Charlotte wishlist - scorecard

[Higgs Boson 87]

Yeah, pretty much.  I don't think it will let you pour unless you swipe your card, which keeps track of what you pour and how much and you just pay by the ounce.  They also had wine and other stuff on tap.

[SouthEndCLT811 956]

2 minutes ago, Higgs Boson said:

Yeah, pretty much.  I don't think it will let you pour unless you swipe your card, which keeps track of what you pour and how much and you just pay by the ounce.  They also had wine and other stuff on tap.

It'd be cool, friends and I wanted to look into starting a concept like this years ago.  Though we found NC laws prohibit customers from pouring their own drinks.  Source - bottle service at clubs in town where the waitress has to come around to refill your glass.

At least that's how it was a few years ago, not sure if it's changed or not.

[nonillogical 404]

I didn't revisit the whole thread so apologies if some of these have already been covered at some point:

• 2-3 new mid-size music venues to replace those we've lost. I think there is pent up demand for at least one to open right now. 
• An annual music festival. The easiest thing to do would be to host it at the music factory, using all the venues and adding tents for other vendors and facilities. Our venues are probably too spread-out for a Hopscotch-style festival, but if some additional outdoor stages were added to the mix it could maybe work. 
• A skate/bike park, preferably in a prime location with good pedestrian access. I was just in Atlanta and they have a nice small skatepark linked up to their beltway greenway (which is amazing) in Old Fourth Ward Park. It is frankly embarrassing how far behind we are as a city on this front with our fledgling but completely ignored skate and freestyle bmx scene. 

[Higgs Boson 87]

Agree on all three.  I don't skate or anything, but Charlotte's lack of a good skatepark is almost silly.  Every big city has them.  Off the top of my head, I remember Houston and Denver having some pretty cool urban ones...

Edited August 29, 2016 by Higgs Boson

[kermit 11952]

15 minutes ago, SouthEndCLT811 said:

It'd be cool, friends and I wanted to look into starting a concept like this years ago.  Though we found NC laws prohibit customers from pouring their own drinks.  Source - bottle service at clubs in town where the waitress has to come around to refill your glass.

At least that's how it was a few years ago, not sure if it's changed or not.

They did (still do?) have your own taps at some tables at Taco Mac in Southpark.  Macoroni Grill also had a our your own (crappy) wine at the table for years in NC.

[Jt282506 3854]

Duckworths uptown initially planned to do the pour your own thing. I think ABC has something to say about it....of course

[SouthEndCLT811 956]

32 minutes ago, kermit said:

They did (still do?) have your own taps at some tables at Taco Mac in Southpark.  Macoroni Grill also had a our your own (crappy) wine at the table for years in NC.

Ah totally forgot about those.  Our initial thought was more around liquor and then bottle service/waitresses comment about ABC laws squashed the idea.  Thought it applied to beer as well but maybe not!

[GeauxCLT 616]

2 hours ago, SouthEndCLT811 said:

Ah totally forgot about those.  Our initial thought was more around liquor and then bottle service/waitresses comment about ABC laws squashed the idea.  Thought it applied to beer as well but maybe not!

Several wine shops around town have machines where you swipe a card and it pours a defined amount of wine. My wife has a card for the one on Moorehead next door to Dilworth Neighborhod Grill. I think this would be really cool with beer. If someone did this in the old John's Country Kitchen spot in Midwood I'd be a regular. Anyone want to partner - let's make it happen. 

[JRNYP2C 614]

There is a place just outside of the CBD in Raleigh called Clouds Brewing.  It was a pour down place last summer (about a year ago).  Same concept as some were mentioning above.  They give you a wristband and you had 10 taps to choose from, and you were charged by the ounce.  The beers were all local - nothing from Clouds at that point because they were a few months out from having their own done.  Overall, it was pretty good and reasonably priced.

[johnpro318 133]

6 hours ago, Higgs Boson said:

Was just in Denver.  They have a place called First Draft where you pour your own beer.  They had a wall with 40 beers on tap and you get a card that keeps track of how much you pour, which I thought was more fun than getting flights of beer.  They also had good food and a nice patio.  Think something like this could do well in South End.

They have had one of these in Greenville SC for a few months. I'm spruced you guys don't have one already. Called Pour Taproom. You get an RFID bracelet when you enter.

[Dale 2684]

Has anyone mentioned an aquarium Uptown ? A zoo anywhere in the metro ?

