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- Freedom Park. Freedom Park is known as Charlottes’ version of “Central Park” as it has miles of trails and a seven-acre lake in the very center. It spreads over 98 acres with tennis courts, baseball fields, playgrounds, and volleyball courts, as well as fields and meadows to relax in.
- Reedy Creek Park. Reedy Creek Park covers 146 acres and offers playgrounds, horseshoe pits, three ponds, fields to play on, and even an 18-hole disc golf course.
- UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens. The University of North Carolina-Charlotte Botanical Gardens is open to the entire public, not just their students. It is on the eastern side of the campus and was originally built to provide educational opportunities for biology students in 1966.
- McDowell Nature Preserve & Center. The McDowell Nature Preserve covers 1,132 acres and houses the natural flora and fauna found in the area. This is the oldest preserve in Mecklenburg County and protects the land and forest around the shores of Lake Wylie.
- Outdoor Things to Do in Charlotte
- Bonus Outdoor Fun Near Charlotte
- Our Thoughts and Yours, Too!
Neighborhood Walks
Even if you’re not currently living in Charlotte, you might already know that the city has some really cool neighborhoods. We enjoyed walking through Uptown Charlotte, but also around NoDa, Southend, University City, and Plaza Midwood. If you’ve been to Charlotte before, what are your favorite neighborhoods to explore?
Follow Hilton-Approved Paths
We were lucky enough to stay at Hilton Charlotte Uptonand upon check-in, they gave us this card. We had a little one with us and enjoyed both the Orange and Red routes during our time there.
Parks Parks Parks!
Sorry if I’m sounding like Leslie Knope over here, but with over 200 parks in Charlotte, you’ve got a lot of green space to explore. The most popular ones are Independence Park, Freedom Park, and Reedy Creek Nature Center and Preserve. And after you visit these three, you’ll see why and want to explore the rest, too! These parks are just the start of why we consider Charlotte among the best winter getaways in North Carolina!
Many folks might be looking into fun beyond Charlotte, so here are a few awesome places to visit nearby.
After traveling through this area for years, we’d never thought there’d be so many outdoor things to do in and around Charlotte. But that story has been common of our journey throughout North Carolina, where we’ve uncovered so many wonderful activities that were previously unknown to us. What about you? Have you uncovered fun that you had no idea a...
Top Charlotte Parks & Nature Attractions: See reviews and photos of parks, gardens & other nature attractions in Charlotte, North Carolina on Tripadvisor.
- Romare Bearden Park. Named as a tribute to the African-American artist, downtown Charlotte’s main park is the city’s most popular spot to take in the outdoors.
- Reedy Creek Park. Reedy Creek's 125 acres might already sound impressive, but you can essentially add another 737 acres of untouched forest to that with the neighboring nature preserve.
- Freedom Park. Freedom Park’s stone bridges that date to the park's founding in 1948 are among the pretty sights in this 98-acre space. There are sports fields where kids' leagues meet for weekend games, but the everyday draw here is for runners and cyclists, who take in the views of the park's lake from paved and unpaved trails that include a section of the Little Sugar Creek Greenway.
- McAlpine Creek Park. A dog run with a clever name, Fetching Meadow, is probably why you've made your way to Charlotte's southeast corner. But McAlpine also boasts 12 miles of trails that pass a lake, lots of benches and a playground along a greenway that spreads well past the park’s boundaries.
Discover endless adventure with 2,600 acres of ATV, UTV, and dirt bike trails, camping, SXS rentals, a restaurant, group parties & events.
Whether it’s biking, hiking, fishing, exploring nature or simply relaxing under the summer sun, whichever activity beckons you, there’s a Charlotte-area park that can accommodate. To help you get started, we’ve compiled a list of some best-in-class natural playgrounds around the county.
Whether your thrill comes from conquering mountains, navigating whitewater rapids, skipping waves or trekking through nature-filled trails, Charlotte invites you to experience every kind of offering under the sun.
