Explore Charlotte through art, science and history. Topics range from international art and design to hands-on science and the history of Mecklenburg County and the Carolinas. To plan your trip, start by choosing what interests you most: would you like to focus on art, interactive science or historical topics?
Art and History in Public Spaces
The Mint Museum is a museum of international art and design, with two locations in Charlotte: Mint Museum Randolph and Mint Museum Uptown. Mint Museum Randolph opened in 1936 as North Carolina’s first art museum. The museum’s name thus brings together an international focus on art and design with a specific story about the state’s art museum history.
The Charlotte Trail of History takes a different approach. It features bronze sculptures of notable people who contributed to the history, growth and development of Mecklenburg County. The trail is part of the urban section of the Little Sugar Creek Greenway. If you’re interested in public art and local history, the focus here is on the people depicted and their contributions to the county’s development.
Science and the History of the Carolinas
In Charlotte’s Uptown neighborhood, Discovery Place Science is an interactive, hands-on science museum with interactive exhibits. It also offers live experiments, animal encounters and an IMAX Dome Theatre. The science experience therefore includes several formats: exhibits, live experiments, animal encounters and a theater. This sets it apart from art and history offerings and can help you choose based on the content you’re looking for.
The Levine Museum of the New South explores the history of the Carolinas. Visitors can discover it through self-guided, group and virtual tours. These formats offer a clear choice in how to engage with the subject: on your own, with a group or virtually. The focus is on the Carolinas, while tours of the Rock House offer insights into life in Revolutionary-era Charlotte.
Historic Homes and Tours
The Rock House is the only surviving structure in Charlotte from the American Revolution era. Guided tours of the house, built in 1774, and its historic grounds offer insights into life in Revolutionary-era Charlotte. Tour availability and scheduling may change. Check the latest visitor information if you plan to include the tour in your itinerary.
Explore Charlotte’s oldest house on the 8-acre historic grounds of the Charlotte Museum of History. The acreage refers to the grounds; the visit described here focuses on exploring the house. Together, these sites offer different perspectives on Charlotte’s history: Revolutionary-era Charlotte and the exploration of a house described as the city’s oldest.
Discover more destinations: Pineville, Huntersville, Davidson, Matthews, Cornelius, Mint Hill.
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