The 380-acre Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden caters to all ages from its Orchid Conservatory filled with beautiful orchids to the child friendly carousel in the Lost Hollows. The well-manicured paths take you through themed gardens with stunning fountains and several benches to sit back and enjoy the surroundings. The garden holds many special events throughout the year, from concerts in the amphitheater to bird and horticultural walks and their famous Holiday At The Garden where the garden magically lights up in the evenings during the holiday season.

Featuring a large variety of rhododendrons and local plants, the Botanical Gardens at UNC is a little known gem in Charlotte. Although located right on campus the Garden seems to be an oasis of tranquility among the hectic university life. Also part of the Garden is the McMillen Greenhouse with its six themed collections, including prehistoric vegetation, carnivorous plants and beautiful orchids.

Freedom Park is located just 3 miles (4.8 km) south of uptown Charlotte between the Dilworth and Myers Park neighborhoods. The 98-acre park features a lake, paved walkways, many benches to take a rest and an amphitheater offering free films and musical performances during the summer months.

The park also connects to the Little Sugar Creek Greenway, which makes it an ideal starting point if you want to walk towards uptown Charlotte.

The TransAmerica Square is considered a pioneering example of the integration of urban design and architecture. It also features a stunning fresco by Ben Long titled Continuum. The fresco is located in the dome of a rotunda, which is part of an open-air public archway to the courtyard behind the building.

Home of the original Airbus of US Airways Flight 1549, which made a successful emergency landing in the Hudson River, the Carolinas Aviation Museum has several iconic aircrafts on display such as the legendary DC-3, which has changed air travel forever. Visitors also have the opportunity to sit in a Boeing 727 cockpit, which once was used as a procedures trainer for pilots to learn how to operate a Boeing 727. In contrast, visitors can also climb into the cockpit of an F-4 Phantom II.

Adorning a cute plaza at the Whitehall Corporate Center just a few miles south of Uptown Charlotte, METALmorphosis is a giant head-shaped sculpture crafted by contemporary Czech artist David Černý. 25-foot tall and built from about 14 tons of stainless steel, the glittering structure is divided in seven, independently rotating layers creating the impression of change reminiscent of Franz Kafka’s famous nouvella The Metamorphosis.

This 1,343-acre nature preserve just outside of Charlotte is nested along a peninsula between Mountain Island Lake and Gar Creek in Huntersville. Latta Plantation Nature Preserve has much to offer, hiking, Segway adventures, kayaking, fishing, and horseback riding. There is a Visitors Center, 2 canoe launches, a fishing pier, 2 picnic areas, several parking lots, even one designated for horse trailers. 16 miles of trails are spread throughout the park. Biking is limited to roads and paved paths.
Located within the park are also the the Historic Latta Plantation House and the Carolina Raptor Center.