25th Annual Pineville Fall Festival
Jack D. Hughes Park
513 Main Street, Pineville, NC
October 19-21, See website for schedule, Free
Summary: Music, food, carnival rides, arts & craft vendors, pie eating contest, chili cook off & fireworks Saturday night!
Mint Hill Madness Festival
Veterans Memorial Park
8500 Fairview Road, Mint Hill, NC
October 19-21, See website for schedule, Free
Summary: Mint Hill Madness is a festival to celebrate the founding of the Town. Mint Hill Madness has something for everyone in the family; delicious food; great music ranging from country to rock; a fantastic family carnival; and of course, a spectacular firework show.
Pumpkin Patch at Hodges Family Farm
Hodges Family Farm
3780 Rocky River Road, Charlotte, NC
September 23 – October 31, Daily 9am-5:30pm, Free
Summary: Pumpkins of all shapes and sizes, hay bales to climb and jump on, barnyard animals, picnic areas and more!
Carolina BalloonFest
Statesville Regional Airport
260 Hangar Drive, Statesville, NC
October 20-22, See website for schedule and cost
Summary: Hot Air Balloon Flights are scheduled twice daily; early morning & late afternoon. All ballooning activities (including static display, tethered rides and balloon flights) and skydiving exhibition are weather-dependent.The decision to inflate hot air balloons is made just prior to the scheduled ballooning activity. Please note that due to the popularity of our festival, our admissions booths will close when we reach maximum capacity. This is a decision out of our control and made by local law enforcement. Tickets are non-refundable.
SCarowinds
14523 Carowinds Blvd, Charlotte, NC
Summary: SCarowinds, the Carolinas’ premier Halloween event, is back with a vengeance. Among this year’s new attractions is the Procession of Nightmares parade, where all of your deepest, darkest dreams have come to life on the park’s midways.
You’ll sleep with the lights on after experiencing this new season of SCarowinds with nothing but pure fear straddling the North Carolina-South Carolina state line. Every corner has a fresh coat of fright with horrifying haunted mazes, spine-tingling scare zones, and live entertainment.
Carolina Renaissance Festival
16445 Poplar Tent Road
September 30 – November 30, See website for schedule
Summary: Time travel to the greatest party since Camelot! Take an autumn stroll through the wooded Village of Fairhaven where history comes alive with non-stop, day-long, immersive and interactive entertainments like no place else! Shop an abundance of arts and crafts in the village open-air Artisan Market!
Adventure awaits with games and rides, valiant jousting knights on horseback, majestic falconry, beautiful mermaids and fairies, friendly dragons, feasting, and so much more! Come one, come all for non-stop, day-long family adventure!
Whitewater Center
U.S. National Whitewater Center
5000 Whitewater Center Parkway, Charlotte, NC
The month of October, Free admission, $6 parking
Summary: Film Series, Ultra Trail Marathon, used bike and boat sale
Live Under the Oaks Series
Birkdale Village, Birkdale Commons Pkwy & Sam Furr Rd
April 7-October 27, 6pm-8pm, Free
Summary: Start your weekends unwinding with live musical performances in the Plaza every Friday evening from April to October. Grab your friends and family and get ready to dance the night away!
North Carolina Transportation Museum
1 Samuel Spencer Dr., Spencer NC
See website for events and activities
Summary: The NC Transportation Museum is a historic site, once home to Southern Railway’s largest steam locomotive repair facility in the southeast, and a museum featuring all types of transportation history – railroading, automotive, aviation, and more.
Blumenthal Performing Arts
We present the largest Broadway season in the Carolinas, hosting more than 18 weeks of Broadway shows annually, along with a large array of special attractions and festivals, from concerts to comedy to dance to the Charlotte Jazz Festival and much more.
We manage six theaters in the center city where the curtain goes up on more than 1,000 events annually, including performances by our 16 resident companies. More than 7.9 million people attended events in our theaters during our first 25 seasons.
We inspire kids. More than 150,000 students participate annually in our student-focused programs ranging from internships to specially priced show tickets to The Blumey Awards, which celebrates excellence in high school musical theater in our region.
Pay-to-Play at Superior Play Systems
11415 Granite St, Suite C, Charlotte, NC
See website for schedule and prices
Summary: Bring your children to a fun, creative indoor playground environment!
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.
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.
