Charlotte, North Carolina, known by the locals as ‘The Queen City’, referencing the wife of King George III, lets you know this city is rich in history. Currently, Charlotte is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas, 20th in the nation. There’s so much to see and do, you might end-up booking extra days at one of the best Charlotte hotels in order to fit everything in or even to visit all 10 distinctive neighborhoods like Uptown, NoDa, Universal City, Plaza-Midwood, Myers Park, Dilworth, South Park, South End. Elizabeth and Ballantyne.

Uptown, is the place to go for a great night out on the town, with your choice of several upscale, fine dining restaurants, like the Monticello or for something easier on the wallet, Mert’s Heart and Soul; going for drinks at the Ri Ra Irish Pub, a locals favorite watering hole; and then attending a sporting event, like a great Carolina Panthers game at Bank of America Stadium.

North Davidson Street, better known as NoDa, which is Charlotte’s version of New York City’s SoHo, located north of Uptown and oozes with creativity. This one time textile manufacturing area has been transformed into art galleries, hot restaurants, theaters and bars. Hopefully, you’ll be in town during the highly touted ‘Gallery Crawl’ , which is where galleries and studios open their doors to the public.

University City, in the Northeastern part of Charlotte, is the most densely populated sections of the city, plus the University of North Carolina and all its students and faculty adds to the over 200,000 residents. There are also a good amount of shopping centers, but what’s more important to all Charlotte is just outside of University City is NASCAR at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Plaza-Midwood – consists of the most beautiful historical southern homes alongside cafes, tattoo parlors, record stores and art galleries, basically, it’s an historically hip place to hang around. Myers Park – was the first commuter neighborhood, so it lacks in the familiar street grid design, giving this neighborhood a unique, relaxed feel. Dilworth – is a typical blue-collar neighborhood with homes that date back to the 1900s.

SouthPark, is for the serious upscale shoppers, even though this is mostly a residential area, SouthPark is consistent with its high-end stores. Once you’ve purchased that new high-fashion outfit, there’s no better place to wear it other than at SouthPark’s restaurants, which tend to be on the fancy side such as Upstream or The Palm.

South End, was revamped from old cotton mills and industrial buildings into restaurants, shops, offices and condominiums. Elizabeth neighborhood, originally named after the Elizabeth College, is known for Independence Park, the first public park in Charlotte. Finally, Ballantyne, located on the south side of Charlotte, is another residential part of the city, but a good place to play golf at the Ballantyne Resort or at the Olde Sycamore Golf Plantation.

See? Way too much to do, but all worth a visit.