clt

Charlotte Beer and Travel Guide

Charlotte is where I’ve called home for a few years now so I figured it was time to write a beer & Travel guide for the Queen City! CLT is a large southern city with a plethora of breweries, great places to eat, and fun neighborhoods to explore!

CLT Tips: 

  • The Queen City is distinctly organized into neighborhoods, each with different things to offer and different vibes. If you’re visiting try to organize your time by neighborhood so you’re not crisscrossing all over the place as traffic can be less than ideal.

  • Charlotte is moderately large and somewhat spaced out but once you get to a particular neighborhood you can walk everywhere, so if you are visiting a car is not entirely necessary.

  • What we call Uptown is what you think of as Downtown in any other city.

  • As I said, I live in Charlotte so I could list out hundreds of places to go, but these are my top recommendations overall! Additionally, this guide is focused on the city of Charlotte itself, but there are lots of great options to explore in the suburbs of CLT too! Blog coming soon.

Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations:

  • Resident Culture Brewing Company: The best brewery in Charlotte, hands down. Their beer is top-notch no matter the style, but I would highly recommend their Hazy IPAs, Lagers, and Stouts. At their original taproom in Plaza Midwood they have a great patio, + frequent events and food trucks. At their newer taproom in South End they have a great BBQ menu and coffee bar.

  • Burial Beer: The Charlotte taproom of this Asheville-based brewery has killer beers and a great space. Highly recommend checking them out in Plaza Midwood for their IPAs, Lagers, Stouts and rooftop patio.

  • Salud Beer Shop & Cerveceria: The best beer bar in America. You don’t have to take my word for it, they’ve won the national title 3 years in a row from USA Today. They have a phenomenal tap list, huge can and bottle selection, and mouthwatering pizzas. If that wasn’t enough already they also have their own brewery and coffee shop upstairs with fantastic beers, particularly their Dairelynerweisse Fruited Sour series. The upstairs and downstairs are very different but both offer chill vibes and incredible food/beer. Located in the heart of the NoDa neighborhood.

  • HopFly Brewing: A great brewery in the Gold District of Charlotte right by the Bank of America Stadium. Every style of beer they make is fantastic, they have a great rooftop patio, and for food Katsu Kart is usually onsite.

  • Inizio: Some of the best pizza in the city! They are located in the Dilworth neighborhood and have a small patio and frequent specials.

  • Supperland: A fancy restaurant with a killer cocktail list and a food menu designed for sharing. Their stunning building is a converted church in Plaza Midwood. They also have a bar next door for drinks and a speakeasy.

  • Stable Hand: A coffee shop with beer, natural wine, food, and chill vibes. They are located in the South End neighborhood with some patio seating as well.

  • Divine Barrel Brewing: A delightful brewery in the NoDa neighborhood with a wide array of beers and a fun patio space.

  • Zada Jane’s Corner Café: A neighborhood spot for breakfast and brunch in Plaza Midwood. They have a diverse menu and patio seating.

  • Dilworth Tasting Room: An adorable wine bar in the Dilworth neighborhood with cheese plates, tasting menus, and a fabulous garden space.

  • Petty Thieves Brewing: A fun brewery located between Camp North End and the NoDa neighborhood with a spacious patio, frequent food trucks and events, and delicious beers.

  • The Hobbyist: A lovely coffee shop, beer bar, and bottle shop in the NoDa neighborhood.

Fahrenheit

  • Common Market: A convenience store, deli and bar with unique vibes. Their breakfast and lunch sandwiches are my top recommendation. They have locations in Plaza Midwood, South End, and Oakwold.

  • Edge City Brewing: A beautiful brewery with top notch beers and a great patio. Located in the MoRa neighborhood off Independence Avenue.

  • The Cellar at Duckworth’s: A classy restaurant in a basement cellar providing almost speakeasy-esque vibes. They have really tasty food, a huge beer selection, and craft cocktails. Located in Uptown.