[AirNostrumMAD 2692]

20 minutes ago, Dale said:

Has anyone mentioned an aquarium Uptown ? A zoo anywhere in the metro ?

Me. Both. There was even a thread about a zoo in Charlotte. 

Sea Life does not count as an aquarium. I would love to see an aquarium uptown. North Tryon would be a great place. 

[Dale 2684]

35 minutes ago, AirNostrumMAD said:

Me. Both. There was even a thread about a zoo in Charlotte. 

Sea Life does not count as an aquarium. I would love to see an aquarium uptown. North Tryon would be a great place. 

Absolutely!

[Matthew.Brendan 4194]

RE: (Aquarium or Zoo) For as much as I visit either (Maaaaaybe once a year? Twice?) I am happy to simply drive somewhere and roll it into a day trip to another city. 

Columbia Zoo is fantastic and 1.5 hour drive. 

Atlanta Aquarium is (was) the largest Aquarium in the world. (Until 2012 when it was surpassed by one in Singapore). 

I really don't see why either need to be replicated in Charlotte. 

(There's also Lazy 5 Ranch in Mooresville and the Aquarium in Myrtle Beach)

[KJHburg 68046]

Have you been to the Sea Life aquarium? I went one day with low expectations but it was really nice and had a lot more than I thought. Plus they have a free behind the scenes tour of the tanks from up top which was really neat. I agree we don't need to build one here but this facility is nice for a small aquarium which has more than you might think. Remember Bernie Marcus founder of Home Depot paid for the whole Georgia Aquarium and the city may have given the land but that is it. 

[R.Talbott 92]

2 hours ago, Matthew.Brendan said:

RE: (Aquarium or Zoo) For as much as I visit either (Maaaaaybe once a year? Twice?) I am happy to simply drive somewhere and roll it into a day trip to another city. 

Columbia Zoo is fantastic and 1.5 hour drive. 

Atlanta Aquarium is (was) the largest Aquarium in the world. (Until 2012 when it was surpassed by one in Singapore). 

I really don't see why either need to be replicated in Charlotte. 

(There's also Lazy 5 Ranch in Mooresville and the Aquarium in Myrtle Beach)

Tiger World in Rockwell is fantastic.  More people should know about it.  The best place to see big cats that I've ever been to.

http://www.tigerworld.us/

[Dale 2684]

4 hours ago, Matthew.Brendan said:

RE: (Aquarium or Zoo) For as much as I visit either (Maaaaaybe once a year? Twice?) I am happy to simply drive somewhere and roll it into a day trip to another city. 

Columbia Zoo is fantastic and 1.5 hour drive. 

Atlanta Aquarium is (was) the largest Aquarium in the world. (Until 2012 when it was surpassed by one in Singapore). 

I really don't see why either need to be replicated in Charlotte. 

(There's also Lazy 5 Ranch in Mooresville and the Aquarium in Myrtle Beach)

Chattanooga is only a two-hour drive from Atlanta. But it has a very fine aquarium.

[Nick2 5557]

The NC zoo is only an hour and a half drive from Charlotte, too. It's pretty awesome and is doing a major expansion right now.

[AirNostrumMAD 2692]

15 minutes ago, Nick2 said:

The NC zoo is only an hour and a half drive from Charlotte, too. It's pretty awesome and is doing a major expansion right now.

Well I don't know what zoo I went to because I thought that was such a crummy zoo. When I went in June. Like. 5 cars in the parking lot, no one there. Empty habitats sort of. Dingy. 

 

Zoo Atlanta was amazinggggg. I haven't been to riverbanks in a while but I always remembered it great too. 

[Nick2 5557]

@AirNostrumMAD The NC Zoological park is most definitely not "dingy." It is the largest walkthrough Zoo in the world, 2000 acres. It has two, soon to be three, major areas. North America, Africa, and Asia. The visitation is usually substantial. I highly doubt you went to the main NC zoo if you think it was "dingy." Most of their exhibits are considerably larger than other zoos' and the "savannah" area is really cool with multiple animals together in one large enclosure. You can watch the elephants playing in the ponds and the gazelles running around in the same area.

While having approximately the same number of species as zoo atlanta, the NC zoo boasts over 16,000 animals compared to zoo atlanta's 1500. The zoo has amazing trails and sight seeing opportunities and is somewhat famous for the various special attractions that they have like various interactive exhibits which children LOVE. Besides seeing the animals themselves, you can actually see them playing with each other. Especially the elephants and chimpanzees (the most of any zoo in america). The aviary is nationally renown as well.

