Category: Charlotte-NC


Hiking Crowders Mountain

Filed Under: Carolina Vacations, Charlotte-NC
Feb.12, 2012

 

Where can you go to hike among 11 different trails which range from short and easy to 6.2 mile Ridgeline trails?  If you’re up to the challenge you can hike up to 1625 feet with steep walls and cliffs that drop up to 150 feet for the daring and adventurous rock climbers.  You’ll find this and more at Crowders Mountain State Park in Gaston County. The mountain was named after a German merchant and farmer named Ulrich Crowder who in 1789 purchased the mountain and surrounding land before moving west. In the early 1970′s plans were made to develop and excavate the mountain for natural resources; this led the city council of Gastonia, North Carolina and other concerned citizens to purchase the mountain from developers and give it to the state government. In 1974 the State of North Carolina created Crowders Mountain State Park.

Along the trail you can see gorgeous Carolina Blue skies and hundreds of species of birds and there are a variety of other animals to encounter such as: turtles, salamanders, rabbits, moles, foxes, deer and coyote.  Bring your camera to get great shots of dogwoods and wildflowers during the spring and at higher up elevations you’ll find rhododendrons blooming and pine trees.   And come prepared to spend the day walking/hiking  a variety of 13-mile ridges with parkland extending down to the South Carolina state line and  connecting with Kings mountain State Park and Kings Mountain Military Park.  Crowder’s Mountain is one of two main peaks within Crowder’s Mountain State Park, the other peak being King’s Pinnacle.

From the top catch the panoramic scene while viewing King Mountain. And while you are there spend some time on the lake trail that has a 9 acre pond where you can rent a canoe to cruise the pond for $5 an hour.  Two of Crowders Mountain State Park trails will lead you to its summit which offers a view of uptown Charlotte on the eastern horizon.

To get a lay of the land you can print the trail map online which maps out the trails of the state park so you can choose the trail that suits your hiking challenge. 

There is no cost for your outdoor hike in Crowders State Park and the drive to Crowders Mountain is the perfect short day trip …only 40 minutes away from Charlotte, NC since its located in southwest Gaston County.   Your hike in the mountain can start as early as 8am – 6pm and later in Mar – April close at 8pm and close at 9pm during May – August season.

How to get there:

Take Interstate 85 South , west of Gastonia, NC, take exit 13, turn left and follow Edgewood Road south to Kings Mountain Highway  (US 74/24). Turn right on Sparrow Springs Road follow the signs to the state park.

 Tell us about your hike in the Carolina mountains. Which mountain have you hiked?

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Honey I Shrunk the Gas Budget

Filed Under: Charlotte-NC, Product Reviews, Waxhaw-NC
Apr.20, 2011

 save on GasWith the rising cost of food and gas prices how on earth can we continue to take our family trips?  It’s reality that the ugly “I” word inflation is upon us.  For youth who didn’t know what inflation was before today we witness a real life lesson of inflation and its impact.  For every problem there is an opportunity which means an opportunity to be creative to find new ways to cope with or solve this problem.  Since everyone can’t just go out and purchase a new hybrid car or fuel efficient car or  purchase a motorcycle or even riding  your bike to work is probably not feasible for most families. 

Ideas to shrunk your gas budget are not as far-fetched as you might think.  Try our tips to keep your family trips going!

 7 Ways to Shrink your Gas Budget:

  1. Reduce your trips to your local grocery store by buying in bulk.  Instead of making weekly or biweekly trips to the grocery store try going once a month to a store like BJ’s, Costco or Wal-Mart to stock up or buy in bulk.  For additional savings bring your coupons since most of these stores also accept coupons. 

 2. Grab your profits from rising stock prices. Check out the best high-performing oil & gas exploration company stock to invest wisely as these stock prices rise.  3 Top Company’s such as Northern Oil & Gas (NOG), Concho Resources (CXO) , Whiting Petroleum (WLL) just to name a few but there are more.  NOG prices has gone from 24.36 to $30 3 weeks ago.. where as CXO price was $90 in Feb 2011 and now as high as $100.. Why not profit 20% or more from investing in a profitable high-performing oil company..you stand to reap the reward if you buy at the right time when the price is low and hang on for the ride as the price goes up.  Do your research and check out www.investors.com  for their electronic stock newspaper you can purchase online or in paper form at your local bookstore. 

Bi Lo Bonus Reward Card

3. Fill-up at Gas Stations that accept your BI-LO BONUS card which pays you rewards for shopping at Bi-LO and  rewards for purchasing gas at gas stations that accept BI-LO Bonus card.  So how do you know which gas stations accept Bi-LO Bonus card?  Just enter your zip-code at the following website http://www.bi-lo.com/pumps  and you’ll get a list of participating gas stations that accept the BI-LO Bonus card. 

 4. If you live anywhere near Charlotte, NC you know gas prices are about $375 a gallon for regular and up from there.  Whereas right next door is the state of South Carolina where locals can purchase gas on average 10 to 15 cents less and that savings can add up quick.  Just 5 minutes South past the Ballayntine area on Johnston Road which crosses over into Lancaster, SC here is where you’ll find  5 gas stations to choose from at 15 cents less than North Carolina gas prices.

5.  Go online to check where to go for the lowest gas prices around town.  Just enter your zip code and you get a list of gas stations and then you can click to check lowest gas prices over the last 48 hours.

http://www.charlottegasprices.com/GasPriceSearch.aspx

6.  Buy the lowest grade (octane) of gasoline that is appropriate for your car.  Your owner’s manual will have this information. As long as your engine doesn’t knock or ping, the fuel you’re using is fine. You can save hundreds of dollars a year.

Van pool

7. Start or Join a Vanpool.  Commuting to work around the Carolinas can be costly if drive more than 25 miles to work and also pay parking fees, the cost of driving range from $200 – $350 per month.  The Charlotte Area  Transit System (CATS) provides a van for workers that commute from Kannapolis to Charlotte to work.  Some commuters have saved $200 on  with a $75 monthly van service fee.  The cost will be determined by the commute in miles and how many riders  the more riders the more savings is the idea here.    Check out more details here.. http://www.charmeck.org/city/charlotte/cats/commuting/vanpool/Pages/default.aspx

Share what you’re doing to shrink your gas budget?  Join the conversation and post your comments..

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The Ultimate Backyard Retreat

Filed Under: Charlotte-NC, Product Reviews, carolina business
Feb.25, 2011

Spring is drawing near and it’s a great time to start planning for your outdoor entertainment. Don’t get stuck on what to do or where to start. Did you know by starting with just a patio design you can transform your outdoor space into an attractive, entertaining backyard retreat.

Before

Designing a custom patio isn’t as hard as you might think. Start with something that are personal to you that reflect your style such a diamond ring, your initials or your house colors. All 3 of these were used to come up with a sketch of a unique patio design. With the right design team to help your vision become reality the possibilities of a unique outdoor patio are endless. I learned some great tips from Todd Huff (VP Landscape Management from Ultimate Greenscapes of Matthews, N.C.) who specializes in designing outdoor living spaces. With more than 20 years of experience doing landscapes, hardscapes and landscape management his expertise clearly shines thru his work.

Day 1

The “B” curve
Carolina homeowners are WOWed by the unique, attractive and surprisingly affordable design options Todd offers to improve their outdoor living space. Take a look at the before and after photos above. The construction of the patio using pavers, fire pit/grill and stone wall took about 3 days to complete. Notice the interesting curve shapes in the form of a “B” around the patio and a “C” for the stone wall and the circle ring pattern around the stone fire-pit/grill. The blue-grey stone border was used to enhance the round curves.  An assortment of landscape greenery was recommended to break up the hardscape stone pavers next to the home by using shrubs and flowers of different heights and colors to add softness. Low-voltage lighting was also added to the stone wall. “Absolutely Gorgeous” is all I could say!

 

The "C" shaped stone wall

After

With several entertaining options year round, by day the patio can be used for grilling out on the fire-pit that converts to a grill while the songbirds near the backyard feeder sing. In the fall to early winter the e fire-pit can be used to keep warm by the crackling fire outdoors while wrapped in a blanket and by night the lights will come on to create an illuminating scene. A mix of solar lights and candles are also great for entertaining guest with or without music or for watching a movie with a portable outdoor movie projector.

With a patio there are a variety of options from concrete stained patio colors to stone or brick pavers. You can create a long walkway towards a garden entrance or you can add a stone fire pit or grill, stone wall, stone pond to stock fish, water fountain or even an outdoor fireplace.

Top 6 Carolina Springtime Lawn care Tips..