  • Pop the Top Craft Beer Shop: A great beer bar and bottle shop in South End. They have 24 taps and a large selection of cans and bottles to choose from as well.

  • Rosie’s Coffee & Wine Garden: A stunningly gorgeous coffee and wine garden! Grab a drink and wander McGill Rose Garden.

  • Fahrenheit: A rooftop bar and restaurant with incredible views located above Skye Condos in Uptown. Their food is superb and the vibes are unbeatable.

  • Legion Brewing: A popular brewery with locations in Plaza Midwood, SouthPark, and West Morehead. Their brunch menu is super delicious and they have tasty beers as well. Juicy Jay IPA is the most popular beer in the city, but I prefer their Sours and darker beers..

  • Rhino Market & Deli: A great spot for breakfast, sandwiches, soups, and salads. They also have a market for grab and go options as well as beer taps. They have locations in Uptown, NoDa, Wesley Heights, and South End.

  • Not Just Coffee: A great coffee shop with several locations around town!

Fonta Flora at Optimist Hall

The Classic Tourist Spots Actually Worth Visiting: ​

Camp North End

Other Great Spots:

  • Devil’s Logic Brewing: A great brewery with an upper deck patio providing skyline views. Located in Midtown near the university.

  • Undercurrent Coffee: A cute coffeeshop in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood with patio seating, delicious drinks, and a small food menu.

  • Triple C Brewing: A solid brewery in the South End neighborhood with an onsite food truck and nice patio space.

  • Food trucks to hunt down: Studelteig, What The Fries, The Dumpling Lady

  • Two Scoops Creamery: A fantastic ice cream shop located in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood.

  • Ruru’s: Yummy Mexican food and a great patio. Located in the Myers Park neighborhood.

  • Amelie’s French Bakery and Café: Incredible pastries, but also a full food menu of soups, salads, and sandwiches. Located in NoDa and on Park Road.

  • Aqua e Vino: A small Italian restaurant with incredible food. This gem is located in Providence Park.

  • Hawkers: A fun spot for Asian Street Food mainly in the form of small plates. This popular spot has a unique cocktail menu and is located in South End.

  • Seoul Food Meat Company: A Korean Fusion BBQ restaurant with a plethora of delicious sides as well. They are located in the Gold District with a second location coming soon to NoDa.

  • Moo & Brew: A fun spot for brunch or burgers in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood. They are best known for their Large Marge, a 20-ounce Bloody Mary with two shots of Tito's Handmade Vodka topped with a jalapeño firecracker, Wisconsin cheese curds, an angus burger slider, Applewood smoked bacon and a mini Miller High Life on the side.

  • Pins Mechanical Co.: A game bar in South End with a ton of different activities to keep everyone entertained.

Brunch at Legion Brewing SouthPark

Charlotte Brewery Specials (2024)

It's a new year and it’s time to save that money, honey. I am so sick of living in a state where Happy Hour is illegal and constantly paying $8+ for a beer, so I decided to round up Charlotte’s brewery specials for each day of the week.

MOnday

Another Brewery: $5 Jager, Rumple Minze, and Fireball

Birdsong: $12 Rewind pitchers

Brewers at 4001 Yancey: $5 CLT Brew’d drafts

Burial: $5 Lagers

Divine Barrel: $10 Flights

Fonta Flora: $1 Off pints

Frothy Beard: $5 Pints

Hi-Wire: $4 Select pints

Lower Left Brewing: $1 Off pints

Monday Night Garden Co.: Rotating $5 pint and $8 Mules

The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery: $0.75 Cent wings

Panzu: $6 Pints

Protagonist: 1/2 Off cocktails + $6 Hank pint and a slice from 4-6pm

Salud Cerveceria: $5 Pints

Suffolk Punch Brewing (South End): $7 Smashburger and fries and $5 pours of Blue Daisy Pilsner

