I love to celebrate life, especially with my family. No holiday is too big or too small. So when it came time to celebrate Father’s Day, I thought why not treat Dad Like a King by traveling to the Queen City a.k.a Charlotte, NC !
Myself, my husband and our 4 year old daughter packed up our car for a road trip to Charlotte. I had 2 days of family fun planned for us. When researching for this trip, it became pretty clear that the Queen City has something for everyone!
In case you are planning a trip with your little ones in tow, I can assure you that Charlotte is family friendly and an awesome place to make memories. Take a look at our family fun travel guide and a snapshot of our itinerary during this past Father’s Day weekend!
STAY
Hyatt House Charlotte/City Center proved to be the perfect location for our stay as it was right in Uptown. It had everything required in a style forward setting. Full kitchens and comfy beds.Full breakfast in the lobby with made to order omelettes included. Nice small pool and paraben free bath products sealed the deal. It’s location made walking to city center attractions a breeze.
*Day 1
Late Afternoon/Evening :After a day of traveling , it was nice to arrive to comfortable accomodations. The sun was shining so we headed to the hotel’s outdoor pool, which also had a lounge area. Dinner options are available at the hotel ‘s restaurant known as H BAR which is opened daily 5pm-10pm offering delicious bites from a “menu of home-cooked comforts”. Needless to say, Day 1 was fun yet relaxing!
PLAY
Discovery Place
Trying to find a place that makes kids and adults equally happy is always a challenge when traveling. Lucky for us Discovery Place fits the bill. Calling this a childrens museum does not do it justice. It’s is all in one wonderland that is a delight for all! It has so many interactive and educational exhibits all under one roof. Science experiments in one room and an aquarium in the next. We learned about the power of air pressure and the wonders of the rain forest. My daughter loved the infrared machine outside that accurately measures your height by just standing underneath the beam ! It was just the perfect blend of all things amazing about our world. I highly recommend this for any family visits to Charlotte. It was filled with cool stuff to do and so much fun! No wonder it is one of Charlotte’s most visited attractions.
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NASCAR Hall of Fame
“Start Your Engines”..Those are 3 of the most beloved words to racing fans. The Nascar Hall of Fame is a place to come and celebrate the history and heritage of the sport. Located in a beautiful building filled with memorabilia and exhibits, The Nascar Hall Of Fame did not dissapoint. They have classic racing cars and the realistic racing simulators where at the end you get a personalized stat sheet of how you performed. You can practice fast changing a tire at the pit crew challenge and even the little ones can be part of the pit crew in the kids zone. The gift shop was amazing. You can buy everything from mini replica cars to all sorts of racing clothing and gear. Check out our visit to the Nascar Hall of Fame where we spent the afternoon walking among legends!
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*Day 2
Morning: After a restful evening, we woke up ready to go sight seeing in the Queen City. The complimentary breakfast buffet at Hyatt House was enough to give us energy to walk to the nearby attractions. On the way to Discovery Place, we passed the Time Warner Cable Arena (which is next to hotel) where the Charlotte Hornets Play. While we opted to stroll ( Uptown is pedestrian friendly), we noticed other ways available to get around the Center City, like horse and carriage or bicycle.
Walking allowed us to see the beautiful skyline and amazing public art along the way, such as the four statues at Trade and Tryon streets.
*Day 2 continued..
Afternoon: Every foodie must have lunch at 7th Street Public Market. ( I will share more in the EAT section below). The Nascar Hall of Fame does have a cafe inside if you choose to eat there. Believe me, you will need fuel as we found out this attraction is a place you could spend your entire afternoon!
Evening: For dining,nightlife,entertainment, EPICENTRE has it all in one place. Just a couple of blocks from the hotel made this a perfect place to catch and early dinner with our little one. We ended our evening by hopping on the CityLynx Gold Line, a streetcar system that connects neighborhoods through 6 stations all for free! The 1st and last stop conveniently was across from the Hyatt House.
EAT
7th Street Public Market is a foodie’s paradise! Variety is the spice of life and this place is so diverse in its dining options. For example: my daughter had pizza from Pure pizza, I wanted sushi,so Bonsai Fushion fit the bill and Local Loaf was my husband’s choice for a sandwich. The quality of the food and the variety of offerings can be enjoyed by all: families, locals, tourists, hipsters, just to name a few! The market also has retail shops great for picking up locally made items or imported goods. We ended our visit to the 7th Street Public Market on a sweet note by getting a cupcake for my cupcake and a very memorable creme brulee from Cloud 9 Confections!
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Nan and Byron’s
It was a beautiful Sunday morning and we took a short drive to the South End neighborhood to have brunch at Nan And Byron’s restaurant. Their weekend brunch consists of an all you can eat buffet w/carving station, bloddy marys and mimosas. The buffet was attractively laid out in their bar area with various breakfast favorites and they even had a seafood raw bar of Snow Crab legs and oysters. The little one enjoyed the pancakes. We sat in the open dining room with huge windows that let in the beautiful natural light of the morning. Service was very good. If you ever on the South End or want a brunch with locals and not a huge amount of tourists, then this is your spot. Oh yea..their sweet rolls are decadently yummy !
*Day 3
Morning We checked out with ease and headed over to Nan and Byron’s for their special Father’s Day Brunch. The restaurant opened in November 2013 and its name originated from Grant Wood’s well-known 1930 American-Gothic painting of a man and woman (Nan and Byron) holding a pitchfork in front of a farm. The restaurant, which focuses on new-American cuisine, is a short drive from Uptown but well worth the trip! We discovered alot about Charlotte and all of its regal offerings. We left with many fond memories of The Queen City and something to tell all our friends and family: “Charlotte’s Got A Lot” !
SobeSavvy 