What is the most popular attraction in Charlotte? Visitors flocked to these local sites
Unlike a few other major cities in the region, Charlotte isn’t exactly considered an iconic hotbed for tourism.
If you drive a few hours south, you can visit the World of Coca-Cola, Georgia Aquarium or Ponce City Market in Atlanta. Or you could head west and check out the Grand Ole Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.
But where do people go when they come to Charlotte?
Data compiled from SafeGraph that shows foot traffic at tourist attractions in the Queen City revealed the NASCAR Hall of Fame is the most popular destination, with an average of 1,112 trips per month this year.
The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts & Culture is the second-most visited spot, with an average of 716 trips per month this year.
Foot traffic for Carowinds, one of the largest amusement parks in the area, and parks, which are often visited by Charlotte residents, were not included in this data set.
Here are some takeaways from the data:
- The number of visitors at tourist attractions in Charlotte plunged in March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began.
- Foot traffic at the NASCAR Hall of Fame reached its peak in January of 2020, when racing legends Buddy Baker, Joe Gibbs, Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart and Waddell Wilson were inducted.
- There was an uptick in the number of visits to Discovery Place Science, a kid-friendly science museum, during summer vacation from 2018-2020 for students.
This story was originally published July 2, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