As for wishlist, I hope the Zoo gets the additional funding to increase their Asian side to a full third of the park like the N. America and Africa areas. Plans for private investment including a full service resort with special access is in the works. The US 64 bypass around asheboro is going to greatly improve traffic flow with special entry and exit points to the zoo directly off the highway instead of having to take two lane roads.

Having been to both riverbanks in Columbia and the NC zoo, they're both genuinely great. Riverbanks is more crowded by a lot and the Nc Zoo is a better experience overall, biases aside.

Here's a tip if you're planning on going, CHECK THE WEATHER. You will be walking a LOT through open air pathways. We made the mistake of going in mid-summer onetime and it was 90 degrees. We were drenched in sweat by the end.

Edited January 9, 2017 by Nick2

[Temeteron 404]

1 hour ago, Nick2 said:

@AirNostrumMAD The NC Zoological park is most definitely not "dingy." It is the largest walkthrough Zoo in the world, 2000 acres. It has two, soon to be three, major areas. North America, Africa, and Asia. The visitation is usually substantial. I highly doubt you went to the main NC zoo if you think it was "dingy." Most of their exhibits are considerably larger than other zoos' and the "savannah" area is really cool with multiple animals together in one large enclosure. You can watch the elephants playing in the ponds and the gazelles running around in the same area.

While having approximately the same number of species as zoo atlanta, the NC zoo boasts over 16,000 animals compared to zoo atlanta's 1500. The zoo has amazing trails and sight seeing opportunities and is somewhat famous for the various special attractions that they have like various interactive exhibits which children LOVE. Besides seeing the animals themselves, you can actually see them playing with each other. Especially the elephants and chimpanzees (the most of any zoo in america). The aviary is nationally renown as well.

As for wishlist, I hope the Zoo gets the additional funding to increase their Asian side to a full third of the park like the N. America and Africa areas. Plans for private investment including a full service resort with special access is in the works. The US 64 bypass around asheboro is going to greatly improve traffic flow with special entry and exit points to the zoo directly off the highway instead of having to take two lane roads.

Having been to both riverbanks in Columbia and the NC zoo, they're both genuinely great. Riverbanks is more crowded by a lot and the Nc Zoo is a better experience overall, biases aside.

Here's a tip if you're planning on going, CHECK THE WEATHER. You will be walking a LOT through open air pathways. We made the mistake of going in mid-summer onetime and it was 90 degrees. We were drenched in sweat by the end.

That's nice and all but nobody wants to drive to Asheboro. Why can't Charlotte have a zoo? We need something closer!

[Nick2 5557]

I agree, Charlotte could have a smaller urban format zoo with some animals here and there. An uptown aquarium would be much better in my opinion. Stick it next door to discovery place off of north tryon.

[HopHead 1399]

Since we're talking wishlist which may or may not mean realistic in a lot of scenarios, I think if the Nascar HOF ever went under (or pulled by the city/Nascar) they could convert it to an aquarium (among other things). Location is perfect. Right next to the convention center. Would be stones throw away from a light rail stop. Obviously someone would have to pay for converting it, so not sure how much of an appetite people would have for doing that. It wouldn't ever compete with the Georgia Aquarium but would be a nice regional draw for the Carolinas. 

[kermit 11952]

If Charlotte really must have a zoo then building it in undeveloped, non-street fronting, space around UNCC (Mallard Creek and N Tryon?) or the 485 station in Pineville (behind Sterling Elementary -- probably too much road noise) or maybe Eastway Park would do the least damage to the urban fabric and still be transit accessible.

Personally I would rather Charlotte focused on developing things that are somewhat unique to the area and region and neither a zoo or aquarium really do that. Having said that I really do support the sanctity of the wishlist.

[R.Talbott 92]

9 hours ago, AirNostrumMAD said:

Well I don't know what zoo I went to because I thought that was such a crummy zoo. When I went in June. Like. 5 cars in the parking lot, no one there. Empty habitats sort of. Dingy. 

 

Zoo Atlanta was amazinggggg. I haven't been to riverbanks in a while but I always remembered it great too. 

You must be hard to please.  I've been to dozens of zoos around the US and I think it's great.  Very comparable to Safari Park in Escondido, CA.  I've only been when the zoo has been busy.