  1. Turf spray to clean up any fall weeds
  2. Time to apply round one of crab grass prevention / 50-60 days apply round two
  3. Use a slow release fertilizer so not to accelerate the grass growing good number is 13-0-5
  4. If a fall aeration wasn’t completed then now is the time to do it, once the grass has come up and been cut twice then you would start the crab grass prevention
  5. Cut back your roses if you haven’t completed that yet, all flowering plants can be trimmed now
  6. Bermuda grass can also be treated now for crab grass use a 0-8-8, no nitrogen needed at this time

And here is the Ultimate Discount for you! Carolina homeowners can get a free fire pit (natural wood burning fire pit) when you buy 300 square feet of pavers. And that’s not all .. an extra 10% off the price is being offered to customers that respond via email to: todd@ultimategreenscapes.com or call Todd at 704-821-5543. He’ll be glad to come out and provide you a quote on your Ultimate Backyard Retreat!

For more patio inspiration check out these designs from Ultimate Greenscapes.

Describe your favorite backyard design idea.. Did you see a design you like? ..add your comments

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Budget-Friendly Carolina Holiday Celebrations

Filed Under: Carolina Vacations, Charlotte-NC
Nov.22, 2010

‘Tis the season to celebrate Christmas. Make this Christmas special by creating a new Christmas celebration. Across the Carolinas you’ll find a winter wonderland filled with Christmas celebration ideas. You can do more than take a photo with Santa, shop at the mall or go out to see a movie with family and friends. Some of the Most-liked budget-friendly Carolina Holiday Celebrations by city are:

Charleston, SC – Holiday Festival of  Lights ($10)
Let there be Light and I mean a lot of bright lights as in more than 2 million lights displayed on a three-mile driving tour in Charleston,SC at James Island County Park. This 643 acre park is located at 871 Riverland drive.  The light tour just started and will be open until Jan 2, 2011 from 5:30pm – 10 pm Sunday thru Thursday and later till 11 pm on the weekends Friday – Saturday with a per car charge of $10 you know that will help pay the light bill.
There’s a lot you can do at this festival. You can take a stroll to see the handmade holiday crafts and the 50 ton sand sculpture at Santa’s village. Breeze thru the shops for handcrafted goods made by local artist at the Attic and the Gift Shoppe and do the train hop to view the light displays for only $2 per person. If you like music you’ll enjoy music from the local bands and ride the carousel.

    How to get there:

Once you’re in downtown Charleston you can take U.S. 17 west to Folly Road Boulevard, take Folly Road Boulevard south to Central Park Road turn right. Take Central Park Rd southwest to Riverland Drive, the turn left and you’ll see the signs to direct you into the park.  For more details check out www.holidayfestivaloflights.com


Asheville, NC – Candlelight Christmas Tours ($59)
The Candlelight Christmas Evening tours will also warm your heart and take you back to the Vanderbilt Family’s 1st Christmas in 1895. The mansion which is built by George Washington Vanderbuilt II between 1889 and 1895. It is the largest privately-owned home in the United States at 135,000 square feet featuring 250 rooms. This year the mansion is lit with candles and fireplaces. You’ll see the Ballroom dancers dressed in vintage glide across the floor of the winter garden and the choir singing seasonal selections. Even the front lawn of the Biltmore is all aglow with a well-lit 55-foot Norway spruce surrounded by smaller lit trees and nursery shrubs…how cool is that! This event starts on Nov 12 and runs thru Jan 1, 2011. Candlelight Christmas Evenings are not offered on these dates Nov. 23, 25, Dec. 24 or 25 only. The price is $59 per adult and $29.50 per child ages 10-16. You can register online and save about $10 or call 800-411-3812 for more information.
There’s a lot to see with the seven-story high Banquet Hall prepared with tricycles, dolls, toy furniture, trains and hoops hanging from the HUGE 34 foot Fraser fir tree with garland and holly dressing. The Christmas tour also includes the gardens with the Biltmore floral team demonstrating how to create your own Christmas wreath. Tour the Antler Hill Village all the way to the winery with complimentary wine tasting. The Winery staff is famous for their seasonal seminars such as “Red Wine & Chocolate”.
And for a scrumptious Dinner idea, reserve your reservation at the Bistro or Deer Park Restaurant on the same site of the Biltmore (8000 acres of land).. it’s too far to walk so you can drive from one parking lot to the other. The Bistro soups and salads were delicious and fresh from their garden even our children enjoyed it! Their restaurants are so popular it’s highly recommended to reserve ahead of time to avoid a long wait!

    How to get there:

The Biltmore House is an easy drive that takes about 2 hours from Charlotte, NC. Follow Interstate 85 south to US Highway 321 in Gastonia (exit 17) and then follow US 321 north to I-40. Take I-40 west to Asheville, and take exit 50B (US Highway 25 North). After exiting stay in the left lane and follow the signs to the Biltmore entrance. The address is 1 Lodge Street Asheville, NC 28803.

Charlotte, NC – Christmas at the Billy Graham Library (FREE)
What was it like back during the ancient time period of the first Christmas? What animals would you see and what was the culture and atmosphere like? There is the one and only location in Charlotte that knows exactly what that historical time period was like so much that they have put together a spectacular theme to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas for the whole family at the Billy Graham Library. This is no ordinary library..this library brings history to life with live people and live animals as the Nativity scene that provides a look into the first Christmas night. Along with my favorite: the horse-drawn carriage rides down the road decorated with light displays. Hear the sounds of carolers singing to music of hope, love and joy to fill the air during 5pm – 9pm in the evening.
The entrance to the Billy Graham Library is FREE and during the Christmas season you can expect a long line of cars waiting to get in to see this spectacular Christmas event so you want to plan to come early by 3pm or earlier before dark when the night crowd arrives! For more details call 704-401-3270.

And what else can you do at the Billy Graham Library?
• You can visit Ruth’s Attic for exclusive ornaments and unique books, gifts for Christmas gift ideas or purchase some of Graham’s family favorite desserts like pound cake , cocoa and hot apple cider at the Dairy Bar.
• Hear the greatest stories ever told every 30 minutes for children of all ages starting at 5:00pm.
• Pet the Animals from 1 – 3pm
• Take tours of the Journey of Faith at the Billy Graham Library until 8:00 p.m. each night.

    How to get there:

The library is located at 4330 Westmont Drive in Charlotte. The library is located off Billy Graham Parkway which is near the Charlotte Douglas Airport of I-77 and I-85 in Charlotte.

Tell us your favorite Carolina Christmas celebration?

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CIAA Sports Fan Experience

Filed Under: Charlotte-NC
Feb.26, 2010

  ciaa_JC Smith U   ciaa-St Augustine college mascot

If you like basketball then you would enjoy the CIAA sports fan experience this week in Charlotte, NC.  The event starts on Feb 23 this year thru Feb 27th with each day jam packed with activities This is the fifth year Charlotte has host the conference and the city is expecting more than 176,000 basketball fans to dawn the doors of the Time Warner Cable Arena in the uptown location.

Colleges from across the Carolinas will compete in the tournament to showcase the best talent in the college league.  Alumni, family members, students and friends of local NC universities will cheer on their favorite team.  Johnson C. Smith University (Golden Bulls)  is the two-time defending champion, the title-holder and is favored to win again this year.  The question is can they come out on top again?

With so much to do in one location in the uptown Charlotte area fans love the Charlotte location for it’s park and walk event with hotels, restaurants  and loads of entertainment  and basketball events conveniently located in the center of town.  There are special guest appearance of the Temptations on Feb 27th and gospel artist such as Yolanda Adams and Steve Harvey’s morning Yolanda Adams live showradio show broadcast live and so much more!!   

………. Nearby Fan Favorite Hotels that are within walking distance or hop the Trolley to the “Fan Experience” :  

Holiday Inn

Marriott

Dunhill

The Westin (take the trolley)

Double Tree (take the trolley)

…….. Top 7 Raving Restaurants…

Monticello

Zink

McCormick & Schmidt

Mertz

Cosmos

 Blue Restaurant

 Brixx

And we can’t forget the few shopping spots close to the uptown location are:

Founder’s Hall Shops – 100 N Tryon St

Midtown Square (Target’s)  – Highway 74 & I-277

What is your favorite college sports team?

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Moving to Charlotte in 2010

Filed Under: Charlotte-NC
Jan.06, 2010

 

Freedom Park Ampitheater

Freedom Park Ampitheater

There has been an increasing trend of people moving to Charlotte over the past 4 years.  Charlotte, North Carolina has grown to over 857,000 and its quickly climbing the charts to become  the  19th largest city in the U.S.   Charlotte is centrally located near the mountains and the coast provides enormous  recreational  possibilities.   Charlotte leads the nation in finance, distribution and transportation as well as quality of life, so that makes the Queen City a great place to live!

Everybody I know has a reason for why they love Charlotte so much.  It could be for the four seasons since we are usually able to experience every season which for some provides a good reason for change or to improve.  Another reason could be the beautiful tree lined landscape neighborhoods that promote a sense of community.   Or could it be the cities rich history the Queen City offers or its pet friendliness.  I also heard that most people hate the traffic but they love how easy it is to travel around the city from North to South now with the new stretch of highway 485.

