How I spent my staycation exploring Charlotte: murals, food and more
You may have seen my byline in CharlotteFive these last few months — I am Katrina Wilson, and my husband and I are new to the area. We grew up in South Carolina, but 13-year-old me fell in love with Charlotte while visiting friends of the family every summer.
My husband and I just left Virginia, as I always felt Charlotte was the place for me and somewhere my writing career could blossom. We moved into our new home just south of Charlotte in Monroe in November 2021.
We recently celebrated our third wedding anniversary with a staycation to help us learn the area. Before we launched, I reviewed the Things to Do stories from CharlotteFive, and he sent me TikToks of places that grabbed his attention.
I knew my husband and I would only scratch the surface of things to do in the area, but we made a goal to do at least one activity a day, plus lunch and dinner outings. Here’s what we did:
Classic dinner and a movie
We kicked off our anniversary with an hour’s drive to Catawba Two Kings Casino in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. The casino has slots and electronic table games available.
Next, we went to Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, a Charlotte-based restaurant chain we had first tried during Charlotte Restaurant Week. We love its menu options for seafood and steak, and the smoked chicken wings are a great option, too.
After dinner, my husband and I went to our first movie since January 2020. We went to Regal Stonecrest at Piper Glen for a screening of ”Uncharted.” The trailer caught my attention in February, and the movie seemed even more interesting because my husband explained it was based off the “Uncharted” video games he used to play when he was young.
I will say that watching movies at home has been nice these last two years, but I had not realized how much I missed the ASMR of popcorn popping with the scent of fresh popcorn wafting throughout the theater, the soda machine and the massive screen to watch a screening.
Japanese BBQ
Charlotte Restaurant Week also introduced us to Gyu-Kaku, and we cannot stop eating there. For lunch the next day, we tried the Lunch Special, which included Gyu-Kaku salad, miso soup, white rice, Japanese Chicken Karaage and Kalbi Chuck Rib, Yaki-Shabu Beef, Pork Belly and Basil Chicken Breast.
NoDa
While interviewing people for stories these last few months, I heard NoDa was a great place to see art. We headed to Charlotte’s Arts District to explore the beautiful murals on the sides of the buildings. One of the murals that caught my attention was Watering Hole by Matt Moore. Another was the Dolly Parton mural by Dustin Moates on The Blind Pig building. We enjoyed looking at the neighborhood’s former mill homes. I couldn’t help but notice the area’s gentrification, of course. Seems that many of my fellow millennials and Gen Z Charlotteans have moved into the former mill neighborhood, often in newly built apartment buildings.
Puttery
We ended the night with Puttery, an indoor mini-golf course that gets a lot of love on TikTok. Puttery’s bar reminded me of a beach vibe with greenery everywhere. The plush, colorful seats were made for lounging while listening to early 2000s music. We had lamb chop sliders that satisfied us for the evening, the perfect fuel for the mini-golf Library Course. I liked that there were cup holders on the course for my cocktail — Tasty Green — while aiming for a hole in one.
Cuzzo’s Cuisine
Since we moved to the area, I have heard all about Cuzzo’s Cuisine. Like me, the founders (two cousins) are from the Lowcountry. I knew the food was going to be well-seasoned and cooked fresh — and it did not disappoint.
I had the fried fish, fried shrimp and fries combo. My husband generally dislikes lobster macaroni and cheese from restaurants, but he won’t stop talking about Cuzzo’s version. He could tell the cheese sauce and lobster was seasoned, and it had more than a few chunks of lobster.
Funny Bus Tour
I am a theatrical and whimsical individual and I always do my best to find humor in things. A few months ago, I was watching the local news and saw a story about Funny Bus Tours. It is a tour of the city where the host is hilarious and gives us interesting nuggets of information about the area. I purchased the Rated R option of the tour with JJ the comedian, knowing a tour would be a great way to learn more about the area while laughing.
The tour was about an hour and a half, and we had a 15 minute intermission where we stopped at a market to stretch and purchase more goodies.
Passengers are allowed to bring wine and beer on the tour that shares about the city’s history, future and present. My husband and I took mental notes of which neighborhoods to explore on our next Staycation.
This story was originally published April 11, 2022 at 6:15 AM.
