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Weekender: 28 things to do in Charlotte this weekend, including a wine festival

Events happening March 27–29 include the South End Wine & Hops Fest, the Charlotte Fair, a Hornets game and more.

Things to Do

It&#x27;s time to lean into outdoor <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="spring activities" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2023/03/09/spring-guide-charlotte-fun-things-to-do-2024" data-vars-content-id="ba2721a1-1796-4f23-81b1-37c8d6dad6c7" data-vars-headline="Weekender: 28 things to do in Charlotte this weekend, including a wine festival" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2023/03/09/spring-guide-charlotte-fun-things-to-do-2024" target="_self">spring activities</a> — like a wine festival — but if you&#x27;re avoiding the pollen, there are also indoor options, including an R&amp;B coffee day party and a touring art festival worth adding to your calendar.

Skip the flight: This Plaza Midwood Prosecco bar is serving a Euro summer experience

A slice of the Italian coast is parked in a Plaza Midwood lot with Bev.

Food and Drink

A slice of the Italian coast is parked in a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Plaza Midwood" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2026/03/17/sip-city-expands-plaza-midwood-event-space-speakeasy" data-vars-content-id="737b0628-60da-4bf3-a7b9-4007a179bf9a" data-vars-headline="Skip the flight: This Plaza Midwood Prosecco bar is serving a Euro summer experience" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2026/03/17/sip-city-expands-plaza-midwood-event-space-speakeasy" target="_self">Plaza Midwood</a> lot.Why it matters: Bev, a new Prosecco bar in a vintage airstream, lets you channel Euro summer at home, amid a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="travel season" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/23/travel-delays-shutdown-security-airfare-prices" data-vars-content-id="737b0628-60da-4bf3-a7b9-4007a179bf9a" data-vars-headline="Skip the flight: This Plaza Midwood Prosecco bar is serving a Euro summer experience" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/23/travel-delays-shutdown-security-airfare-prices" target="_self">travel season</a> marked by <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="soaring flight prices" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/20/iran-war-flight-prices-air-travel-tips-cheaper" data-vars-content-id="737b0628-60da-4bf3-a7b9-4007a179bf9a" data-vars-headline="Skip the flight: This Plaza Midwood Prosecco bar is serving a Euro summer experience" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/20/iran-war-flight-prices-air-travel-tips-cheaper" target="_self">soaring flight prices</a> and extended <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="TSA wait times" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2026/03/24/charlotte-douglas-airport-tsa-wait-times-security" data-vars-content-id="737b0628-60da-4bf3-a7b9-4007a179bf9a" data-vars-headline="Skip the flight: This Plaza Midwood Prosecco bar is serving a Euro summer experience" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2026/03/24/charlotte-douglas-airport-tsa-wait-times-security" target="_self">TSA wait times</a>.

Charlotte growth defies U.S. immigration-driven slowdown

Charlotte's growth is defying national trends.

News

Charlotte is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="still" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/26/county-population-growth-immigration" data-vars-content-id="8258d2bd-5eeb-42b0-850a-317e354c000b" data-vars-headline="Charlotte growth defies U.S. immigration-driven slowdown" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/26/county-population-growth-immigration" target="_self">still</a> one of the fastest-growing places in the U.S., even as growth slows dramatically in many metros amid a drop in immigration, new Census data shows.Why it matters: Tighter <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="immigration enforcement" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2025/11/12/us-border-patrol-operation-charlotte-north-carolina" data-vars-content-id="8258d2bd-5eeb-42b0-850a-317e354c000b" data-vars-headline="Charlotte growth defies U.S. immigration-driven slowdown" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2025/11/12/us-border-patrol-operation-charlotte-north-carolina" target="_self">immigration enforcement</a> is affecting America&#x27;s demographic makeup, but Charlotte is defying the trend thanks to its position in the Sun Belt.

Charlotte is growing as a disc golf mecca

With 100+ courses and major tournaments, Charlotte is becoming a top travel spot for disc golf.

Charlotte&#x27;s reputation as a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="disc golf hub" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2024/10/11/the-world-s-best-disc-golfers-are-in-town" data-vars-content-id="a45e2395-be86-4ab6-929d-03633af02c04" data-vars-headline="Charlotte is growing as a disc golf mecca" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2024/10/11/the-world-s-best-disc-golfers-are-in-town" target="_self">disc golf hub</a> is strengthening as major tournaments, course growth and out-of-town players fuel its rise as a national destination.Why it matters: Charlotte&#x27;s deep course network and low-cost access are turning a niche sport into a sustained engine for tourism and recreation.

