Explore Charlotte like a local. Here are the best places to eat and explore

Like many attendees of Memorial Day weekend’s Charlotte FC game and Speed Street festivities, I don’t know all the good eats and activities in the area yet.

I moved here in early May to start a new job on the Charlotte Observer’s service team. I have been leaning on the recommendations of my colleagues and neighbors about what to do and where to go ever since — the only place I knew for certain I should go was IKEA.

With so many out-of-towners in the area this long weekend, here’s a compilation of some of the fun to be had off the racetrack and the pitch. This list pulls from Charlotte Observer staff and a social post asking for community feedback.

Keep in mind that traffic may be heavy and roads may be closed in parts of Charlotte due to a Charlotte FC game and NASCAR.

Where to eat in Charlotte

Rhino Market and Deli

This family owned deli serves a variety of sandwiches, including plenty of vegetarian options. The deli is the standard for Charlotte, and worth more than one visit, according to a Charlotte Observer intern last summer who ate her way through the menu.

Optimist Hall

If you struggle to pick out dinner with your family and friends, Optimist Hall is a perfect choice. The food hall offers a variety of over 25 food stalls and restaurants, as well as a brewery and bar. Empanadas, burgers, bao, pizza, sushi, you name it, Optimist Hall probably has it. A recent CharlotteFive guide gives an insider’s view of the hall, bite by bite.

Open Rice

The Dim Sum lunch cart at Open Rice is a community suggestion from Instagram. Thank you, Laura! Open Rice offers a variety of steamed and fried small plates, as well as boba tea and bubble waffles.

NoDa Bodega

Another community suggestion. Thank you, Devyn! This shop in NoDa is another lunch option for a fast and filling sandwich on the go, and will bring you into Charlotte’s thriving arts district. NoDa is a great place to shop and wander.

Best drink spots in Charlotte

Plot Twist

A great option for a group where some like a sip of something alcoholic and some do not. Plot Twist is a recently opened coffee and cocktail bar located near Trope Bookshop (a must-try for romance novel lovers). The bar should have something for everyone: cocktails, mocktails, THC beverages and coffee, as well as light snacks.

Rosie’s Coffee and Wine Several colleagues have recommended Rosie’s to me. Like Plot Twist, there are plenty of options to go around. Rosie’s is nestled in the McGill Rose Garden, making for a tranquil break from a weekend of fast-paced events. A quick look at the Instagram shows there may also be a calico cat wandering around, but no promises.

Smelly Cat Coffee House & Roastery

Smelly Cat reopened after a long break from indoor service during COVID-19, returning to the scene with the option for reservations and full service. Charlotteans may have mourned the 700 days spent without this neighborhood classic, but visitors will only know the joy of a cozy arts district coffee shop. A fall 2025 CharlotteFive guide recommends extra hot sauce on the breakfast burrito.

Fun things to do in Charlotte

The Charlotte Crown

If you’re here for sports, stay for sports. The Charlotte Crown is the Queen City’s new professional women’s basketball team. The team will play the Greensboro Groove at Bojangles Coliseum on Memorial Day at 7 p.m.

Whitewater Center — not just for rafting

It’s what it sounds like, but the Whitewater Center can also be a great place to catch some live music. This weekend, David Childers and the Serpents play May 23, and Dylan Chambers plays May 25.

Caravaggio Exhibit at The Mint

The Mint Museum is showing an original Caravaggio through October, along with works by 40 other baroque artists. Boy Bitten by Lizard is one of less than 60 works attributed to the artist, as Caravaggio died young.

The museum is also presenting Mint to Be: The Feminine Body as Costume Art, a collection of local works inspired by the recent Met Gala.

Charlotte Five Guides

The Charlotte Observer’s CharlotteFive team regularly posts food and drink stories, including round-ups. Check out these (and more) if you want a more specific set of recommendations:

• What to do on the weekends: A blueprint for Charlotte newcomers
• Rainy day with the kids? Here are 10 indoor spots around Charlotte
• I grew up in my family’s Chinese restaurant in Charlotte. Here’s where I actually eat.
• An insider’s guide to eating your way around Optimist Hall in Charlotte
• Bean there, sipped that: A caffeinated tour of the best Charlotte coffee shops

This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 5:02 PM.

Eva Flowe

The Charlotte Observer

Eva Flowe is a North Carolina native and a graduate of the University of South Carolina. She joined the Charlotte Observer as part of the NC service journalism team in April 2026.