Charlotte’s neighborhoods have stories to tell – stories many residents have never heard. Charlotte City Walks offer a chance to hear those stories and learn more about the Queen City through free neighborhood tours in May.
Some of the walks include:
• A Neighborhood Through Artists’ Eyes – This tour of East Charlotte’s Plaza Shamrock and Country Club areas is led by artists with home studios in the neighborhood, including Yard Art Day founder Deborah Triplett; CATS Blue Line artists Susan Brenner and Sharon Dowell; studio artist Amy Sanders and glass artist Carmella Jarvi. You’ll visit three artists’ home studios along the way.
• Charlotte Liberty Walk – This walk through uptown with historian and attorney Scott Syfert is focused on Charlotte’s early history, including the mysterious Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence and the 1780 Battle of Charlotte, where Patriots fought Lord Cornwallis.
• What Happened Here: An Urban Cycling Tour and History Talk – This 5.5- mile loop will include stops in the West End, the former Brooklyn neighborhood and Third Ward with leader Greg Jarrell of QC Family Tree. Cycling will be at a friendly pace for all levels, and arrangements can be made if you need a bike.
• Munching Tours – Historian and Charlotte Observer columnist Tom Hanchett will lead participants to “foodie heaven” on four munching tours in the Sharon Amity, Central Avenue, Grove Park and South Boulevard areas. The tours visit family-owned restaurants and businesses that serve authentic food from around the world, including El Salvador, Honduras, Ethiopia, Syria, Nepal and Vietnam.
• McCrorey Heights and Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) – This tour starts and ends next to the bell tower outside First Baptist Church-West and continues to the adjacent McCrorey Heights neighborhood, where resident Emiene Wright and Tom Hanchett will discuss the area’s history and architecture, including the homes of some of Charlotte’s key civil rights activists.
• Grier Heights 2018 Walk of Remembrance – This walk, led by a group of high school students who live in Grier Heights, is a tribute to the late Jonathan Belton and other community members who have served Grier Heights’ youth and the Grier Heights Community Center over the years.
• The Stories of Hebrew Cemetery – This walk through one of Charlotte’s oldest cemeteries offers stories of notable Charlotteans who are buried there, including civic leaders, authors and more, with Brian Yesowitch, the Hebrew Cemetery Historical Chair.
• Walk Tall: Wander Among the Trees of University City’s Green Heart. This tour of the UNC Charlotte Botanical Garden is led by garden director Jeff Gillman and includes the greenhouse and the native, woodland and Asian gardens.
See the full list of City Walks, read walk descriptions and register for a tour at citywalksclt.org.