Union County Real Estate Talk

Fun Things to Do in Charlotte NC—The Gantt Center for African-American Arts+Culture

The Gantt Center for African-American Arts+Culture will celebrate its first birthday in October 2010.  My husband and I spent a pleasant Sunday afternoon recently at the Gantt Center and recommend it to anyone interested in African-American visual arts.  There were three exhibits at the Center on the day we visited.  Highlights from the John and Vivian Hewitt Collection of African-American Art presented fifty eight works of art, including Romare Bearden and Elizabeth Catlett.  Two other galleries contain prints, paintings and wooden vases and bowls.

The Gantt Center is located in uptown Charlotte NC on North Trade Street.  It is part of the Wells Fargo Cultural Campus.  Other museums at the Cultural Campus include Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the Mint Museum opening in October, and the Knight Theater.

The Gantt Center has its roots in Charlotte’s Afro-American Cultural Center, which was founded in 1974.  Community leaders in conjunction with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) created the center to provide the public access to African-American culture through exhibitions, performing arts, and innovative educational programs.

The Center is named for Harvey B. Gantt, a Charlotte architect.  Harvey Gantt was the first African-American student admitted to Clemson University and the first African-American mayor of Charlotte.

The first annual GanttFest takes place on September 11, 2010.  This event will include story-telling, dance, spoken word, music and other live performances throughout the day.  It is free to the public and the Gantt Center will be open from 9am to 6pm that day.

Want to know more about living in Charlotte NC and its small towns?  Request a free Charlotte NC relocation package.

Copyright 2010.  Carol Fox.  Allen Tate Realtors.  *Fun Things to Do in Charlotte NC—The Gantt Center for African-American Arts+Culture*

Fun Things to Do in Charlotte NC—Come Sit a Spell at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden

Sipping iced tea on a big front porch is one of the iconic visions of the southern home.  Or should I say ‘sipping sweet tea’?  No matter how you take your tea, you’ll enjoy the exhibit of original porch furniture at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden.

Called Come Sit a Spell, the exhibit features porch rockers, swings, and chairs crafted by artists, schools, companies and community groups.  Forty five unique pieces of furniture are placed throughout DSBG, Charlotte NC’s premier botanical garden.  The pieces range from rustic to modern to whimsical.  They all honor the tradition of the southern front porch.

Enjoy these photos of some of my favorite art from the Come Sit a Spell exhibit.

Other Fun Things to Do in Charlotte NC

Tour Bank of America Stadium

Watch a Movie in the Park

Want to know more about living in Charlotte NC and its small towns?  Request a free Charlotte NC relocation package.

Copyright 2010.  Carol Fox.  Allen Tate Realtors.  *Fun Things to Do in Charlotte NC—Come Sit a Spell at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden*

Fun Things to Do in Charlotte NC—Watch a Movie in the Park

Do you remember riding in the back seat of your parents’ car to the local drive-in movie?  Those drive-ins are nearly extinct now.  But you can experience the same kind of fun with your family today.  Spring and summer are the season for watching movies in Charlotte NC’s small town parks.

Movies in the Park are about to begin in Matthews NC and Mint Hill NC.  Mint Hill’s first movie is Friday May 7th and Matthews will show its first movie on Saturday May 8th.  Take a picnic and a blanket or lawn chair.  The movies begin at sunset about 8:00.

Mint Hill’s program is call Movies on the Lawn because the movies are shown on the lawn in front of the Mint Hill Town Hall.  Three movies are scheduled:  The Princess and the Frog on May 7th, Where the Wild Things Are on May 14th, and Cloudy with the Chance of Meatballs on May 28th.

Stumptown Park in downtown Matthews NC is the site of the Matthews Summer Concert and Movie Series.  Pre-movie activities start at 7pm with the movie following at 8:30.  You can take your own food or purchase food on-site from vendors.  The movies schedule is UP on May 8th, Where the Wild Things Are on May 22nd, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs on June 5th and Ghostbusters on June 19th.  The Ghostbusters pre-movie activity is Slime Making.  Sound like fun!

Stallings NC will show a movie at its Stallings Movie Night in the Park on June 12th.  Pre-movie activities start at 7pm and the movie starts at dusk.  This event takes place at Stallings Park in downtown Stallings.

Other Fun Things to Do in Charlotte NC

Tour Bank of America Stadium

Want to know more about living in Charlotte NC and its small towns?  Request a free Charlotte NC relocation package.

Copyright 2010.  Carol Fox.  Allen Tate Realtors.  *Fun Things to Do in Charlotte NC—Watch a Movie in the Park*

Fun Things to Do in Charlotte NC—Tour Bank of America Stadium

Everyone loves to go to a professional football game, right?  Especially on a beautiful fall afternoon in Charlotte NC with those blue Carolina skies overhead. 

But what can you do to get your football fix after the season ends? You can take a tour of Bank of America Stadium, home of the Carolina Panthers.  I took one of these tours recently during a family visit and loved every minute.

