CHARMING CHAMPIONSHIP CHARLOTTE

When it comes to thoughts of NASCAR the cities of Indianapolis, Daytona and Charlotte come to mind. Charlotte Motor Speedway is the motorsport venue in North Carolina where the recent Coca-Cola 600 took place. It was for that reason that behind the scenes van tour was not allowed on the racetrack to bank the 24-degree full tilt force. The speedway is actually located in the suburb of Concord vs. the recently opened NASCAR Hall of Fame, which is located in Uptown Charlotte.

Lunch was at the Speedway Club specializing in a mix of Southern and American favorites. I decided to sample their version of Shrimp and Grits.

Headed for Uptown financial and arts district of Charlotte to check into the historic Dunhill Hotel. Here's where the charm comes in with the look of 1929 and renovations of the present day amenities. The hotel is in walking distance from: Charlotte Bobcat Arena; Discovery Place; IMaginOn:The Joe & Joan Martin Center; Levine Museum of the South; Mint Museum of Craft & Design; Spirit Center for the Performing Arts; and North Carolina Blumenthal Center for the Performing Arts.

If you don't want to walk to any of these places their London Taxi provides transportation upon request within the Uptown loop on a space available basis from 7AM to 10:30PM. So, for instance you want to dine at McCormick & Schmick's and then go to the Bobcat Arena, which may be a longer walk, they will do that for you. Keep in mind, though, that there is only one taxi.

Here's another charm about the hotel. You either decided the last minute to stay there or just didn't want to think about what you can carry on the plane. All of the toiletry amenities for staying overnight are given gratis. Yes, you don't have to go to a "gift shop" to purchase them.

Levine Museum of the New South documents the history of the region through an exhibit called "Cotton Fields to Skycrapers". You can relive a civil rights era sit-in at a lunch counter (not like the one at the International Civil Rights Museum in Greensboro), try on a hat in an early Belk department store and whole lot more. The second floor houses the changing exhibits.

Discovery Place is the South's premier hands-on science and technology center. This is one cool place for the young and older inquisitive folks. It's kind of like a whole bunch of "adult toys" that kids could play with. There were two things that captured my attention. One was a machine with dust that "danced" to the music. The other was this electronic thing that you can put "blocks" on to contact to others to make musical tones.







They also have two movie theatres, one of which shows 3-D movies and the other is of the IMAX dome ilk.

If you're into the fine arts, Bechtler Museum of Modern Art may capture your eyes. I found it to be a big space for the amount of artwork. There are four floors with the fourth having the most to view. The others were "spaces".