A Charlotte native spent three years searching for the city's soul — and wrote a book about it

Does Charlotte have a soul? One native spent years looking.

Culture

Robert FitzPatrick has spent over five decades in Charlotte, but after all that time, he didn&#x27;t know how to describe the city&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="soul" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2025/12/05/young-adults-likely-leave-city-moving-thinking-charlotte-north-carolina-identity" data-vars-content-id="829d077c-afe7-483a-93c6-a1461c76cc35" data-vars-headline="A Charlotte native spent three years searching for the city&#x27;s soul — and wrote a book about it" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2025/12/05/young-adults-likely-leave-city-moving-thinking-charlotte-north-carolina-identity" target="_self">soul</a>.<ul><li>So, he dedicated three years to searching for it.</li></ul>Why it matters: Charlotte&#x27;s debatable lack of culture, identity, character (or whatever else you want to call it) is a persistent pain point for the city. People either want to gripe about it, deny it or not talk about it at all.

Highway construction threatens Charlotte's historic Black neighborhoods again

I-77 construction may once more hit Charlotte's Black neighborhoods hardest

History could repeat itself if the state moves forward with a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="$3.2 billion preliminary plan to extend I-77 toll lanes" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2024/10/17/i-77-toll-lanes-express-highway-ncdot-transportation-construction" data-vars-content-id="2edaf2eb-3ded-4f19-adf6-2134f6268591" data-vars-headline="Highway construction threatens Charlotte&#x27;s historic Black neighborhoods again" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2024/10/17/i-77-toll-lanes-express-highway-ncdot-transportation-construction" target="_self">$3.2 billion preliminary plan to extend I-77 toll lanes</a> along several of Charlotte&#x27;s Black neighborhoods, potentially threatening homes, parks and historic sites.Why it matters: In the 1950s-1970s, construction of new highways near Uptown <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="sliced through Black neighborhoods" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2020/10/20/highway-construction-harmed-black-neighborhoods-in-charlotte-how-leaders-are-trying-to-untangle-past-mistakes-233636" data-vars-content-id="2edaf2eb-3ded-4f19-adf6-2134f6268591" data-vars-headline="Highway construction threatens Charlotte&#x27;s historic Black neighborhoods again" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2020/10/20/highway-construction-harmed-black-neighborhoods-in-charlotte-how-leaders-are-trying-to-untangle-past-mistakes-233636" target="_self">sliced through Black neighborhoods</a>, displacing families, destroying schools, disrupting businesses and plummeting property values.

See renderings: A new $7.8M plan would revive the Excelsior Club on Beatties Ford

There's a new $7.8M vision to restore the Excelsior Club in west Charlotte.

A local development team <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="wants" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2024/02/21/beatties-ford-road-business" data-vars-content-id="164add3f-82da-40b4-a19e-73cead0754c5" data-vars-headline="See renderings: A new $7.8M plan would revive the Excelsior Club on Beatties Ford" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2024/02/21/beatties-ford-road-business" target="_self">wants</a> to spend $7.8 million to resurrect the historic Excelsior Club as a museum-restaurant that is a near replica of the shuttered <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="1944 venue." data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2023/02/07/map-charlottes-green-book-sites-and-where-they-are-now-320127" data-vars-content-id="164add3f-82da-40b4-a19e-73cead0754c5" data-vars-headline="See renderings: A new $7.8M plan would revive the Excelsior Club on Beatties Ford" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2023/02/07/map-charlottes-green-book-sites-and-where-they-are-now-320127" target="_self">1944 venue.</a>Why it matters: The restoration would honor a rare piece of Charlotte&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="history" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2024/01/04/charlotte-history-things-to-know-north-carolina-346948" data-vars-content-id="164add3f-82da-40b4-a19e-73cead0754c5" data-vars-headline="See renderings: A new $7.8M plan would revive the Excelsior Club on Beatties Ford" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2024/01/04/charlotte-history-things-to-know-north-carolina-346948" target="_self">history</a> and revive a space where Black Charlotteans once celebrated culture and engaged in civic dialogue.

