A suburban mom samples South End
Plus: City Council approves 2040 Plan — Airport parking rates on the rise starting in July — Steel giant Nucor buys new building in SouthPark
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Urban Adventures: Rev up the minivan, find somewhere to park and imagine your youthful self in trendy South End
Calling all suburbanites, or city dwellers looking to break out of their bubbles: Has it been awhile since you ventured to one of those areas in and around uptown that you keep hearing about? You don’t need Blumenthal tickets or Knights seats as an excuse to make that trek into the big city — The Ledger is here for you. In this occasional series, we’ll handpick adventures (that we’ve tried ourselves!) and tell you everything you need to know to make the most of the experience, from the best time to go, to where to park (or what greenway/light rail to take). Grab your keys, phone and wallet … let’s go!
SAY CHEESE: The confetti hearts mural in South End is one of the most Instagrammable spots in Charlotte.
by Cristina Bolling
The words “youthful” and “trendy” spring to mind when describing Charlotte’s South End neighborhood — pretty much the opposite vibe my minivan was giving off as I wove through South End’s streets on a recent Sunday, jockeying between pedestrians, parked cars and construction equipment.
But I finally parked (more on this later), unloaded my 10-year-old daughter and pandemic pup, and we headed off for a few sweaty hours in one of Charlotte’s hottest neighborhoods.
I’m a south Charlotte suburban mom who ventures into uptown and its close-in neighborhoods a decent amount, but even for me, South End retains a cool mystique — new buildings constantly rising from the clay, new restaurants opening seemingly every week and pedestrians and scooters zipping along on the district’s Rail Trail.
There’s enough to do in South End to fill a few newsletters, but here’s a little sampling of activities from our afternoon in South End, plus some tactical advice on how to visit:
THE OUTING: My options were a little limited with a kid and a canine in tow, so South End’s art galleries like Hidell Brooks and Elder Gallery were off-limits, as were indoor dining restaurants. But our goal was to have a snack, view some public art, window shop and take in the vibe. We kept our radius small enough so we could explore it on foot.
WHERE TO PARK: This is a tricky one. Parking in South End is a challenge, so one option is to park at a light rail station a few miles away and take the Lynx light rail to the East/West station or the Bland Street station.
If you want to drive straight into South End, we’ve got a few favorite spots for parking: the parking deck adjacent to Blaze Pizza on Camden often has spots (enter from West Boulevard), as well as the parking deck at Publix (point your nav to 2222 South Blvd.) or street parking wherever you can find it. On this outing, I parallel parked my minivan (one of my mom superpowers) in front of Common Market on Tremont Avenue. It was an overcast Sunday, and there were plenty of free street spots.
Be warned: Some street parking spaces in South End are metered, so you’ll need to download the ParkMobile app to pay for parking, at a cost of $1 per hour.
WHAT TO BRING: An empty stomach, or at least empty enough for a snack or a beverage, some spending money, good walking shoes and enough cell battery to snap photos of the public art you’ll see.
WHAT TO DO:
➡️ Snap a selfie in front of the confetti hearts wall. This might as well be a requirement. It seems everyone who visits needs a photo in front of the mural by artist Evelyn Henson. On weekends, there’s almost always a little crowd of people waiting to pose and smile. We volunteered to take a photo of a group from Honduras; then they returned the favor and took a photo of us. The wall is at 1930 Camden Road, just past Hawker’s Asian Street Fare and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams.
➡️ Walk the Rail Trail. This is the main pedestrian/bike artery running through South End, and it’s a brilliant one, full of public art (including murals on the path underneath your feet in some spots), places to stop for a bite or window shopping. Be careful of scooters whizzing by, and if you bring a dog like we did, you’ll want to keep that leash tight. We hopped on the Rail Trail at Camden and Tremont and headed north, passing the bright-fuchsia Dilworth Artisan Station, a giant public chalkboard (we appreciated the encouraging messages like “Never give up” and “No Pain, No Gain!”), and we waved farewell to the now-shuttered Price’s Chicken Coop.
RAIL TRAIL: Even newcomers find it easy to orient themselves on the Rail Trail; just look into the distance; if you see skyscrapers, that’s north.
Later in the afternoon, we walked the Rail Trail south and overshot where we’d started out, so we could take in the shops and restaurants at Atherton Mill, catch a glimpse of Sycamore Brewing and check out some high-rises that were going up.
➡️ Grab a bite. Finding something you want to eat is never a problem in South End, because the choices abound: vegetarian and healthy bites at Flower Child or Living Kitchen, tapas at Barcelona Wine Bar, pizza at Blaze, pho at Futo Buta, or Asian dishes at Hawker’s, to name a few.
We passed Krispy Kreme’s Global Product & Innovation Center and new doughnut shop on Hawkins Street just after we parked, which has the first-ever Krispy Kreme vending machine. But we were out of luck: The machine was out of doughnuts. We did grab some scoops at Jeni’s — the “darkest chocolate” flavor in a waffle cone is a favorite (see below), but three half-scoop trio for $6 is also a good way to go for variety.
Ice cream, scooters, a mural and the Rail Trail (in the distance) — it doesn’t get more South End than that.
➡️ Grab a brew: Sycamore Brewing, on the Rail Trail just south of Atherton Mill, is the perfect stop for a drink and good people (and dog) watching. Park on a bench overlooking the Rail Trail, and, if you’re middle-aged like me (or beyond), imagine which apartment building you’d live in and what your social life would be like if you were a Charlotte whippersnapper with disposable income. It wasn’t a beer kind of afternoon, so we cruised by Sycamore but enjoyed the people-watching there as we walked past.