Vaulted Oak: $1 Off pints

Tuesday

Another Brewery: $5 Jager, Rumple Minze, and Fireball

Birdsong: $3 Rotating drafts

Brewer’s at 4001 Yancy: 1/2 off Apps

Burial Beer: $5 Pints of Prophetmaker

Devil’s Logic Brewing: $10 32oz Crowlers to-go & $4 select pints & half-off glasses of wine

Fonta Flora: 15% Off to-go beers

Hi-Wire: $15 Flagship pitchers

Lenny Boy: 50% Off bottles of wine

Monday Night Garden Co.: $5 Taco Tuesday pints

NoDa Brewing: $2 Off to-go beers

The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery: $8 Zack’s special

Panzu: $4 Guest taps, taco specials

Pilot Brewing: 1/2 Off shots and 20% off snacks

Protagonist: $2 Off drafts + $6 Hank pint and a slice from 4-6pm

Resident Culture Plaza Midwood: $4 Island Times

Suffolk Punch Brewing (South End): $10 Chicken tenders & fries

Wednesday

Another Brewery: $5 Jager, Rumple Minze, and Fireball

Birdsong: $4 Pints of Lazy Bird, Higher Ground, and Jalapeno

Brewers at 4001 Yancey: $1 Wings (in-house, minimum 5)

Burial Beer: $5 Pints of Surf Wax

Devil’s Logic Brewing: Half-off apps from 3-6pm

Fonta Flora: $1 Off Appalachian Wild Ales & wine pours

Hi-Wire: $12 Flights

Monday Night Garden Co.: $8 Wine glasses + $30 wine bottles

Panzu: $2 Off wine glasses, $8 off wine bottles and $11 wings

Pilot Brewing: $3 Select beers

Protagonist: $5 wine pours and $12 bottles + select Bourbon on special + $6 Hank pint and a slice from 4-6pm

Resident Culture Plaza Midwood: $4 Select pints

Resident Culture South End: $5 Drafts, $10 flights, $12 steins, $17 pitchers

Salud Cerveceria: $15 Wine tasting

Suffolk Punch Brewing (South End): Half-off salads

Triple C Brewing: $15 One topping pizza & any draft

Vaulted Oak: $1 Off glasses of wine & 20% off to-go crowlers

THursday

Another Brewery: $5 Jager, Rumple Minze, and Fireball

Blue Blaze Brewing: $4 Off pitchers

Brewers at 4001 Yancey: $6 Feature burger + side

Burial Beer: $10 Burger & Fries, $5 Lightgrinder

Fonta Flora: $1 Off in-house cans and $2 off to-go 4-packs

Lenny Boy Brewing: $5 pretzels and $10 flights

Monday Night Garden Co.: $10 Signature cocktails + free draft beer with to-go beer purchase

Panzu: $10 Cocktails

Petty Thieves Brewing: 1/2 Off wines—bottles + draft

Protagonist: $15 2 topping slice, salad and beer from 11-4

Resident Culture South End: $4 Yard Ripper Seltzers

Salud Cerverceria: $5 Side pours + $9 chicken wings

Southern Strain: $1 off pints

Suffolk Punch Brewing (South End): Half off beers and $1 wings

Friday

Another Brewery: $5 Jager, Rumple Minze, and Fireball

Brewers at 4001 Yancey: $10 Growler fills

Lenny Boy: $10 Pitchers + $10 Growler fills

Monday Night Brewing: Buy one get one free pizzas from 12-3pm

Protagonist: $15 2 topping slice, salad and beer from 11-4

Triple C Brewing: $15 Burger and Beer from 12-3pm

Saturday

Another Brewery: $5 Jager, Rumple Minze, and Fireball

Town Brewing: $5 Mimosas

Sunday

Another Brewery: $1 Raw oysters + $5 Jager, Rumple Minze, and Fireball

Birdsong: $6 Mimosas

Blue Blaze: Half price wine by the glass, $9 pitchers of Yellow Blazer, $4 off all pitchers

Brewers at 4001 Yancey: $5 Crowler fills

Devil’s Logic Brewing: $4 Mimosas and beermosas

Divine Barrel: $5 Small batch pours & wine

Fonta Flora: $1 Off dimple pours

Free Range Brewing: Half off mimosas

Frothy Beard: $5 Pints

Hi-Wire: $5 Mimosas and beermosas

Lenny Boy: $3 Kombucha-mosas

Monday Night Garden Co.: $5 Select Stout, sangrias and mimosas

Panzu: $8 Mimosas + $10 Bloody Mary’s

Pilot Brewing: $5 Goblets, Bloody Mary’s, and mimosas

Protagonist: $6 Mimosas

Petty Thieves Brewing: $5 Mimosas and Saisons

Resident Culture South End: $5 Mimosas, $8 Bloody Mary’s

Salud Cerveceria: $5 Mimosas, beermosas and Micheladas

Southern Strain: $5 Cherrymosas

Town Brewing: $5 Mimosas

Vaulted Oak: $5 Mimosas

Happy savings! Cheers —Alexis

Charlotte Greenways Guide

Charlotte greenways are super confusing and there are no good resources out there to understand them, so I decided to create my own guide as I explored them! I prefer a mountainous and more difficult hike, but sometimes a greenway is ideal for after work or if you’ve got less time to explore. If you’re looking for a longer and more nature filled adventure, check out my guide to the best hikes near Charlotte here!

Other resources out there are just completely inaccurate in regards to distances and segments of the trails. AllTrails has the same issues with inaccuracies, but has some helpful maps and GPS directions to parking lots so I will link those for each greenway.

You can hop on most greenways at any point along the trail, so if you don’t want to do the full thing or if there is a more convenient area to join based on where you live, know that you can simply walk onto the greenway from most neighborhoods. That is also true in regards for areas to park—all of the greenways have a designated parking lot but you can park in most neighborhoods along the trail as well.

These are all the greenways within the outer 485 loop of Charlotte, but at some point I may force myself to venture into the suburbs! Whether you are walking, running, or biking, Charlotte has a fantastic greenway system!

Seaboard Brewing

Four Mile Creek Greenway

This greenway is in Matthews and a nice stroll along a creek. It is 4 miles total roundtrip out and back. This is definitely one of the more crowded greenways in CLT, but it is still worth checking out. Here is the AllTrails link to where to park along the road or in the neighboring subdivision. Check out Seaboard Brewing for homemade beer and pizza or Carolina Beer Temple for a great tap list of beers after your walk!

Stewart Creek/Wesley Heights/Urban Irwin Creek Greenway

These three greenways intersect in West Charlotte towards Uptown. At one point there is a fork where you can decide to follow Stewart Creek or Irwin Creek, but they are both about the same distance. Overall each trail is about 3.5 miles. I would recommend parking at the Stewart Creek Greenway Trailhead (904 Woodruff Place).

The trail starts in nature and then gets much more urban as you continue on, going right to Uptown. Town Brewing and Blue Blaze Brewing are both right near the trail to enjoy a beer after! Here is the AllTrails link to show the map of Irwin Creek and Wesley Heights. Here is the AllTrails link to show the map of Wesley Heights and Stewart Creek.

Irwin Creek GReenway

This short section of greenway is 3 miles out and back near South End. It runs from Revolution Park with a turf football field across a golf course to Clayton Park. It is a little odd to venture directly through a golf course, but the trail is pretty empty and the rest of it follows a creek through a more relaxing setting. Here is the AllTrails link for this section.

Little Sugar Creek Greenway

This greenway is segmented across parts of Charlotte and has multiple different sections, arguably this is the most confusing greenway in CLT.

Personally I prefer the section that starts in Villa Heights and goes through the Belmont neighborhood towards Uptown. There is a parking lot near The Hobbyist, a great coffee shop and craft beer bar. Grab a coffee to walk with or a beer afterwards! This section is 2.5 miles total roundtrip out and back. It starts at Cordelia Park and ends at Alexander Street Park. Here is the AllTrails link that will give you GPS directions to the parking lot and a map of the route. Occasionally the bridge under Parkwood Avenue will flood, if that is the case you can simply cross Parkwood on the main sidewalk and then rejoin the greenway.

A more urban section of the Little Sugar Creek Greenway winds through Midtown and Myers Park. This section is mostly just sidewalks through the city, but some sections are more scenic. It starts at Freedom Park and goes 2.5 miles towards Uptown. You could also hop on near the Target and Harris Teeter in Midtown and go in the opposite direction. Here is the AllTrails link that will provide you with a map. Grab a beer at Devil’s Logic along the way.

There is also a long section in South Charlotte that runs from near Marion Diehl Park to 485. AllTrails has it broken into two different trails: here is the link for the further north section starting near Marion Diehl Park and here is the link for the section starting at Huntingtowne Farms Park.

IMG-1557.jpg

Mallard Creek Greenway

This trail is over 9 miles long out and back and is located up near UNC Charlotte. You do need to cross a road at one point, but otherwise it is pretty relaxed. Here is the AllTrails link, but I personally enjoyed combining part of Mallard Creek Greenway with Toby Creek Greenway. You can also connect to Clark’s Creek Greenway if you choose.

Toby Creek Greenway

Toby Creek Greenway runs across part of UNC Charlotte’s campus. It is just over 6 miles long total and connects to Mallard Creek Greenway if you’d like to expand your journey. Part of this trail is more nature filled than the section that goes through campus, but it is interesting to stroll across campus and provides great people watching. Here is the AllTrails link with a map, but the parking lot and distance are inaccurate.

Clark’s Creek Greenway

This trail is about 5 miles total out and back and is nice and nature-y. Park at Mallard Creek Elementary and enjoy your walk along the river! It can be muddy if it has recently rained. I thoroughly enjoyed this one personally. Here is the AllTrails link with a map and directions.

Campbell Creek Greenway

This 3 mile trail is right off Independence Boulevard making it convenient, but you will hear some road noise throughout your walk. It follows the creek throughout and is more nature filled than some of the other options aside from the noise.

As a heads up one of the Google Maps locations will take you to an apartment complex without parking options, so I’d recommend the parking lot AllTrails directs you to. Here is the AllTrails link. Unfortunately this parking lot is not at the exact beginning/end of the trail, it is right on Margaret Wallace and intersects the trail. If you follow the path from this parking lot on the same side of the road as the parking lot you will hit McAlpine Creek Greenway in about a half mile. If you cross Margaret Wallace from the parking lot the trail runs about two miles which is the main section of Campbell Creek Greenway.

This greenway is right near Edge City Brewery so I definitely recommend stopping by for a pint after!

Mcalpine Creek Greenway

McAlpine Creek Greenway is quite long at about 8 miles and connects to Campbell Creek Greenway as noted above if you’d like to extend your journey an extra 3 miles. McAlpine Creek starts near James Boyce Park and it leads to McAlpine Creek Park which has an additional 3 miles of cross country trails that you can explore. Personally I found this trail to be a little smelly unfortunately, you’ve been warned. Here is the AllTrails link for directions to the parking lot that I’d recommend, please note this route is not completely accurate as far as distance and correct markings, I just think the directions are helpful. This greenway is also right near Edge City Brewery!

There is also a lower section of the McAlpine Creek Greenway running 8 miles out and back going further South, here is the AllTrails link.

SHORTER GREENWAY OPTIONS

Personally if a greenway isn’t at least 3 miles I don’t find it to be worth my time and effort, but here are a few shorter options for those of you interested:

Cheers and happy exploring! -Alexis