How to spend 48 hours in Charlotte with Golden Cow Creamery’s Liz and Alex Hannah

This story is proudly presented by Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority – our partner in exploring the Queen City. Snag some itinerary inspiration for exploring and supporting Charlotte’s local businesses here.

Your tour guides: Liz and Alex Hannah, owners of Golden Cow Creamery, a family-owned shop serving up homemade ice cream. They’ve got locations in Uptown, SouthPark and South End.

Here’s the Hannahs’ itinerary for a perfect Charlotte weekend while hosting out-of-town friends or family members.

Friday: Dinner and the Whitewater Center

Alex: We’d start by taking our guests to the Whitewater Center. It’s the perfect place to grab a beer and stretch your legs after a long flight.

• We lived in Colorado for a while. It’s practically an outdoor Mecca.
• When our Denver friends visit us here, they’re always blown away by the Whitewater Center.

Liz: On the way back into town, we’d stop at Leah & Louise for dinner.

• We love that they offer small bites that are really shareable. It makes for a fun, communal experience.
• Plus, they get to experience Camp North End, which is a unique area with so much to offer.
• We always get the river chips, which are chicken skin bites.
• Jasmine Macon, one of our early production managers who did amazing things for our ice cream, is a pastry chef there and is opening up her own doughnut shop. 

Saturday: Brunch and brewery hopping

Liz: For brunch, we’re going straight to Haberdish! We love it there.

• Our meal choices tend to change, but we usually order chicken and waffles and a cinnamon roll.
• We love that each neighborhood in Charlotte has something different to offer.
• That’s really fun to share with our guests, and we know they’ll love NoDa.

Alex: After brunch, we’d go on a brewery tour.

• We’d start at Resident Culture. We love their beer and they’re great people, too.
• From there, we’d head to Wooden Robot, which is next to our first ice cream shop.
• I remember so many times in the early days of Golden Cow when we’d be there drinking beers and something would go wrong at the shop. We’d have to run back and figure it out.
• When you’re at Wooden Robot, you have to order a Good Morning Vietnam.

• From there, we’d head to Triple C Brewing Company. We’ve collaborated with Chris, the owner, a million times. He’s an awesome guy.
• We love the White Blaze, which is seasonal, though they’ve always got funky new beers to try.

Liz: Okay, so we may need a nap before dinner. But then we’d head over to The Crunkleton.

• Last time I was there, I got the hanger steak topped with chimichurri. It was amazing.
• The menu changes a lot though, which we love.

Alex: After dinner, we’d have to hit Golden Cow.

• Whenever people visit, we love to take them to our Uptown shop.
• It’s a really cool view to sit in the courtyard and have the buildings towering over you.
• The Salted Oreo pays the bills. If you’ve never been, that’s the flavor you should try.

Sunday: A send-off brunch

Alex: We’d close out the weekend with breakfast at Eight + Sand and a walk on the Rail Trail.

• We love Eight + Sand’s casual vibe. It’s the perfect way to get someone ready to get on a plane back home.

Axios Charlotte thanks our partners for supporting our content. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content.

Header photo courtesy of Golden Cow Creamery.