Today’s Smarty Scoop is proudly sponsored by our friends at Charlotte Ballet – featuring Nutcracker!
Join Clara on her dreamy journey through the Land of Sweets with dancing snowflakes, delicious treats and, of course, the majestic Sugar Plum Fairy. It’s surely a show you don’t want to miss! Tickets can be purchased online.
Polar Express Train Ride
The North Carolina Transportation
1 Samuel Spencer Drive, Spencer, NC
See website for schedule and to buy tickets, reservations required
Summary: Set to the sounds of the motion picture soundtrack, families are sure to enjoy their trip to the North Pole, complete with hot chocolate and cookies served on board the train. Passengers are entertained by a reading of Chris Van Allsburg’s classic, The Polar Express. Upon arrival at the North Pole, passengers deboard to watch Santa present the first gift of Christmas. Before exiting the train at Candy Cane Lane, all passengers who BELIEVE will receive their own sleigh bell.
Speedway Christmas
Charlotte Motor Speedway
5555 Concord Parkway, Concord, NC
November 18-January 8, 6pm-10pm, See website for schedule, $30-40
Summary: Four million LED Christmas lights strewn across a four-mile course, with displays and lights synchronized to Christmas-themed music. The show is open rain or shine, and features synchronized lights to music on 101.3 FM.
Ballantyne Village Annual Holiday Market
Ballantyne Village
14825 Ballantyne Village Way, Charlotte, NC
November 19, 12pm-4pm, Free
Summary: Start your holiday shopping early at Ballantyne Village’s Annual Holiday Pop-Up Market on Saturday, November 19th 12-4PM! Enjoy live music and an outdoor bar, free Hot Coco & more while shopping through more than 35 vendors.
The Lighting of Birkdale Village
Birkdale Commons Parkway and Sam Furr Road,
November 19, 2pm-7:30pm, See website for schedule, Free
Summary: Get in the holiday spirit with festive music, holiday performances and activities for the whole family. From Santa’s arrival to the magical tree lighting, there’s something fun for everyone!
NoDa Pottery Market Holiday Sale
NoDa Pottery Market
3000 N. Davidson Street, Charlotte, NC
November 19, 10am-4pm,
Summary: Shop pottery creations and meet 8 Charlotte ceramic artists. This market offers a great variety of works…functional cups, bowls, mugs plus decorative raku, wall tile art, birdhouses & more. Plus live music for your shopping enjoyment.
Santa’s Wonderland with Free Pictures
November 6-December 24, all day
Cabela’s
1000 Cabela Drive, Fort Mill, SC, reservations required
Santa’s Wonderland with free Pictures
Bass Pro Shops
November 6-December 24, all day
Concord Mills Mall, Concord, NC, reservations required
Southern Christmas Show
Park Expo & Conference Center
800 Briar Creek Road, Charlotte, NC
November 10-20, See website for schedule, $5-$16, kids age 5 and under free with paying adult
Summary: The 55th Annual Southern Christmas Show is filled with charming shops, festive music, smiling faces, crafts galore, yummy food, holiday decor, local wines, Santa, over 400 holiday merchants with gifts for all ages and enough fun to last all year.
Carolina Renaissance Festival
16445 Poplar Tent Road, Huntersville, NC
Saturdays & Sundays from October 1-November 20, see website for details
Summary: Each day is filled with an abundance of attractions and immersive entertainments for all ages. Fourteen stages are packed with continuous live comedy, music, dance, vaudeville and circus entertainments! The Village pathways are bursting to life with over 500 costumed villagers that interact with you for your amusement. You can choose to play or sit back and enjoy the shows!
Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
To present the best in the performing arts and in partnership with others, share and employ the arts as a major catalyst to strengthen education, build community cohesiveness and advance economic growth.
Click here for complete schedule for all theaters.
Charlotte Panthers
Bank of America Stadium
800 S. Mint Street, Charlotte, NC
Click here for 2022 Schedule.
Discovery Place Science
301 N. Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC
See website for schedule, tickets must be purchased in advance online
Summary: Discovery Place Science is an innovative, hands-on Museum that encourages scientific exploration and creativity. Don’t forget to check out the new IMAX experience, IMAX® with Laser technology—a next-generation laser projection system and 12-channel sound system exclusive to IMAX theaters—is immersive by design. Developed from the ground up to deliver crystal clear, lifelike images and precision sound for a moviegoing experience unlike anything else.
Discovery Place Nature
1658 Sterling Road, Charlotte, NC
See website for schedule, tickets must be purchased in advance online
Summary: Discovery Place Nature offers visitors the chance to get close to wildlife and experience nature through hands-on programming, exhibits and classes.
Discovery Place Kids
105 Gilead Road, Huntersville, NC
See website for schedule, tickets must be purchased in advance online
Summary: Discovery Place Kids is a regional children’s museum featuring developmentally-appropriate experiences that encourage interactive learning through imagination and fun, with locations in Huntersville and Rockingham.
Uptown Farmers’ Market
300 S. Davidson Street, Charlotte, NC
Every Saturday April 16-December 10
Summary: 300 S. Davidson street is in the 4.5 acre front parking lot of First Baptist Charlotte, one of the Uptown Farmers Market sponsors. It provides an ideal location for the more than 110,000 residents that live within a 3 mile radius of the market’s site, as well as ample parking for those that visit from around the expanding Charlotte area.
South End Gallery Crawl
Historic South End
Summary: South End is home to a vast array of art in all forms: fine art galleries offering everything from the realist to the experimental, colorful public murals, larger-than-life installations on the Rail Trail and dozens of studio spaces where artists and artisans dream and create.
Take in the local art scene on South End First Friday–an evening when galleries and shops offer extended hours, special receptions, live painting and music. Build in a visit to any of the neighborhood’s restaurants and breweries, and it’s a whole night out!
South End Market at Atherton Mill
2140 South Blvd, Charlotte, NC
Every Saturday, 8am-1pm, Free
Summary: You can find everything from local produce to fresh fish to handmade pasta, and so much more! With live music on one end and a string of local farmers and creatives along the trail, this hub boasts the vibrant energy that we all long for to kick off our weekend. Plus, you can make a day of it by exploring all that Atherton Mill has to offer! There is free parking for shoppers at the Atherton Mill garage, or take the light rail to East/West Blvd Station!
Kids Skate Free
Kate’s Skate – Indian Trial
14500 E. Independence Blvd, Indian Trail, NC
See website for schedule
Summary: Sign up your kids to skate during Kate’s Skating Rink Kids Skate Free, offered on select days/times during the week.
The Schiele Museum of Natural History
1500 East Garrison Blvd, Gastonia, NC
Summary: The Schiele Museum of Natural History is now open! The museum is committed to inspiring curiosity and understanding of science and the natural world through exceptional educational programs, exhibits, and research. To see a list of events and plan your visit, click here.
Mecklenburg County Library Virtual Events
Free Virtual Events
Summary: Join Charlotte Mecklenburg Library every week for a wide range of virtual programming for children, teens and adults. Daily appointments for Reading Buddies and Tutoring and Enrichment for school-age children can be accessed by clicking here.
