Tourism in Charlotte

[Spartan]

My guess it is because people want to live in a city they can be proud of and that means a city that is desirable enough for people to want to visit. Unfortunately people have often gotten confused between the difference between that of a desirable city and a city with some desirable attractions.

[NcSc74]

I agree with spartan. You just can't invent a tourist city. It has to grow into that destination. The best thing Charlotte can do in the short term is to market the nascar HOF. Build more "attractions" that can compliment it and watch the momentum build. Somthing like the Moonshine Museum or the moonshine mile something dedicated and related to nascar but can appeal to a broader audience. I think a lot of times people over think the simple things. Most times the answer is right there in front of your or has been there the whole time. I LIKE THAT MOONSHINE MILE IDEA...I JUST MIGHT COPYRIGHT IT.

[Charlotte_native]

Not that it would be large or a large draw, but I wish the city would do something regarding our heritage as a gold mining capital in the early 1800's before Cali. A couple of the largest, and a handful of the smaller, mines were located right downtown -- one across from BofA Stadium, another underneath part of Wilmore. Big nationally known mines...it's why we got a mint located here. They produced tons of gold for years. Nothing anywhere denotes these.

[Figursky]

"Moonshine Mile" = awesome. Tell me where and when and I'll be there.

I agree with a natural evolution of attractions coming from what we have versus the artifical creation of a meaningless object. How about a 100 ft statue of Dale Earnhardt?

I support the HOF and am glad the city won that bid.

Let's have Charlotte directly take on Atlanta by building a massive Pepsi museum. Charlotte can get permission from New Bern to re-write history with Charlotte becoming the birthplace of the sweet concoction. (Of course I much rather wish that C-Town could claim Cheerwine).

Charlotte just needs to focus on being an awesome place to live; becoming "world class" would be a beneficial side effect after a REALLY long time. Of course with a "world class" city you get "world class" crime, traffic, costs, organize crime, etc. Granted, that would certainly make things more exciting ; )

[krazeeboi]

I think the frustration (for lack of a better term) with Charlotte as it relates to tourism is due to the fact that it doesn't have the classic things to capitalize on in terms of luring tourists: something related to history (historic buildings, people, etc.) and geography (river or coast). Virtually all of Charlotte's Southern peers have one or both of those things. This makes Charlotte something of an odd child.

[teshadoh]

You all have mentioned Atlanta but have skipped one huge component on why Atlanta is a big tourist destination - convention business. Besides being a regional attraction, what one big component of Atlanta becoming a national attraction has been for decades is the Georgia World Congress Center (the convention center). Of course it's important to have attractions for conventioneers to bring their family & stay for an extra day - but the convention center is the carrot that attracts the donkey. Of course there are other factors, special events (but Charlotte attracts nearly as many concerts, tours, etc. as Atlanta) & home grown arts community which makes a city a destination for music, theater & visual arts.

So in my view - I don't consider any single or group of tourist destinations as making Charlotte a national destination. First you need an excuse for someone to go to Charlotte & if there are things for the family to do - then it can become a tourist draw. But just building a museum or what not won't be the single factor that would convince someone to fly out to Charlotte for vacation.

[krazeeboi]

You all have mentioned Atlanta but have skipped one huge component on why Atlanta is a big tourist destination - convention business.

[New Name]

I think Charlotte does pretty well with appealing to tourists simply for the anomaly that is a very clean and modern American city. We hear it all the time from outsiders who comment: "Charlotte, that's a really clean city" or "Charlotte, everything there is new." And they don't seem to say it with contempt - more so awe. It was one of the first thing I found when I visited Charlotte - man this place is cool looking, these buildings are pretty modern and cool, the sidewalks are clean!

Walk around the CBD any warm Saturday morning and count the people who are just walking around taking pictures of the buildings and architecture. Walk down the sidewalk behind someone who is giving an oral tour of the sites (present and future). Heck, UP is a whole community of people who are excited about architecture and urban living. How many people from all over the world see pictures of Charlotte on UP and say they would really like to visit Charlotte - just because it LOOKS cool.