On a recent Friday morning, we parked our car on a nearby street and walked over to the stadium.  We passed the two growling panthers at the main entrance and headed for the ticket office on Mint Street.  Here we met our tour guide, a very entertaining lady whose job during home games is to supervise “the pen”.  The pen is the holding area for those who have become so unruly during the game that they have to be removed.  Her stories about her adventures with the people in the pen were hilarious.

Our tour took us from the stadium bowl to the locker room for the away team to the press box to one of the luxury suites.  It was fun to view the stadium from the luxury suite and see the resident hawk gliding back and forth over the stadium right in front of us.  We spent an hour with our tour guide as we moved up and down through the stadium.

Want to know some facts about Bank of America Stadium?

• The stadium is a privately-financed, open air, natural grass stadium with 73,778 seats.  According to the tour guide, Mr. Richardson, the owner, says that the stadium will never have a dome because he believes football should be played outside. 
• The stadium and adjacent practice fields are located on 33 acres of land in uptown Charlotte.
• There are 11,209 club level seats along both sides of the playing field.  The club level has access to eight furnished lounges with food and beverage and televisions for viewing the game.
• Two levels in the stadium have 158 luxury suites with viewing seats, lounge space and toilet facilities.
• The Bermuda grass playing field has a state-of-the-art drainage system that can drain between 10 and 12 inches of rain per hour.

Tours are given on Wednesdays and Fridays.  You can plan for an inexpensive family outing at the stadium as the tours cost $5 or less.  Click here to learn more about taking a Bank of America Stadium tour.

Copyright 2010.  Carol Fox.  Allen Tate Realtors.  *Fun Things to Do in Charlotte NC—Tour Bank of America Stadium*

Locust NC and Stanfield NC—Great Country Towns Near Charlotte NC

Miles of rolling farmland and hardwood forest.  Horse farms and equestrian facilities behind white fencing.  Fresh country air and breathing room.

These phrases describe Stanly County NC but don’t reveal everything you should know about this rural area just to the east of Charlotte NC.  In the middle of the farmland and horse farms are two small towns determined to provide modern amenities for their residents.  These two towns, Locust NC and Stanfield NC, are located side-by-side just 25 miles east of uptown Charlotte and just 11 miles from Mint Hill NC and I-485.

Locust NC calls itself A City with a Soul. Drive into Locust and you will see a fresh new Town Center with buildings that evoke turn-of-the-century Carolina small towns.  A modern horse statue dominates the town square.  You’ll find banks, shops, restaurants, the town hall and a library in the Locust Town Center.  The Locust City Park hosts adult and youth softball leagues, a spring festival and movies in the park during the summer months.  You can even find a brand new Walmart Superstore near downtown Locust.  The Crutchfield Campus of Stanly Community College welcomes you as you approach Locust from Charlotte.

Stanfield NC, next door to Locust, isn’t as large as its neighbor. Stanfield wants to stay in touch with its past. A reconstructed old log barn at Pete Henkel Park welcomes you to Stanfield’s small main street with its original buildings.  Stanfield, like so many Carolina small towns, exists because of the railroad.  It was established in 1912 and named after the railroad engineer who had just brought the trains to the town.

Locust was established earlier in the 1860s by German, Scotts-Irish and English immigrants.  Its first name was Crossroads because of the many travelers who passed through the area.  The only water available in those days for travelers was a central well dug close to a locust tree.  In 1869, the new post office for the area was named Locust Level for the locust tree and the level fields and road nearby.  In 1894, Level was dropped and the town became simply Locust.

Stanly County’s estimated population in 2008 was 59,614.  2005 estimates put the number of residents in Locust at 2526 and in Stanfield at 1110.  Locust and Stanfield are located where Highway 24/27 and Highway 200 intersect.

Want to know more about homes and farms in Locust and Stanfield?  Click here to request a list of properties for sale in Stanly County NC.

Copyright 2010.  Carol Fox.  Allen Tate Realtors.  *Locust NC and Stanfield NC—Great Country Towns Near Charlotte NC*

Charlotte NC Parks—Colonel Francis Beatty Park

If you enjoy mountain biking and hiking, you’ll love Colonel Francis Beatty Park.

This gem of a park is located at 4330 Weddington Road in South Charlotte just a few miles from downtown Matthews NC.  The park’s 265 acres include spaces for a variety of active recreational activities plus beautiful places for relaxing and quiet reflection.

In addition to the mountain biking and walking trails, Colonel Beatty Park has two basketball courts, six tennis courts, five lighted soccer fields, two horseshoe pits, and two softball fields.  Bring your family and a picnic and enjoy the indoor and outdoor picnic shelters and two playgrounds at the park.

The Colonel Beatty Lake Pointe Hall has a beautiful setting overlooking a ten acre lake.  Lake Pointe Hall, with a capacity of 120, can be reserved for weddings and meetings.  You can fish in the lake or launch your canoe or kayak from the lake’s launch area.

 Learn more about other nearby parks.

