After a couple of dreary days in the District, I arrived in Charlotte Friday to sunshine and temps of almost 80 degrees. I almost wore shorts to dinner but that seemed a bit excessive, so I opted for jeans, an off-the-shoulder top, and sandals instead and was so happy to have bare feet. Whenever I come to Charlotte I love trying new restaurants because there are always new things popping up here. Half the city always seems to be under construction and they just put in a new terminal at the airport that went up insanely quickly and is gorgeous. I can’t wait to see it when it’s done!
one // Sea Level – The first place we tried this weekend was Sea Level, in Uptown. We got a couple of different types of oysters, including their signature ‘Sea Level’ ones from Charlotte. They were so good, and if you go during happy hour or late at night they’re only $1. I also tried mussels for the first time which was very exciting and we got a burger to split as well. Everything we had was incredible, if you’re looking for seafood in Charlotte, I highly recommend it.
two // Nekter – Our second new place for the weekend was Nekter. They’re right next to Harris Teeter so I had seen it a few times and knew I wanted to try it. We were going to have an outdoorsy day Saturday so it was the perfect time to try it. I got the Acai Berry Bowl and Max got the Health Nut Smoothie. Both were really good but the wait was a little long.
three // U.S. National Whitewater Center – After a longer breakfast than we expected we were on our way to the Whitewater Center. It was 70 degrees and it seemed like everyone in Charlotte had the same idea as us. Anyone who knows me knows I’m obsessed with golden retrievers and we saw at least 5 in the first 15 minutes of being there so I was a pretty happy camper. During the regular season, they have rapids and you can do ropes courses or zip lines there as well but we opted to just check out the trails and make it an easy day. On our way to the trail, we found a mini obstacle course where you weren’t supposed to touch the floor. I got through almost all of it, but the rope burn on my hands was starting to feel pretty bad towards the end so we ended early to hit the trail. They’re made for walking and mountain biking so you have to be really aware of your surroundings if you choose to walk! On our way out, we found a collection of hammocks so we sat and hung out for a while, enjoying the warm weather. We even made a new friend, Morgan the golden retriever, who was 14, and loved hiking even though her body couldn’t keep up with it anymore. It was a gorgeous area and I can see it being so fun during the summer. When the water activities open up again I’d love to do the rafting or paddle boarding there!
four // South Bound – I thought that it was for my food recommendations but I was forgetting South Bound! After the Whitewater Center, we really wanted to go back and shower but I was starving and demanded we stop for food first. We’ve passed by South Bound a few times and I’ve always wanted to try it because they have a great outdoor seating area. The one time Max tried to go with his roommate they couldn’t get a table but it was 3 PM when we went so we were seated immediately. We got margs (mango and spicy) and ordered the Carne Asada Fries. They were like nachos on steroids. The steak was amazing and we ate the entire plate even though we were so stuffed by the end. We ended up totally skipping dinner because even at 10 PM we were still full from the fries.
Leave a Reply