So I guess, Charlotte's draw is it's ability to look appealing. Kind of makes all the hours we spend on UP more worthwhile to know that we may be defending the future of the city. I mean, back when the skyscraper wars were strong, Chicago made a name for itself by building dreams - there was a famous quote from a Chicago mayor that said something like "If we can't build the tallest and most impressive building, why build it? (I can't remember the quote - I heard it on the architectural boat tour)" And now, look at Dubai - they've got ocean front - but really, their claim to fame is their commitment to inspire awe.

[Charlotte_native]

I should have mentioned this earlier, but the post above just reminded me, Avalon Publications has been soliciting writers for a Tourist Guidebook to Charlotte (i applied for the position). They have them for all kinds of destinations. Across the US and the World. It seems at least this publisher feels there is a need for a travel guide to the city.

[teshadoh]

Actually, I spoke of Charlotte taking a page from Atlanta's playbook and landing a bunch of conventions on the first page of this thread.

[krazeeboi]

^And I'm not sure, but I think that Atlanta grew its convention industry while at the same time adding attractions, unlike cities like New Orleans, Las Vegas, and Orlando--cities that already had a strong tourism industry in place before capitalizing on the convention industry. So I would see Charlotte's tourism industry naturally evolving by building attractions, and in turn, expanding the convention business in the city.

[Spartan]

You all have mentioned Atlanta but have skipped one huge component on why Atlanta is a big tourist destination - convention business. Besides being a regional attraction, what one big component of Atlanta becoming a national attraction has been for decades is the Georgia World Congress Center (the convention center). Of course it's important to have attractions for conventioneers to bring their family & stay for an extra day - but the convention center is the carrot that attracts the donkey. Of course there are other factors, special events (but Charlotte attracts nearly as many concerts, tours, etc. as Atlanta) & home grown arts community which makes a city a destination for music, theater & visual arts.

So in my view - I don't consider any single or group of tourist destinations as making Charlotte a national destination. First you need an excuse for someone to go to Charlotte & if there are things for the family to do - then it can become a tourist draw. But just building a museum or what not won't be the single factor that would convince someone to fly out to Charlotte for vacation.

[Lady Celeste]

But what is there to DO in Atlanta? IMO they are in the same boat we are in Charlotte. I have friends who are going there for a concert, and they asked me if I knew of anything to do. I have no clue. Sure there are sports, but they don't have a places to go that aren't deliberate tourist traps.

Maybe Little Five Points? Peachtree Street is a bit of a letdown. The capitol is kinda cool, but isolated.

I don't want Charlotte to be a city of tourist traps. I want a quality urban environment that invites people to explore. Tourist destinations will be a part of that fabric if we do it right.

[Lady Celeste]

^And I'm not sure, but I think that Atlanta grew its convention industry while at the same time adding attractions, unlike cities like New Orleans, Las Vegas, and Orlando--cities that already had a strong tourism industry in place before capitalizing on the convention industry. So I would see Charlotte's tourism industry naturally evolving by building attractions, and in turn, expanding the convention business in the city.

[krazeeboi]

But what is there to DO in Atlanta? IMO they are in the same boat we are in Charlotte. I have friends who are going there for a concert, and they asked me if I knew of anything to do. I have no clue. Sure there are sports, but they don't have a places to go that aren't deliberate tourist traps.

[voyager12]

When I go to a city I like to have a mix of walkable options "downtown". I think Charlotte has made great strides in this regard but I think our continual lack of mainstream retail options is a major hindrance. SouthPark sucks in all the namebrand retail that could add to Uptown's street life. Seems like most major retailers have it seared into their collective brains that SP is the only place to be. A rail line to SP is not in the cards. In contrast Buckhead is closer in and has a MARTA station nearby. People don't want to have to get in the car to do things many cities already have in their core. Epicentre is a leap forward but we still have a way to go.

[monsoon]

But what is there to DO in Atlanta? IMO they are in the same boat we are in Charlotte. I have friends who are going there for a concert, and they asked me if I knew of anything to do. I have no clue. Sure there are sports, but they don't have a places to go that aren't deliberate tourist traps.

