In October, we spent a week in Charlotte, NC. I'd heard only good things about the area, and as a result had very high expectations. They were not only met, but exceeded! What a great place!
The people are incredibly friendly. We weren't off airport property when we first encountered their Southern hospitality. Shuttle drivers, restaurant employees, hotel staff, people standing in line with us, were warm, friendly, and often quite talkative. My favorite was an older pastor at the Billy Graham Library. He was so kind, and had such a wonderful, heart-warming smile, he brought tears to my eyes.
The Billy Graham Library was neat. We had very little time there, but were able to see everything, albeit it briefly. A lot of time and thought went into putting it together, and it's worth going if you get the chance.
At the Museum of York County in Rock Hill, SC, which was bigger than I expected, we learned about the Carolina Piedmont and Catawba River. We saw hundreds of African mounted animals in naturalistic settings, as well as African artifacts. Africa in South Carolina. Who knew? Our boy liked the kids room with all its hands-on activities. He spent a great deal of time playing with the mini river, building roads and bridges, and causing floods. He really enjoyed when his floods washed everything down the river! I liked the nature trail behind the museum There sure are A LOT of trees out there.
We spent a day at the Discovery Place. There was so much to do there, most of it hands-on. Junior lifted a four-wheeler, launched a Roman catapult, made an origami bug, built a tower with Kapla blocks, and much more. We even watched rats play basketball. Yes, rat basketball.
We visited two other museums. The Schiele Museum in Gastonia had a Swamp Things exhibit with live animals. The opossum was fun, as was the bobcat that attacked the display window. Okay, really, the best part of that was seeing all the school kids scatter! They have a nature trail with a farmyard, Indian village, and grist mill. The Rock House on the grounds of the Charlotte Museum of History was great. Built in 1774, it has only authentic period furnishings inside. Unlike most old houses where the rooms are roped off, we were allowed all the way into each room.
King's Mountain National Military Park, a Revolutionary War battlefield, was cool, and a bit of work! The battle was fought on top of a mountain, which means you can't get the full experience just going through the visitor's center. No sir, you've got to walk the 1.5 mile battlefield loop, up and down the mountain. It was a lot of up. I'm sure it was easier meandering the trail than it was climbing straight up while carrying a weapon, trying to surprise your enemy. I'd say we had it alright.
I tried to avoid it, but we ended up at Concord Mills Mall. It's massive, really nice and North Carolina's #1 attraction (a mall, really?), so it's also crowded. We stayed long enough to hit the important spots: play area, toy store, and candy store. Bass Pro Shops, on the other hand... who knew sporting goods stores could be fun? The decor is incredible, including a huge aquarium with native fish, and a shooting arcade. We spent a piece shootin' up the place and eatin' a Moon Pie. We're halfway to redneck now!
Ahem, speaking of redneck...there's a whole lot of NASCAR in those parts, and, well, I happen to think loud, fast cars are really cool. So cool, in fact, that I rode in one. Oh! My! Gosh! It was fantastic!! