Tip: 20 free things to do
Newcomers frequently ask about affordable activities in Charlotte. Here are 20 ideas for free things to do around town, courtesy of the Arts & Science Council. Know of others? Please post them here or e-mail me.
1. The Mint Museum of Art is FREE on Tuesdays from 5 pm-10pm.
2730 Randolph Road, 704-337-2000, http://www.themintmuseums.org
Hours: Tuesday 10:00am – 10:00pm, Wednesday – Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00pm, Sunday 12:00pm – 5:00pm, Closed Mondays and major holidays
2. The Mint Museum of Craft + Design is FREE on Tuesdays from 10 am-
2 pm and the third Thursday of the month from 5-8 pm.
220 North Tryon Street, 704-337-2000, http://www.themintmuseums.org
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10:00am – 5:00pm, Third Thursday 10:00am – 8:00pm, Sunday 12:00 – 5:00pm, Closed Mondays and major holidays
3. The McColl Center for Visual Art is always FREE.
721 North Tryon Street, 704-332-5535, www.mccollcenter.org
Contact tourinfo@mccollcenter.org for individual or group tours.
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 11:00am – 4:00pm. Closed Sunday – Monday.
4. The Afro-American Cultural Center is always FREE.
401 North Myers Street, 704-374-1565, www.aacc-charlotte.org
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10:00am – 6:00pm, Sunday 1:00pm – 5:00pm
5. The Light Factory galleries in Spirit Square are always FREE.
345 North College Street, 704-333-9755, www.lightfactory.org
Hours: Monday – Friday 9:00am – 6:00pm, Saturday 12:00pm – 6:00pm
Sunday 1:00pm – 5:00pm
6. ImaginOn is always FREE.
300 East Seventh Street, 704-973-2780, www.imaginon.org
Hours: Monday – Thursday 9:00am – 9:00pm, Friday – Saturday 9:00am – 6:00pm Sunday 1:00pm – 6:00pm
7. Wing Haven Gardens & Bird Sanctuary is always FREE.
248 Ridgewood Avenue, 704-331-0664, www.winghavengardens.com
Hours: Sunday 2:00pm – 5:00pm, Tuesday 3:00pm – 5:00pm,
Wednesday 10:00am - noon
8. Chamber Music At St. Peters First Tuesday Concerts are FREE at
12:10pm and 5:30pm the first Tuesday of each month at St. Peter's
Episcopal Church in Uptown.
115 West Seventh Street, 704-335-0009, www.chambermusicatstpeters.org
9. Take a FREE Public Art Walking Tour around uptown Charlotte.
Contact: Jean Greer, Vice President of Public Art, Arts & Science Council, 704-333-2272
10.Enjoy FREE Family Day Sundays at The Charlotte Museum of History.
3500 Shamrock Drive, 704-568-1774, www.charlottemuseum.org
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10:00am – 5:00pm, Sunday 1:00pm – 5:00pm
11.The Charlotte Symphony offers FREE Symphony 101 talks at the
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Libraries on the second Monday of each
month. www.charlottesymphony.org/symphony101.htm
Matthews Branch Library, 230 Matthews Station Street at 9:00am, 704-847-6691; Main Branch, 310 North Tryon Street at 12:15pm, 704-336-2725
Guests who attend the talks will receive a 10 percent off coupon for any upcoming Charlotte Symphony Friday Classics Concerts.
12.North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center offers FREE tours
the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month from 11:00am – 2:00pm.
130 North Tryon Street, 704-379-1378, www.blumenthalcenter.org/about/tours.asp
13.NoDa Gallery Crawls are FREE and are held on the 1st and 3rd Fridays
of the month. www.noda.org
14.Historic South End Gallery Crawls are FREE and are held on the 1st
Friday of the month.
www.historicsouthend.com
15.Concerts on the Green in Davidson are FREE on Sundays April -
September. www.concertsonthegreen.com
Located at Downtown Davidson's Town Green from 6:00pm – 8:00pm
16.Summer Concerts with the Charlotte Symphony are FREE on Sundays in June at Symphony Park by SouthPark Mall.
www.charlottesymphony.org/summer.htm
Concerts begin at 8:15pm with preludes at 7:00pm
Enjoy FREE Holiday Festivals throughout Charlotte-Mecklenburg including:
17.Matthews Alive – Labor Day Festival
www.matthewsalive.org
18.The International Festival at UNC-Charlotte
http://ifest.uncc.edu/
19.Select Charlotte Shout! Events
www.charlotteshout.org
20.Festival in the Park
www.festivalinthepark.org
1. The Mint Museum of Art is FREE on Tuesdays from 5 pm-10pm.
2730 Randolph Road, 704-337-2000, http://www.themintmuseums.org
Hours: Tuesday 10:00am – 10:00pm, Wednesday – Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00pm, Sunday 12:00pm – 5:00pm, Closed Mondays and major holidays
2. The Mint Museum of Craft + Design is FREE on Tuesdays from 10 am-
2 pm and the third Thursday of the month from 5-8 pm.
220 North Tryon Street, 704-337-2000, http://www.themintmuseums.org
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10:00am – 5:00pm, Third Thursday 10:00am – 8:00pm, Sunday 12:00 – 5:00pm, Closed Mondays and major holidays
3. The McColl Center for Visual Art is always FREE.
721 North Tryon Street, 704-332-5535, www.mccollcenter.org
Contact tourinfo@mccollcenter.org for individual or group tours.
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 11:00am – 4:00pm. Closed Sunday – Monday.
4. The Afro-American Cultural Center is always FREE.
401 North Myers Street, 704-374-1565, www.aacc-charlotte.org
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10:00am – 6:00pm, Sunday 1:00pm – 5:00pm
5. The Light Factory galleries in Spirit Square are always FREE.
345 North College Street, 704-333-9755, www.lightfactory.org
Hours: Monday – Friday 9:00am – 6:00pm, Saturday 12:00pm – 6:00pm
Sunday 1:00pm – 5:00pm
6. ImaginOn is always FREE.
300 East Seventh Street, 704-973-2780, www.imaginon.org
Hours: Monday – Thursday 9:00am – 9:00pm, Friday – Saturday 9:00am – 6:00pm Sunday 1:00pm – 6:00pm
7. Wing Haven Gardens & Bird Sanctuary is always FREE.
248 Ridgewood Avenue, 704-331-0664, www.winghavengardens.com
Hours: Sunday 2:00pm – 5:00pm, Tuesday 3:00pm – 5:00pm,
Wednesday 10:00am - noon
8. Chamber Music At St. Peters First Tuesday Concerts are FREE at
12:10pm and 5:30pm the first Tuesday of each month at St. Peter's
Episcopal Church in Uptown.
115 West Seventh Street, 704-335-0009, www.chambermusicatstpeters.org
9. Take a FREE Public Art Walking Tour around uptown Charlotte.
Contact: Jean Greer, Vice President of Public Art, Arts & Science Council, 704-333-2272
10.Enjoy FREE Family Day Sundays at The Charlotte Museum of History.
3500 Shamrock Drive, 704-568-1774, www.charlottemuseum.org
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10:00am – 5:00pm, Sunday 1:00pm – 5:00pm
11.The Charlotte Symphony offers FREE Symphony 101 talks at the
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Libraries on the second Monday of each
month. www.charlottesymphony.org/symphony101.htm
Matthews Branch Library, 230 Matthews Station Street at 9:00am, 704-847-6691; Main Branch, 310 North Tryon Street at 12:15pm, 704-336-2725
Guests who attend the talks will receive a 10 percent off coupon for any upcoming Charlotte Symphony Friday Classics Concerts.
12.North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center offers FREE tours
the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month from 11:00am – 2:00pm.
130 North Tryon Street, 704-379-1378, www.blumenthalcenter.org/about/tours.asp
13.NoDa Gallery Crawls are FREE and are held on the 1st and 3rd Fridays
of the month. www.noda.org
14.Historic South End Gallery Crawls are FREE and are held on the 1st
Friday of the month.
www.historicsouthend.com
15.Concerts on the Green in Davidson are FREE on Sundays April -
September. www.concertsonthegreen.com
Located at Downtown Davidson's Town Green from 6:00pm – 8:00pm
16.Summer Concerts with the Charlotte Symphony are FREE on Sundays in June at Symphony Park by SouthPark Mall.
www.charlottesymphony.org/summer.htm
Concerts begin at 8:15pm with preludes at 7:00pm
Enjoy FREE Holiday Festivals throughout Charlotte-Mecklenburg including:
17.Matthews Alive – Labor Day Festival
www.matthewsalive.org
18.The International Festival at UNC-Charlotte
http://ifest.uncc.edu/
19.Select Charlotte Shout! Events
www.charlotteshout.org
20.Festival in the Park
www.festivalinthepark.org
posted by Leigh at
10:26 AM
3 Comments:
Thanks for posting this. There were a lot of Free things to do around town that I was unaware of!
Frisbee golf is FREE. Yeah, so are other "park" sports: Tennis, basketball, softball, etc. But frisbee golf is so fun and so accessible that you almost feel like you should be paying for it. So grab a frisbee and get out there. If you *really* get into it, you can buy "real" golf discs for 10ish bucks. Check out charlottedgc.com where you can get maps of local courses (because it's not always easy to find your way around the courses).
The Charlotte Folk Society has a free "roots music" concert the second Friday of the month at CPCC, August through June. See www.folksociety.org for details. There's also a free open acoustic jam at the Charlotte Museum of History on the second Sunday of the month -- which is also the day of the week when museum admission is free!
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