20 years later, Katrina transplant has spread New Orleans jazz in Charlotte

Twenty years ago, Lonnie Davis evacuated New Orleans for <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Hurricane Katrina" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2024/08/29/hurricane-katrina-ida-anniversary-mental-health" data-vars-content-id="763d5e7a-7f31-4c76-9109-fc4df1c43eeb" data-vars-headline="20 years later, Katrina transplant has spread New Orleans jazz in Charlotte" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2024/08/29/hurricane-katrina-ida-anniversary-mental-health" target="_self">Hurricane Katrina</a>, not knowing she would never return home.Why it matters: Though Davis&#x27; arrival in Charlotte wasn&#x27;t something she&#x27;d planned, the longtime New Orleanian has made a lasting impact on the city&#x27;s culture.<ul><li>To cope with missing home, she formed the JazzArts organization, bringing a piece of Louisiana to Charlotte and transforming the jazz scene in a New South city that had previously lacked one.</li></ul>

How the Dowd YMCA became Charlotte's favorite third place

From its start as a men's-only fitness club to a packed fitness destination for Gen Z and millennials, here's how the city's most popular YMCA evolved.

Development

One of the hottest third places in Charlotte isn&#x27;t a trendy <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="coffee shop" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2023/05/03/top-charlotte-coffee-shops-to-work-from" data-vars-content-id="55e01305-46f1-4cc1-b4ad-3992deee8485" data-vars-headline="How the Dowd YMCA became Charlotte&#x27;s favorite third place" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2023/05/03/top-charlotte-coffee-shops-to-work-from" target="_self">coffee shop</a> or <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="exclusive social club" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2024/03/19/ways-to-make-friends-in-charlotte-nc-social-groups-to-join" data-vars-content-id="55e01305-46f1-4cc1-b4ad-3992deee8485" data-vars-headline="How the Dowd YMCA became Charlotte&#x27;s favorite third place" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2024/03/19/ways-to-make-friends-in-charlotte-nc-social-groups-to-join" target="_self">exclusive social club</a>. It&#x27;s the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="YMCA" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2025/01/14/charlotte-studio-artists-johnston-ymca-noda" data-vars-content-id="55e01305-46f1-4cc1-b4ad-3992deee8485" data-vars-headline="How the Dowd YMCA became Charlotte&#x27;s favorite third place" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2025/01/14/charlotte-studio-artists-johnston-ymca-noda" target="_self">YMCA</a>. The Dowd YMCA, specifically.Why it matters: The typical YMCA might conjure up images of an older crowd or a place for child care while parents work out. But the Dowd, which opened in 1960 and now welcomes nearly 3,000 members a day — most under 45 — breaks that mold.

New country bar Nickyo's Rodeo opening soon in South End

Nickyo's Rodeo, a country bar with live music, karaoke and line dancing opens June 25.

Nickyo&#x27;s Rodeo, a country bar with <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="live music" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2025/06/02/live-music-10-concerts-coming-to-charlotte-in-june-including-modest-mouse-311" data-vars-content-id="ce911a67-13ff-461d-9cda-a5169ee59c3e" data-vars-headline="New country bar Nickyo&#x27;s Rodeo opening soon in South End" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2025/06/02/live-music-10-concerts-coming-to-charlotte-in-june-including-modest-mouse-311" target="_self">live music</a>, karaoke and line dancing, opens June 25 in South End. Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Nickyo&#x27;s" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nickyosrodeo.com/" data-vars-content-id="ce911a67-13ff-461d-9cda-a5169ee59c3e" data-vars-headline="New country bar Nickyo&#x27;s Rodeo opening soon in South End" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nickyosrodeo.com/" target="_blank">Nickyo&#x27;s</a> is the latest venture from Bottle Cap Group, the hospitality group behind <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="The Rose Honky Tonk" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2024/02/07/honky-tonk-bar-the-rose-south-end" data-vars-content-id="ce911a67-13ff-461d-9cda-a5169ee59c3e" data-vars-headline="New country bar Nickyo&#x27;s Rodeo opening soon in South End" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2024/02/07/honky-tonk-bar-the-rose-south-end" target="_self">The Rose Honky Tonk</a>, which opened in South End last year and remains packed most weekends.

Charlotte history lives on at Leluia Hall

Leluia Hall opens the week of May 6, following several years of remodeling, renovations, and preservation of the historic building.

A new restaurant is situated within one of Dilworth&#x27;s oldest structures, adjacent to one of Charlotte&#x27;s most developed neighborhoods.Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Leluia Hall," data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2025/05/01/leluia-hall-dilworth-charlotte" data-vars-content-id="b5ed3658-fe1c-4edf-b806-57d177477ba5" data-vars-headline="Charlotte history lives on at Leluia Hall" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2025/05/01/leluia-hall-dilworth-charlotte" target="_self">Leluia Hall,</a> one of the city&#x27;s most <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="anticipated restaurants" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2024/01/04/list-of-restaurants-and-bars-opening-soon-in-charlotte-2024" data-vars-content-id="b5ed3658-fe1c-4edf-b806-57d177477ba5" data-vars-headline="Charlotte history lives on at Leluia Hall" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2024/01/04/list-of-restaurants-and-bars-opening-soon-in-charlotte-2024" target="_self">anticipated restaurants</a>, is located inside a 1914 building that has housed another popular restaurant, a plant nursery-slash-Christmas store before that, and, originally, a church.

