Girls Weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina
One weekend, my friend, Desiree, and I were lucky enough to be able to sync our work schedules enough to spend a couple days together in Charlotte. The itinerary included a trip to the National Whitewater Center, facials, and lots of good food and fun. All in all the perfect recipe for an unforgettable girls weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina!
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We spent our girls weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Kimpton Tryon Park Hotel in downtown Charlotte.
While we were not in town long enough to enjoy all of the amenities, the hotel offers a rooftop bar, Italian restaurant, gym, and yoga deck.
The rooms were stylish and comfortable, and the hotel is in a great location! The hotel is located Uptown within walking distance to stadiums, museums, and more!
DAY 1: Coffee / Rafting / 5 Church / Crave
We started our day with a little coffee and breakfast at Not Just Coffee. The food and coffee were both very good. We both chose coffee and toast with our favorite toppings. They have more healthy options as well but I couldn’t resist cinnamon & honey!
The staff were friendly, and there were plenty of seats to enjoy our breakfast on premises. If you are staying at the Kimpton Tyron Park hotel or someplace nearby, it is a super convenient spot to grab breakfast, as it is right across the street.
After fueling up at Not Just Coffee and a quick stop back at the hotel, we headed to the US National Whitewater Center.
The US National Whitewater Center is a 700 acre facility where you can enjoy a variety of outdoor activities such as whitewater rafting, rock climbing, mountain biking, ziplines, and paddle boarding. You could easily spend a full day or multiple days at the facility. If you do plan to spend a full day, the Whitewater Center has several food options, lockers, a sports shop, and a full locker room with showers. It is also easy to return to your car during the day if you prefer to keep a cooler or bags in your car.
We wanted to check out as much as possible, but, unfortunately, the weather had other plans for us. We were able to get in one turn at whitewater rafting before the thunderstorms rolled in, but our other activities were put on hold until another trip.
After waiting out the first storm under a pavilion, we were able to make it back to our bags (holding our phones) to check the weather radar. We made the difficult decision to call it a day and head back to the hotel. Turns out, we made the right decision, because we got caught in another rainstorm walking to the car, and ran into hail on the drive back to the hotel! Such is life in the southeastern US in the summer!
After our exciting drive through the hailstorm, we stopped by the hotel to shower and change for dinner. We had called ahead hoping to get dinner reservations at 5 Church, but they did not have any reservations still available for that evening.
We decided to take our chances and walk down the street to 5 Church and hope to get a seat at the bar. Although we may not have had the best luck with the weather for outdoor fun, luck was in our favor at dinner and we were able to eat at 5 Church after all!
For dinner we enjoyed curry roasted chicken breast and white truffle cheddar mac & cheese. We also tried a tasty “blackberry patch” cocktail – gin, Prosecco, blackberry, & lemon juice. The star of the meal was the appetizer – yellowfin tuna sushi tots. Yeah, it was sushi on a tater tot instead of rice. We could have eaten about 50 of these things. They were amazing!
We decided to pass on dessert at 5 Church because we had someplace else in mind. We walked down the street to Crave Dessert Bar, and it did not disappoint. Crave Dessert bar would be a perfect addition to any girls weekend in Charlotte. The menu is HUGE. We had to get help from the server to decide what to order because everything sounds amazing. Luckily, the staff there are knowledgeable and willing to spend extra time with their guests to make sure they have a great experience.
We settled on chocolate martinis (Chocolate Cocaine to be exact), two different cupcakes – Cocoa Cocoa & Detailed Devils – (with a Godiva chocolate liquor tube you squeeze into the middle), and an apple crumbly thing called a Capetown Apple Bake. It was all absolutely delicious. And we tried our best to eat every bite, but ended up taking some back to the hotel with us. My only complaint is that I wish they had some kind of huge sampler platter so you could try a taste of more things. Guess I will just have to go back next time I am in Charlotte.
DAY 2: Sunflower Baking Co /Nature's Spa & Wellness
Sunflower Baking Company
For our second day we decided to take full advantage of the comfy beds at the Kimpton Tyron Park Hotel and sleep in a little bit. Once we finally decided to emerge, we hopped in an Uber and headed over to Sunflower Baking Company for a yummy breakfast sandwich and coffee. They make the pastries and breads in house from scratch, and brew the coffee fresh. Seems like there are a few locations around the Charlotte area now.
Nature's Spa and Wellness
After breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and headed to get facials. This was a first for me! Desiree had lined us up spots at Nature’s Spa and Wellness just outside of downtown. When we pulled up we weren’t sure we were at the right place. The building doesn’t really scream spa from the outside. But once inside, it was very nice and the staff were friendly and helpful. I must say, I greatly enjoyed my first facial experience! Since it was my first time they spent a little extra time letting me know what to expect, and suggested some products for me at the end of my session. I did end up purchasing a couple of Eminence skincare products while there, but I was planning on that ahead of time and did not feel pressured to do so.
After a little relaxation, it was time to start the drive back home. It was a short trip, but we both had a great time on our girls weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Charlotte – until we meet again!