I do know one thing for sure that “Everybody Loves Charlotte”  for its variety of family friendly fun things to do around town… 

Charlotte’s  “Most Popular Attractions” :      

White Water Rafting

White Water Rafting

  1. White water rafting – should I say more get set to get wet on a variety of trail levels.  You can also picnic or hike, bike or do rock climbing.  http://www.usnwc.org/
  2. Great Wolf Lodge located in Concord, NC which is close or next door  to Charlotte. It has the indoor waterpark that families love. 
  3. Carowinds – amusement park, water park and Music theme park
  4. Boating at Lake Wylie or Lake Norman take your pick
  5. Knight Theater – this beautiful Glass modern looking building outside with rich wood accents inside..this theater offers a variety of performances from dance, comedy to martial arts and more!  And there’s not a ad seat inside anywhere the design is great for viewing!
  6. Freedom Park – host Festival in the Park ..where artist show off their work, enjoy music, fun and food all are a perfect combination for wholesome outdoor family fun.  Coming up in Sept 26, 2010  http://www.festivalinthepark.org/
  7. SteepleChase – horse racing at its best in Mineral Springs, NC .   Date: Last Saturday in April    (April 24, 2010)  http://www.queenscup.org/
  8. Harvey B.  Gantt Center – African cultural Art center named after Charlotte’s former mayor, Harvey B. Gantt .  http://www.aacc-charlotte.org/
  9. Epicentre   – where shopping, dining, entertaining (theather) and living all come together at one location in the center of downtown Charlotte.   http://www.epicentrenc.com/

10.  Outdoor Skating on Ice – Downtown Charlotte   located between E.1st St. and College St.  (704) 374-3778.   Admission is $7.00, and skate rentals are $3.00. Just $10.00 for an entire day of ice skating in uptown Charlotte.

11.  Nascar Racing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway

12. Imaginon – our first library and theater just for youth of all ages… even Teens can hang out here and produce a performance or learn about drama, technology and more!

13. Discovery Place/Imax Theater  – where science is made fun

14. Ovens Auditorium  – attend the latest play in town

15. Bluementhall  Theater downtown

16. Bojangles Coliseum – downtown charlotte which host famous plays by Tyler Perry, concerts, HS graduations and MORE!

17. Shopping Malls  – Southpark, North Lake Mall, Carolina Place Mall….

18. Shopping Plazas – Ayrsley shopping  and River Gate shopping Plaza in southwest Charlotte, Blakeney shopping  and Piper Glen shopping plaza in South Charlotte and University Place in North section (N. Tryon Street) of Charlotte

 

If you’re moving to Charlotte you might find the following local information useful:

Charlotte Schools:

The Charlotte area offers a large variety of school choices from private schools to charter schools to  home schools to boarding schools to public schools.  Charlotte public schools  are located in the Mecklenburg county school district.  The school directory is located here…http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/cmsschools/Pages/default.aspx

 

Charlotte is home to professional  sports  teams:

Charlotte BoBCats   http://www.nba.com/bobcats/

Carolina Panthers   http://www.panthers.com/

 

Pet Friendly hotels:     

Pet Friendly Hotels

Pet Friendly Hotels

If  your coming to Charlotte for a visit and you have pets you’ll be glad to know that Charlotte offers a wide variety of Pet Friendly Hotels and pet friendly public parks.  You can find a list of Pet friendly Hotels here http://www.pet-friendly-hotels.net/pet-friendly-hotels-charlotte.html

 

Moving  Tips:

Duke Energy electric power

http://www.duke-energy.com/residential.asp

Piedmont Natural Gas

http://www.piedmontng.com/#

Charlotte Water Service

http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/Utilities/home.htm

 

 

US Post Office Mail Forwarding services

You can stop by any Charlotte post office location to fill out an address  change form to have your mail forwarded properly and to obtain your  Charlotte area discounts from local stores to help you save on your move.   The main post office is located in center city downtown Charlotte at  201 N Mcdowell St, Charlotte, NC 28204

 

Charlotte Residential Voting registration

http://www.meckboe.org/

Charlotte Driver’s  Registration(DMV) information

http://www.newcomer.com/cities/charlotte/CHLTstarted.html

http://www.ncdot.org/DMV/office_locations/?officeType=5&pickCounty=402&count=1

Interested in moving to Charlotte?  What else do you want to know about the Charlotte area?  Was this post helpful to you?  Let us know how we’re doing!

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