Malcolm Graham to publish a book about the Charleston church shooting, 10 years after his sister's death

Charlotte councilman Graham is publishing a book about the Charleston church shooting

Politics

Charlotte City Council member and former state senator <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Malcolm Graham" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2019/12/09/im-back-four-years-after-his-sisters-murder-in-a-charleston-church-malcolm-graham-returns-to-public-office-with-big-dreams-for-beatties-ford-road-188952" data-vars-content-id="6edd89c3-b0c6-4de0-895d-03bcced8f2c9" data-vars-headline="Malcolm Graham to publish a book about the Charleston church shooting, 10 years after his sister&#x27;s death" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2019/12/09/im-back-four-years-after-his-sisters-murder-in-a-charleston-church-malcolm-graham-returns-to-public-office-with-big-dreams-for-beatties-ford-road-188952" target="_self">Malcolm Graham</a> is releasing a book about the 2015 massacre at <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Mother Emanuel AME Church" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2021/10/28/doj-settlement-charleston-church-shooting-victim" data-vars-content-id="6edd89c3-b0c6-4de0-895d-03bcced8f2c9" data-vars-headline="Malcolm Graham to publish a book about the Charleston church shooting, 10 years after his sister&#x27;s death" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2021/10/28/doj-settlement-charleston-church-shooting-victim" target="_self">Mother Emanuel AME Church</a>.<ul><li>&quot;The Way Forward&quot; is out Feb. 1.</li></ul>Why it matters: Ten years after his sister&#x27;s death, Graham wants to ensure America doesn&#x27;t lose sight of what happened that day, and how many of the country&#x27;s fractures it revealed are still prevalent.<ul><li>Cynthia Graham Hurd was one of nine people killed when a white supremacist attacked the historically Black church. It was four days before her 55th birthday.</li></ul>

A timeline of school segregation in Charlotte

School segregation has a long and complicated history in Charlotte.

Education

School <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="segregation" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2024/05/17/charlotte-mecklenburg-schools-segregation-brown-v-board-ruling" data-vars-content-id="e98a9f67-b8b2-4fd9-be0f-b13ec2baac9a" data-vars-headline="A timeline of school segregation in Charlotte" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2024/05/17/charlotte-mecklenburg-schools-segregation-brown-v-board-ruling" target="_self">segregation</a> has a long and complicated history in Charlotte. Why it matters: Charlotte was once <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a model" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2021/06/18/10-charlotte-black-history-facts-and-figures-you-should-know-261922" data-vars-content-id="e98a9f67-b8b2-4fd9-be0f-b13ec2baac9a" data-vars-headline="A timeline of school segregation in Charlotte" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2021/06/18/10-charlotte-black-history-facts-and-figures-you-should-know-261922" target="_self">a model</a> for successful school integration after a landmark 1970s U.S. Supreme Court case that ruled busing could be used to desegregate schools. But the area&#x27;s schools have become far more segregated over the last quarter-century. Here&#x27;s a timeline to explain how we got to where we are today.

NoDa Company Store sells to Lincolnton-based BrickTree Brewing Co.

The owners of NoDa Company Store, a neighborhood staple that's operated on Yadkin for more than seven years, have sold the business to BrickTree Brewing Co., a Lincolnton-based brewery.

Business

The owners of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="NoDa Company Store" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2016/02/15/the-company-store-noda-38587" data-vars-content-id="5be81c54-e8b2-4603-8686-e6e1ce5b8957" data-vars-headline="NoDa Company Store sells to Lincolnton-based BrickTree Brewing Co." data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2016/02/15/the-company-store-noda-38587" target="_self">NoDa Company Store</a>, a neighborhood staple that&#x27;s operated on Yadkin Avenue for more than seven years, have sold the business to BrickTree Brewing Co., a Lincolnton-based brewery.

History

A Charlotte native spent three years searching for the city's soul — and wrote a book about it

Highway construction threatens Charlotte's historic Black neighborhoods again

68 years later, Dorothy Counts' historic walk is remembered in Charlotte

See renderings: A new $7.8M plan would revive the Excelsior Club on Beatties Ford

20 years later, Katrina transplant has spread New Orleans jazz in Charlotte