Squirrel Lake Park in Matthews NC is Perfect for Quiet Getaway

Stumptown Park is Matthews NC Community Hub

Copyright 2010.  Carol Fox.  Allen Tate Realtors.  *Charlotte NC Parks—Colonel Francis Beatty Park*

Charlotte NC’s Botanical Gardens at UNCC Are Full of Winter Blooms

You don’t have to wait until April or May to enjoy beautiful blooming plants in Charlotte NC.  Charlotte’s mild climate means that you can find flowers year-round.  One of the best places to find blooms in late February and early March are the Botanical Gardens at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC). 

The UNCC Botanical Gardens include the McMillan Greenhouse, the 3-acre Susie Harwood Garden, and the 7-acre Van Landingham Glen.  Each of these gardens has a unique group of plants.  The McMillan Greenhouse includes bog gardens and an orchid collection.  The Susie Harwood Garden is full of unique ornamentals including a winter garden.  The Van Landingham Glen in a woodland garden filled with rhododendrons.

My husband, Jon, and I took a walk through the Susie Harwood Garden this morning.  We saw many varieties of camellias in full bloom, the unique Edgeworthia or Paperbush tree, a winter-blooming rhododendrum and primroses.  I hope you enjoy these winter garden photos as much as we enjoyed our walk today.

Copyright 2010.  Carol Fox.  Allen Tate Realtors.  *Charlotte NC’s Botanical Gardens at UNCC Are Full of Winter Blooms*

Charlotte NC Snow Day!

We don't have many opportunities for snow in Charlotte NC. But today is one of those rare days.  At my house we have about four inches of snow and brilliant blue skies.  Enjoy these photos that I took this morning around my yard.

Want to learn more about weather in Charlotte?

Moving from the North to Charlotte NC?  What You Need to Know about the Weather.

Copyright 2010.  Carol Fox.  Allen Tate Realtors.  *Charlotte NC Snow Day!*

Christmas in Charlotte NC Small Towns

Would you like to find a quaint, old-fashioned setting to celebrate Christmas?  You don’t have to travel far from Charlotte NC to find small, family-oriented holiday festivities.  Just stop by area small towns such as Matthews, Mint Hill and Lake Park.

This is a photo blog of Christmas in these small towns.  Enjoy the holidays!

Christmas in Matthews NC

Matthews NC has the most extensive festivities.  The holidays start in early December with a street festival, a tree lighting ceremony with entertainment and the arrival of Santa.  Downtown businesses also sponsor a candlelight holiday stroll later in the month.

Christmas in Mint Hill NC

Mint Hill NC also has a tree lighting ceremony.  These photos show the Mint Hill Town Hall with the tree in the plaza behind the building.

Christmas in Lake Park NC

Lake Park’s town center is decked out for Christmas.  Each of the town’s neighborhoods has a contest for the best decorated home.

Copyright 2009.  Carol Fox.  Allen Tate Realtors.  *Christmas in Charlotte NC Small Towns*

Veterans Day Activities in Charlotte NC Small Towns

Charlotte NC’s small towns are proud of their veterans and their service to the country.  Several area events honor local veterans this weekend, November 7th and 8th with additional ceremonies on Veterans Day, November 11th.  Here is a recap of some of the activities in the towns.

Monroe NC

The Warriers and Warbirds 2009 Air Show, one of the largest area celebrations takes place at the Charlotte-Monroe Executive Airport in Monroe NC.  This two-day airshow features the Flying Fortress B-17 bomber, the Memphis Belle, and three B-25 bombers.  Gates at the airport open Saturday and Sunday at 9am with the airshow starting at 12:30pm.  Dauntless Dive Bomber rides and helicopter rides will be available to those who want to know what it was like for the veterans to fly into battle.

Local pilots started Warriors & Warbirds in 2005 to preserve the history of aviation and to memorialize those who perished while serving their country.  The City of Monroe, the Veterans Council of Union County and local businesses support the organization and the airshow.

Matthews NC

At the Levine Senior Center in Matthews NC, daily events honoring veterans began on November 2 and continue until November 10th.  These special activities have included a USO show, patriotic music, an ice cream social, a veterans seminar, and a movie.  On November 9th, an F-4 cockpit simulator will be available. A veterans celebration with recognition and entertainment will take place on November 10th at the Levine Senior Center.

The Matthews Rotary Club will sponsor the 5th annual Matthews Rotary Bluegrass Festival on Saturday November 7th in Stumptown Park in downtown Matthews NC.  Activities include a 30-mile/60-mile Bike Ride, a 5K race, a one-mile fun run, a chili cook-off and bluegrass entertainers.

Read more about last year’s Bluegrass Festival:  Veterans Day in Matthews NC.

Mint Hill NC

The Mint Hill Historical Society presents a Salute to Veterans at the Carl J. McEwen Historic Village in downtown Mint Hill on Saturday November 7th.  The grounds of the Historic Village will have Civil War re-enactors and demonstrators and military memorabilia, equipment and uniforms will be on display.

Read more and view photos of last year’s event:  Veterans Day in Mint Hill NC.