Top 5 kid-friendly activities

MOMS CHARLOTTE | Jennifer Rothacker

• Free (or nearly free) kids stuff

  Airport Overlook Park: Pack a lunch and come here to watch the planes take off and land at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport. Off Old Dowd Road near the intersection with Besser Drive.

  Free symphony concerts: Summer concerts with the Charlotte Symphony are free on Sundays in June at Symphony Park at SouthPark mall and other regional locations. www.charlottesymphony.org.

  Dan Nicholas Park: At this amazing park in Rowan County, about 45 minutes from uptown, your kids can ride an old-fashioned carousel and train, play mini-golf, climb on cool playgrounds, splash in the water play area, ride the paddleboats, pet farm animals and more. The best part? Most of the activities cost less than $2 per person. (Note: one thing does cost more: panning for gemstones. That's $7 for a beginner's bucket, which two kids can share.) www.dannicholas.net.

  Plaza Fiesta Carolina: This giant, two-story play place near Carowinds – billed as the largest indoor play center in the Southeast – has tons of slides, tunnels and other features for kids to climb, swing and crawl through. Gated so the younger ones can only enter and exit from one spot. Only $2 per child. Don't forget to wear socks. www.plazafiestacarolinas.com.

  Ride the trolley: Climb aboard the replica streetcars with your kids and you'll feel like you've gone back in time. A round-trip adult trolley fare is $3, youth is $1.50 and kids under 5 are free. It only runs on weekends. www.charlottetrolley.org.

If you're a newcomer with kids, consider yourself in the right place. You can't swing a jump rope in Charlotte without lassoing a kid.

As the editor of the Observer's Web site for parents, MomsCharlotte.com, I'm here to give you the family tour. What I don't cover here, you can probably find on our Web site.

If you have very young children, there's nothing like a playgroup to make you feel like you belong. Meetup.com and International MOMS both offer several local groups, usually divided by geography, that get together for activities. (We have a long list of local playgroups on MomsCharlotte, under “Resources.”) I found the easiest way to find a playgroup was to create one myself with a few moms who live in my neighborhood.

Church is also a popular hot spot to meet moms, whether it's through Sunday school or the preschools many churches around here run. The YMCA has terrific mommy-and-me programs, and a lot of stay-at-home moms work out together during morning classes while their kids get to know each other at the Y's child care, which is either free or super cheap.

If you want to explore what sort of family-friendly stuff Charlotte offers, here are my top five must-do activities:

1. Discovery Place: This science center in uptown Charlotte is an oldie but still goodie. There's plenty of hands-on activities, as well as various shows throughout the day. The IMAX theater shows educational movies, as well as popular flicks. The center is undergoing renovations this year, which should make it feel more updated. www.discoveryplace.org.

2. ImaginOn: You can't help but be impressed with this gigantic children's library, also in uptown. There are the traditional story times for younger kids, but also cool programming for teens, such as designing your own video game. The library shares space with the Children's Theatre and is home to all the very best in children's theater. There are a load of fun things to do here, and books aren't necessarily on the top of the list! Take light rail there to make it a full-day adventure. www.imaginon.org.

3. Freedom Park: Charlotte's premier urban oasis has a little for everybody. There's a long curving pond in the center that's perfect for a stroll and duck watching (but don't feed the ducks – you'll get fined $20). There are two different playgrounds, one with a real train car to play on and both with sandboxes. Occasionally the band shell will feature a musical group. If you need a break from the outside, the small but sweet Charlotte Nature Museum is next door within easy walking distance. On lovely days, it seems like everybody and their dog and/or kids hits Freedom Park. www.charmeck.org.

4. U.S. National Whitewater Center: This is a fairly new attraction, built along the Catawba River in west Mecklenburg County. If you have young kids that aren't strong swimmers, walk the path that circles the whitewater and watch the rafters and kayakers. There's also a free kid-sized rock-climbing wall. If you have older kids, then get adventurous and get into the water or try a zipline. Ultimate cool. www.usnwc.org.

5. Carowinds: We're lucky enough here in Charlotte to have a major amusement park. Carowinds has it all: big rollercoasters, water rides, etc. They even have a portion for kids 5 and younger, so everybody can make it a day. www.carowinds.com.

Jennifer Rothacker is the editor of MomsCharlotte.com. She can be reached at jennifer@momscharlotte.com

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