Charlotte is an easy 3-hour trip via Amtrak from Raleigh. Believe me, you don’t want to drive. Most events downtown are withing walking distance even though you will have to take a bus or a taxi from the train station. The downtown museums include the Mint, Bechtel, and Discovery Place (which includes a planetarium). It’s the only city in North Carolina with “skyscrapers,” that is higher than 50 stories. It has been the city of finance ever since the Mint was formed around the time of the Civil War.
Downtown towers 
Knight Theater
Bechtel Museum 
Mint Museum
Bank of America Stadium is a large sports arena, that also includes concerts and other special events. Good luck if you think you’re going to get tickets to the Beyoncé concert this summer. If you’re going to a sporting event, you probably will need to book a downtown hotel for overnight. Travel around the city is easy via the light rail system.
If you choose to venture farther afield, Lake Norman is about 20 miles from town and has lots of its own events and resorts. We stayed in a pleasant B&B. The area also includes threes charming small towns of Cornelius, Davidson, and Huntersville. Davidson College is a small liberal arts college. A few miles down the road is the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden that includes 30 acres of displays, fountains, and walking trails. It also is the summer home of the Charlotte Symphony. If you go in the winter season, the Belk Theater concert hall is right downtown.
Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden 
Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden
Charlotte is a good mix between Raleigh and Atlanta in terms of size and traffic. If you want to venture in another direction, you can head to the NASCAR Hall of Fame and then the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord for an actual race. The next big race is May 28th. Be prepared for huge crowds (100,000+ not counting the infield) with campers, lots of noise and excitement that lasts all weekend.
Charlotte Motor Speedway
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