➡️ Check out the shops: Along Camden, you’ll find local shops like 704 Shop with Charlotte-themed apparel, Girl Tribe women’s clothing store, The Candle Bar and OMJ Clothing. We spent some time window-shopping in the Atherton Mill area, home to local shops like Boem and national retailers like Anthropologie and Warby Parker.
With the dog and the 10-year-old tuckered out, we hopped back in the minivan for our return to south Charlotte, which suddenly seemed even more sprawling and a lot less colorful. But I’d made a list in my head of places to take the rest of the family, or a group of mom friends, when it’s time for the next South End adventure.
Cristina Bolling is The Ledger’s managing editor: cristina@cltledger.com
Previous Charlotte Ledger Urban Adventures:
“You and a dog walk into a bar” (June 19)
“Try these forays on foot” (June 12)
Related drone video:
“Flyover Friday: All the action in South End” (Sept. 18, 2020)
Today’s supporting sponsor is Soni Brendle:
This week in Charlotte: Low attendance at ‘Camp CMS’; controversial 2040 Plan passes; first vaccine lottery winner picked
On Saturdays, The Ledger sifts through the local news of the week and links to the top articles — even if they appeared somewhere else. We’ll help you get caught up. That’s what Saturdays are for.
Politics
2040 plan approved: (Ledger Wednesday 🔒) The City Council adopted the 2040 Comprehensive Plan on a 6-5 vote on Monday night. That ends a months-long debate over the controversial plan, which will help guide the creation of new rules for Charlotte’s growth. But it also starts debate on the details of those new regulations. Planning Director Taiwo Jaiyeoba said in a speech Tuesday that it was a “historic decision.”
Education
Low attendance at summer school: (WFAE) About 80% of at-risk public school students are not attending Charlotte-Mecklenburg School’s summer school, according to attendance figures for “Camp CMS.” About 13,000 of an estimated 65,000 at-risk students attended during the first week.
Pricey speech: (Ledger Friday 🔒) Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools paid $25,000 to a keynote speaker for a leadership conference last week.
Local news
Airport parking rates rise: (Ledger Friday 🔒, Observer) Brace for higher costs to park at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The airport says it’s raising rates to pay for parking “enhancements” such as an online reservations system and accepting digital payments. The long-term lots, which are the least expensive, will go to $10 a day, up from $7 a day, starting July 6.
First vaccine lottery winner chosen: (WSOC) North Carolina drew the first $1M Covid vaccine lottery winner on Wednesday, but it could take days to contact the winner, confirm his or her identity and have the winner agree to be publicly named. The second drawing will happen July 7.
Business
Nucor’s new digs: (Ledger Monday, Biz Journal) Charlotte-based Fortune 500 steel giant Nucor bought a four-story office building in SouthPark for $21M. It’s on Rexford Road on the other side of the street from the company’s existing headquarters.
Sabates exits Mercedes dealership: (Ledger Monday) Well-known Charlotte businessman Felix Sabates sold his Mercedes-Benz of South Charlotte dealership in Pineville, according to property records. Public documents show that Sabates’ SB Real Estate Investors sold the dealership at 950 N. Polk St. in Pineville to a company affiliated with Penske Automotive Group of Michigan for $21.8M. The deal closed June 4. That’s just for the purchase of the land — the purchase of the business would have been a separate transaction. Penske said that the acquisition is expected to add $150M in annual revenue.
Good reads
A news anchor shares her struggles (Charlotte magazine): WSOC anchor Allison Latos opens up about losing her baby and being diagnosed with thyroid cancer — all within a few difficult months last year: “I’ve always felt a responsibility to report difficult stories in a respectful way, but this has made me a more empathetic person; I can appreciate and share in the rawness of life.”
An ode to K&W (Axios Charlotte): Lost in all the recent news is the fact that K&W Cafeteria in Pineville has closed, writes Axios’ Michael Graff. The company has filed for bankruptcy. “For many a North Carolinian, K&W stands in memory as a weekly meal with a grandparent, a monthly gathering with a Lions club, a place outside of school to run a tray along the silver railings, a Thanksgiving dinner in a tough year, a Southern restaurant where you could get a cube of Jell-O AND chocolate pie.”
From the Ledger family of newsletters
The search for church land: (Ledger Friday 🔒) With church attendance dwindling and Charlotte real estate prices soaring, developers are increasingly eyeing church land for redevelopment all over the city. It’s a trend that’s likely to continue.
Dog groomers in high demand: (Ledger Wednesday 🔒) The combination of a shortage of dog groomers and an increase in dog ownership during the pandemic means waits for grooming appointments are spanning well over a month at some pet salons, and some groomers aren’t taking new clients because they’re too busy.
A cop named Crash: (Ways of Life 🔒) Danny “Crash” Smith grew up a rough-and-tumble kid, and he went on to serve his country in the U.S. Air Force and his community as a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officer, where he earned his nickname.
Uptown parking heats up: (Transit Time) With the prospect of uptown offices reopening, many workers are again facing the challenge and expense of where to park. Even though many offices are expected to go a hybrid schedule, don’t expect a break on prices at decks and surface lots.
Will Zack’s Hamburgers be the next to go? (Ledger Friday 🔒) We asked the owner of Zack’s Hamburgers about persistent rumors that it might be the next longtime Charlotte restaurant to call it quits.
Towers near NoDa (Ledger Friday 🔒): In our occasional series answering readers’ development questions, we look into a series of five concrete towers near the Cross Charlotte Trail. What are those things?
From the south Charlotte pool beat: (Ledger Monday) Barclay Downs Swim & Racquet Club reopens its pool after a couple weeks of being closed because of a “tingling sensation” while using a pool ladder; meanwhile, Cameron Wood Swim & Racquet Club reports that supply shortages are rocking its concession stand.
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire, CXN Advisory; Reporting intern: Lindsey Banks