguard created pieces that I have difficulty describing, but know that they all contained powerful African-American narratives.

Romare Bearden Park

Our next stop was just a stone throw’s away in Uptown. Romare Bearden Park, named after the African-American Charlottean artist of the same name, offers extraordinary views of the Charlotte skyline. I’m a sucker for a good city view, so that’s the main reason why I wanted to check it out. During our visit, the park was used for a festival so the energy was lively. There were families playing games on the lawn and vendors selling goods on the blocked-off streets. While researching the park, I learned that it hosts a number of events year-round and even has cherry-blossoms that bloom in the Spring! Strolling through this park during your visit to Charlotte is a must.

Late Afternoon - South Park

After strolling around Romare Bearden Park, we drove down to the South Park neighborhood in Charlotte. South Park is an upscale neighborhood, complete with tons of shopping, dining, and a high-end mall. The area also includes multiple chain hotels, so many visitors elect to stay in this part of the city.

RH + Rooftop Restaurant

The reason why we came to South Park was to try a restaurant I’ve been yearning to visit for months: the RH Rooftop Restaurant. Many of you know about RH and their restaurant locations; but if you don’t, RH stands for Restoration Hardware. RH is a super luxury (“super” as in a duvet costs around $600 USD. I’ll stick to my IKEA and Home Goods, please and thank you) home furnishings company with multiple store locations around the U.S. and Canada. However, only select locations offer a restaurant, and Charlotte is one of them (Atlanta has a RH store, but no restaurants. I’ve seen friends in NYC post their restaurant visit on Instagram and that’s how I learned about them).

I knew to make a reservation, especially since we were visiting on a Saturday. I used OpenTable and made the reservation about a week and a half in advance and could only score a table for 3:30 pm (so that weird time where it’s not lunch but not dinner either). If you can make a reservation even further in advance, I recommend you do so.

Now, the ambiance and aesthetic of the restaurant met my expectations! After watching the photos and videos that people have posted of the NYC restaurant location, I fell in love with the indoor trees, crystal chandeliers, and fountains. As someone who enjoys interior design, I found the space to be a joy to all of my senses. It’s a lovely place to take photos, and most guests do — so don’t feel shy while trying to get a great photo of yourself!

The service was also impeccable. The host warmly greeted us and quickly sat us at our table. Our server was just fantastic. She was friendly, personable, and went above and beyond for us. For instance, Abraham couldn’t decide which red wine he wanted to order, so our server brought out 3 samples of different reds that he could try (without him even asking). Her service was quick and responsive. The icing on the cake was when she brought out free cookies for us after we told her that we were celebrating our closing on an investment property (this time, Abraham did ask).

The Délice de Bourgogne Cheese and a Peach Bellini. The strawberry preserves and baguette were sublime!

Now, on to a review of the food (here’s the Charlotte location’s food/drink menu, which seems to be a fusion of American and French cuisine). Listen, the food is tasty. I wasn’t hungry enough for a full meal, so I opted for sharing an appetizer and truffle fries with Abraham, while he happily munched on a burger (which he says was delicious. The server actually recommended it). However, I was disappointed that the vegan options were scant. From looking at the menu, it appears that the following items may be vegan, but call the restaurant ahead of time to confirm how they’re prepared:

Crispy Artichokes
Shaved Vegetables
French Fries (sans the garlic aioli)
Simple Green Salad
Charred Heirloom Broccolini
Wild Mushrooms

“We ordered the Délice de Bourgogne Cheese, the RH Burger with pork belly bacon, and the Truffled Fries. For drinks, I had a Peach Bellini & Abraham had the Lioco red wine.”

Clearly, I did not consume plant-based food during this visit, but the fact that the food was so good assuaged my guilt. The cheese in the cheese plate was mild and creamy, the salted butter was so damn good, the baguette was warm (I was able to get more baguette by asking), and the strawberry preserves were delicious. The truffled fries were hot and delectable, complete with freshly shaved parmesan on top. And the (free) salted caramel cookies that we got for desert? * Chef’s Kiss * I ended up eating too many and had to deal with some afternoon bloat.

The biggest thing that dissatisfied me about our RH visit? The prices. I know you’re thinking, “Well, if a duvet costs hundreds of dollars, why wouldn’t the food prices be high?” And you’re absolutely right. But allow me to be astounded at the prices, okay? I mean, there are plenty of restaurants out there that are more expensive, but there’s something about paying $20 USD for a burger that doesn’t even include any side dishes. Everything on the menu is a la carte, so just know that and prepare your budget in advance…I know I did!

Evening/Night - Plaza Midwood

After leaving RH, we drove east to check into the Airbnb we booked for the night. We booked a room in someone’s home (which I have done many times), but this was the worst Airbnb experience Abraham and I’ve had. It’s a long story and maybe I’ll share it on another post, but we ended up leaving the property and crashing for the night on a friend’s couch. But not after we tried (unsuccessfully) to lie down and take a nap.

Once we left the Airbnb, we met up with our business partners/friends for a celebratory dinner and drinks. We met in Plaza Midwood, which is a hip and laid-back neighborhood filled with restaurants, bars shops, tattoo shops, and music venues. I love neighborhoods like this, so visiting Plaza Midwood is a must for your trip to Charlotte.

We meet at Modern American + Greek fusion restaurant Kiki Bistro. It was so nice. It’s located on the ground floor of a brownstone and its sister restaurant, Soul Gastrolounge (which our friends say is also incredible). Reservations are highly recommended. Our friends knew that I have a plant-based diet, so they specifically chose this restaurant for us because it offers multiple vegan options (more than one vegan item? They’re spoiling us!). The dishes are tapa-style and a la carte, so I recommend ordering different plates and sharing for the table. They have a popular vegan “fried chicken” sandwich made with Hen of the Woods mushrooms and I was eager to try it. To my total dismay, they sold the last sandwich by the time I ordered (and our reservation wasn’t that late…just 6:30 pm). So if you’re wanting to try this sandwich, make a reservation for earlier in the evening (they open at 5 pm).

As a table, we shared the kalamata olivada/muhammara eggplant salad/kopanisti spicy feta spreads, zucchini and feta fritters, shrimp saganaki, the lamb burger, olive oil fries, and the crab & salt cod croquettes. I enjoyed the spreads and fries since those were vegan. The craft cocktails were also lovely; I ended up just ordering a Strawberry Basil Smash mocktail, but everyone else ordered multiple drinks.

We went home with our friends after dinner and crashed on their couch since our Airbnb wasn’t a good fit. We drove back to Atlanta the next morning. Though we didn’t get to experience everything that I would have liked to see in Charlotte, I still enjoyed our day there.

If (and most likely when) I return to Charlotte, here are some places I would visit: