Things to do in North Carolina...

[Adam Altmann]

I have next week off and am heading down to North Carolina to check the place out. The current extent of my plan is to hit up Charlotte, Raleigh, and the Outer Banks. Information on fabulous restaurants, nightlife, or general Stuff To Check Out would be awesome.

[Leah C]

Go to Asheville if you have time, it's really beautiful up there.

[Skipper]

Downtown Charlotte is nice, sorry Uptown (our excuse for being trendy). Things to do:
- If it coincides with the right weekend, get tickets and enjoy a Charlotte Panthers NFL game.
- There are tons of restaurants off Tryon and Trade streets in Uptown that would be nice to see as well as lots of shopping. EpicCentre is around that area as well and with so much inside it, you can't really go wrong. Also if you head Uptown be sure and PM Jose Liz, I think he just took a job near there.
- There are tons of shops and restaurants outside of Uptown. What type of food do you like I can recommend one or two in particular? The same goes with shopping, are you looking for anything in particular?
- Discovery Place is pretty damned cool, even as an adult. It's a non-typical science museum.
- If you are down here on a race weekend (on involving the track at Lowes' Motor Speedway) may God help you, traffic will be horrendous. However if you are a NASCAR fan, that is a must see.
- The National Whitewater Center is here in Charlotte and a pretty damn fun place for the day for the family or for you and a friend or two. http://www.usnwc.org/
- Carowinds amusement park isn't too bad if you have kids. It's a pretty long drive though, since it's technically spread across the border of North and South Carolina south of Charlotte.

Raleigh's downtown area is, um ... lacking, you might say. We have a few board members that can comment on stuff to do there though. The suburbs around it are quite nice, especially Cary. There are also some fine college campuses that might warrant a visit if you're into that sort of thing: Duke University in Durham, and UNC, Chapel Hill in ... Chapel Hill.

I would second the recommendation for Asheville, it's beautiful and at this time of the year there is very nice weather there. It's not nearly as hot and humid as the rest of the state. If you go there PLEASE visit the Biltmore Estate, and consider the scenery along the I-40 route like Grandfather Mountain, and/or the Blue Ridge Parkway for a short drive.

Also depending on the route you drive you might want to consider Greensboro or High Point, both are HUGE for furniture, although mostly for some of the more expensive brands made in the Carolina's (Drexel Heritage, Henredon, Broyhill, etc.) Also in High Point is the North Carolina State Zoo.

[robsam]

Since you're going to be in Charlotte, this place is worth a look.


http://www.usnwc.org/

Even if you don't want to kayak or raft, it's really nice to just visit and walk around the recirculating river. My friend took me there a couple of years ago right after it opened, I plan on rafting there on one of my next visits to Charlotte.

There are a lot of great things to do in Charlotte, but I'm not a resident, just a frequent visitor, so I don't know what the names of the places are.


Edit: Skippers post beats the hell out of mine.

[Athryn]

There's a little natural history museum (http://www.charlottenaturemuseum.org/) in Charlotte that's pretty neato.

[Skipper]

There's a little natural history museum (http://www.charlottenaturemuseum.org/) in Charlotte that's pretty neato.

Wow ... I've never been there. I swear I still need to see a million places around here myself.

[wahoo]

Explore North Carolina BBQ. I'd say NC is in the top 5 in terms of importance of BBQ, with Texas, Missouri, and TN.
Here's the NC Bbq's trail map of restaurants
http://www.ncbbqsociety.com/trail.html

[Leah C]

If you want bbq and will be in Charlotte, drive out to Concord (20 min drive?) and get Troutman's pulled pork sandwich with a cherry lemon sundrop slushy.

[Adam Altmann]

Stuff.

Awesome! Thanks.

As far as food is concerned, I usually take a pass on Indian food, but other than that I'm wide open. I'll need to find a nice steak place for at least one night, though.

Thanks for the reccommendations on Asheville too, maybe I'll swing by there for a night or two.

The trip is just for me and The Lady (she dislikes BBQ), no kids. I'm eager to move out of Madison, and she thought North Carolina might be nice, so this is a vacation/recon mission. Neither of us have ever been.

[Skipper]

Steak around Charlotte (From expensive to less expensive):

Mortons - best in Charlotte (though arguably), Uptown, nearly in the city center.
Capital Grille - Uptown
Mickey and Mooch's - North end, in Huntersville, the one on south side has poor service.
Sullivan's - Just south of Uptown on (appropriately) South Blvd.
Firebird's - Waaay south side. Not bad though.

There are others but those are your "most recommended" options. All of those will set you back a bit in the wallet. Make it a date night with the wife and you're all set. In general the further out from Uptown you get, the cheaper the food is, but even that has limitations. Some great recommendations that aren't steak though:
The Cajun Queen - live music and Cajun food.
Upstream Restaurant - great seafood.
131 Main - great overall food with their own smokehouse next door.
Price's Chicken Coop - Yes, it's f'n awesome. It's southern fried chicken, complete with slaw and hush puppies. Try it at lunch as you're wandering around Uptown.

[Gedd]

Thanks for the link for the Nature Museum. Might need to take the kids there in the next two weeks. Had no idea that place was down there, and I've been here almost 12 years.

Firebird's - Waaay south side. Not bad though.

There's also one up at Northlake Mall near Huntersville is you're more on this side of town. I've never eaten there, but my wife says it's good, but a bit expensive. I've always heard great things about Mortons though.

[Marcus Walser]

Steak around Charlotte (From expensive to less expensive):

Mortons - best in Charlotte (though arguably), Uptown, nearly in the city center.
Capital Grille - Uptown
Mickey and Mooch's - North end, in Huntersville, the one on south side has poor service.
Sullivan's - Just south of Uptown on (appropriately) South Blvd.
Firebird's - Waaay south side. Not bad though.



Not to step on anyone's toes here, but I hate to see these kind of recommendations bandied about, because Charlotte has much, much better food than these places.

So, skip all of them and go to Radcliffe on the Green, Zebra, or Bonterra. All of them have fantastic chefs, and the food there is better than the upscale chain steakhouses that you can go to in basically any city. If you're just after a giant steak, though, you may want to stick with the familiar spots.

Additionally, go to The Penguin and get a small block burger, southern style, and a Cheerwine. You might also want to try the sweet potato fries. When I say this, I mean that you absolutely must get the sweet potato fries.

http://zebrarestaurant.net/main.html
http://www.ratcliffeonthegreen.com/overview.html
http://www.bonterradining.com/

Price's Chicken Coop - Yes, it's f'n awesome. It's southern fried chicken, complete with slaw and hush puppies. Try it at lunch as you're wandering around Uptown.

Bring a roll of paper towels and realize that you are going to have to eat it on the hood of your car - it's a takeout place. Also, get the sweet tea.

The trip is just for me and The Lady (she dislikes BBQ)

Your wife is a robot?

[Athryn]

and a Cheerwine.

I've been wanting Cheerwine ever since I tasted my first one, and I can't find any in VA, although they're supposedly around. Best soda ever.

[Leah C]

The trip is just for me and The Lady (she dislikes BBQ),

This is crazy-talk. There are so many distinct styles of BBQ, I find it hard to believe that someone can just not like it unless they don't like meat and things that are awesome ;(

[drteeth]

You could try out kite surfing while you are in the outer banks. It's the most fun you can possibly have on water.

Visit REAL kiteboarding.

[Drai]

Not to step on anyone's toes here, but I hate to see these kind of recommendations bandied about, because Charlotte has much, much better food than these places.


Agreed - not that Morton's and the like are incapable of making a good steak, but if a chain (even an upscale one) is making the "best of" list for any particular style of food, one of two things is happening -

1) The diner has perhaps not checked out a lot of the local establishments; or
2) The city is question is not in any way a decent dining destination

Once again, the Capital Grille's and Morton's of the world are perfectly fine, but I just cringe whenever I overhear someone recommending those as the best places to eat in my town (Denver).

/local foodie rant

[Skipper]

Additionally, go to The Penguin and get a small block burger, southern style, and a Cheerwine. You might also want to try the sweet potato fries. When I say this, I mean that you absolutely must get the sweet potato fries.

http://zebrarestaurant.net/main.html
http://www.ratcliffeonthegreen.com/overview.html
http://www.bonterradining.com/


Awesome! New stuff for me to sample and I've been here 10 years just in Charlotte. I've done The Penguin but I consider it a local (but good) greasy spoon type. But yep, The Penguin is good food, excellent burgers. And besides the sweet potato fries please try the Banana Pudding (aka naner puddin.) There's another place off South Blvd that's similar but I can't place the name of it right now.

Now I have some new places to try though, thanks or the links Marcus. As for chain stuff, yes most of those are, but they are good. Local only though, would exclude all of the steak places but Mickey and Mooch's. Not knowing where Adam will be staying makes it harder to narrow down.

[Skipper]

To be completely honest, Charlotte is hurting for it's own high quality steakhouses though. Understand it's a far jump from say, Atlanta, where there is a very decent selection. But what Charlotte does have are southern convenience food establishments in spades.

[Major Icehole]

Raise up, take your shirt off, twist it around your head just like a helicopter.

[Athryn]

Raise up, take your shirt off, twist it around your head just like a helicopter.

I hate you, that song is stuck in my head now. ><

[Omniscia]

When I was in Durham back in June, I made a point to visit the Carolina Theatre (http://www.carolinatheatre.org) to catch a double-bill of Jaws and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, as part of their monthly Retrofantasma film series. It was great.

If you're looking for some good, old-fashioned sci-fi/horror cinema, Friday night brings the August installment of Retrofantasma (http://festivals.carolinatheatre.org/retrofantasma/), featuring the 1978 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and H.P. Lovecraft's From Beyond (with Jeffrey Combs and Ken Foree). The theatre has a good beer list, and wine, too!

Also, the Sarah P. Duke Gardens (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hr.duke.edu%2Fdukegardens%2F&ei=BfKJSv_nBpLONdK8jfsO&rct=j&q=Sarah+P+Duke+Gardens&usg=AFQjCNFrJJkKKfysEa45Dt1yj870BS66ng) are awesome, if you want to take a nice stroll amid a wide variety of flora, from bamboo forests to prickly-pear cacti.

[Raife]

Go to Asheville if you have time, it's really beautiful up there.

Seconded. The mountains are great and the city is pretty vibrant, with spontaneous drum circles popping up in the streets, that kind of thing. I have relatives there and try to get down every couple of years.

[Wholly Schmidt]

Yeah, more recommendations for Asheville. And if you get on the highway, somehow miss Asheville and drive south for two hours before you realize it, I'll buy you a drink in Greenville SC.

I love the Outer Banks too, but my only real experience with it is as our yearly family vacation spot. We rent a big house for a week and pretty much just hang out at the pool, the beach, rinse, repeat. We don't spend a whole lot of time actually checking out many attractions and we're not really fancy diners in my family, so about the only thing I can think of to recommend to someone passing through is that you might check out Kitty Hawk. You've always wanted to go running down a giant sand dune, right?

[Leah C]

OMG Kitty Hawk. That was my favorite as a kid. We'd go down on cardboard. I do not advise doing this past the age of ten or so when fear and mortality kick in.

There are also nice ferry rides, farmers markets, and light houses in the Outer Banks. Oh and fudge. They seem big on making fudge there for some reason. Avon's nice if you want beach, beach, and more beach. It's pretty empty and most of the beaches can only be accessed by a vehicle with 4wd. It's nice to go in the morning, swim, surf and picnic all day, and then end with a nice fire and beer and s'mores.

[Jojo]

Now I want to go on vacation to North Carolina!

[MikeP]

Since no one has chimed in on Triangle food...

The Triangle area is actually a pretty well known food area, with multiple chefs getting featured in national magazines. The three specialties are eclectic/new American, Mexican, and BBQ. Since BBQ is out, the two Mexican places I'd recommend are La Vaquita (http://www.lavaquitanc.com/) and Super Taqueria (both in Durham). Both are authentic places will all the pickled carrots and other condiments you could desire.

For American, my top two are Watts Grocery (http://wattsgrocery.com/) in Durham and Acme (http://www.acmecarrboro.com/) in Chapel Hill. Both have solid food, and should set you back about $20-30/person. For a romantic dinner, I'd say Lantern (lanternrestaurant.com/) in Chapel Hill, which is pan-asian, and has atmosphere. And if you have nintendo money hats, Revolution (www.revolutionrestaurant.com) is the best restaurant I've been to in the Triangle.

[Kyle Wilson]

I recommend the Fiesta Grill (http://www.fiestagrill.us/) in Chapel Hill. It doesn't look like much, and it's way out in the boonies, but it's some of the best Mexican food I've ever tasted.

[Omniscia]

Twisted Noodles (http://www.twistednoodles.com/) in Durham serves up some nice Thai cuisine for a reasonable price. Sure, it's in a dingy, run-down strip mall (also home to an Indian market, an African market, and an "Asian" market and cooking school), but despite its humble appearance, the food is pretty darn good. Apparently, even Bon Appetit magazine recommends them.

[Major Icehole]

In all seriousness, I'll add another recomendation for Ashville if you get over that way.Also, the outer banks are close to my favorite place on the planet. If you start in the north near kitty hawk, it's really worth it to take a couple of days and drive all the way south. There are a couple of really beautiful lighthouses, not the least of which is Cape Hatteras. You have to take a ferry to go much further south than that, but IMO it's worth it. You'll also get a bit away from the crowds that way. The ferry will then take you to the mainland and you can drive over to Charlotte from there.

Also if you happen to drive through Reidsville, do yourself a favor and stop by Short Sugar's BBQ (http://shortsugarsbar-b-q.com/). I miss it every day.

[Adam Altmann]

Alright,

The first two nights I spent in Asheville. The first night I pretty much got there and went straight to bed. The day after, we went and checked out the Biltmore Estate. It was pretty impressive, to say the least. The hotel we stayed in was pretty fancy-schmancy (if slightly ridiculous) (http://www.bohemianhotelasheville.com/), so that night we ate at the restaurant there. Our last day in Asheville we went downtown to see what the place was all about, and we absolutely did not like it. It's entirely too hippie-commune for me. I would never want to live there. After walking around downtown for about an hour or so, we hopped in the car and drove straight to Charlotte.

Downtown Charlotte was really nice. It was surprisingly clean for a big city, and there were all sorts of fun little outdoor spaces, great restaurants, and cool stuff to see. The first full day there, we went to check out the U.S. National Whitewater Center. (Thanks for the reccommendation!) It was pretty cool. We took it easy for the rest of our time in Charlotte, just hanging out and relaxing. It was good. I would not stay in the Omni Hotel there again. After that, we headed to the Outer Banks.

The Outer Banks is kind of an odd place, in that it appears to be a string of tiny shithole white-trash towns surrounded by hundreds of these million-dollar vacation homes. The beach itself was nice, but that was about it. Perhaps my tastes are too refined. Heh. I will not go there again. I'll be sticking to Hilton Head, South Carolina for my beachy needs. After that it was on to Raleigh.

I liked Raleigh a lot. I also liked Chapel Hill a lot. I think Chapel Hill is at the top of our list for places to live if/when we move down there. We ran out of time, or would have checked out Durham as well. In Raleigh we ate at some random place we walked past called Gravy. Food was good as was the service. I saw the Lantern restaurant reccommended in Chapel Hill, but it wasn't open yet while we were there. Bummer.

That's all I have to report. I just wanted to thank you guys for the reccommendations. It was a good trip.

[Skipper]

Glad you had a good time Adam. And yes, Asheville can be a bit like you described. Sounds like you guys had one hell of a trip, from the mountains to the coast.

I hope the weather was nice as well.

[Aszurom]

You can't eat better than this here...

http://www.poolesdowntowndiner.com/

It's not casually priced though.

[tiohn]

The current incarnation of Poole's is really damn good, although well out of our typical price range. A friend of mine works there and makes pretty ridiculous money.

Adam, yours is the first positive review of Gravy that I've come across. They got off to a really shit-tastic start, so hopefully they're finally getting things together.

[zengonzo]

I really dig Boone .. Their downtown area is a nice stroll.

Blowing Rock and Grandfather Mountain have decent trails.

[WarrenM]

Poole's has the mac'n'cheese market cornered. Best EVER.

[tiohn]

Poole's has the mac'n'cheese market cornered. Best EVER.

While it is very good mac 'n' cheese, it's one of those things that you can make at home for a fraction of the price and it'll be just as good if you make sure and use good cheese.

[WarrenM]

While it is very good mac 'n' cheese, it's one of those things that you can make at home for a fraction of the price and it'll be just as good if you make sure and use good cheese.
Sure, but that's true of pretty much everything isn't it? There isn't much I eat in restaurants that I couldn't probably make better at home with some time investment.

[tiohn]

Well, I should have specified that one can make really good mac and cheese easily and quickly with ingredients that are generally very easy to obtain, as opposed to something else you might get from a restaurant that is more time and skill intensive and would be much more difficult for most people to duplicate.

As I type this, I realize that I will almost invariably order mac and cheese at any place that offers it, especially fancy places, and then grumble about how I can make something just as good and HOW DARE THEY CHARGE $11 FOR MAC AND CHEESE. Every time. And the mac and cheese at Poole's IS really good.