[atlrvr]

Atlanta does probably the 2nd best job in the country selling itself (after Las Vegas). I tend to agree that there is much much more to do in Atlanta than Charlotte, however, I'll also state that a lot of it is manufactured tourist attractions designed to capture the existing convention patrons. Whilte there are lots of "things" to do in Atlanta, there isn't a cohesive theme to the city. For example Munich=Beer, Miami=Nightlife, Paris=Romance, Boston=History, etc....

Charlotte needs to identify a couple of key traits that it can build upon. NASCAR is certainly one, and is probably the biggest generator of random visitors, however, I believe the appeal is somewhat limited and most likely won't be appeal for generations to come.

Banking is one thing Charlotte is known for. Can banking be made interesting? Maybe.

Gold Mines. As mentioned many times on here, opening up a downtown area mine to tours.

I'm drawing blanks at this point.

I truly believe, as others have said, that until Charlotte has a large area with vibrant streetscapes where visitors can stroll for hours/days, then the city will never achieve a level of tourist interest that most on here think we should strive for.

[krazeeboi]

I truly believe, as others have said, that until Charlotte has a large area with vibrant streetscapes where visitors can stroll for hours/days, then the city will never achieve a level of tourist interest that most on here think we should strive for.

[caterpillar2]

I look at it the other way around. Charlotte has copied too much of what people don't like about Atlanta, but it doesn't have the attractions mentioned above, the national mind share as the capital of the South, and people are fairly clueless about Charlotte's place in history. Not so with Atlanta. Atlanta embraces is Southern history, both the good and bad. Charlotte ignores it or pretends it doesn't exist. Charlotte is anyplace USA. Atlanta is, well..... Atlanta. That is the difference and why people will go there to visit. Why come to Charlotte when there is nothing here that can't be had anywhere else and which is usually better done elsewhere? I will give you the ties to Nascar, but we are talking about something that has only existed for about 5 years and something that people still don't really identify with just Charlotte.

[Durhamite]

I've stated this a few years ago, but NO LARGE CITY (or Metro) in NC has taken advantage of the simple phrase on the license plate (First in Flight). Of course the original flight took place in Kitty Hawk, but a large iconic museum in the Outer Banks is not going to draw the numbers if it were located in Raleigh, Greensboro or Charlotte (I-85 corridor).

Charlotte has the perfect location; the parking lot behind the new African American Center. It should include space travel, etc., everything associated with Flight. The Speed theme (Nascar) and Flight could feed off each other.

So what, it's manufactured tourism, most people generally don't care as long as it's nicely done and integrates with the existin urban environment.

Knowing the yahoos in this state, they'll brainstorm the idea and say GREAT! Let's build this place and probably locate it in Sampson County (eg, the NC zoo in Asheboro). Asheboro is a nice town, it's just out of the way to get there.

[Charlotte_native]

We do have a Hooters uptown now. Let's not forget that

[monsoon]

If only 'Gone With the Wind' had been staged in Charlotte instead of Atlanta. I would guess that the movie alone was a huge initial draw to Atlanta.

[Lady Celeste]

Atlanta does probably the 2nd best job in the country selling itself (after Las Vegas). I tend to agree that there is much much more to do in Atlanta than Charlotte, however, I'll also state that a lot of it is manufactured tourist attractions designed to capture the existing convention patrons. Whilte there are lots of "things" to do in Atlanta, there isn't a cohesive theme to the city. For example Munich=Beer, Miami=Nightlife, Paris=Romance, Boston=History, etc....

[Guest]

I've stated this a few years ago, but NO LARGE CITY (or Metro) in NC has taken advantage of the simple phrase on the license plate (First in Flight). Of course the original flight took place in Kitty Hawk, but a large iconic museum in the Outer Banks is not going to draw the numbers if it were located in Raleigh, Greensboro or Charlotte (I-85 corridor).

Charlotte has the perfect location; the parking lot behind the new African American Center. It should include space travel, etc., everything associated with Flight. The Speed theme (Nascar) and Flight could feed off each other.

So what, it's manufactured tourism, most people generally don't care as long as it's nicely done and integrates with the existin urban environment.

Knowing the yahoos in this state, they'll brainstorm the idea and say GREAT! Let's build this place and probably locate it in Sampson County (eg, the NC zoo in Asheboro). Asheboro is a nice town, it's just out of the way to get there.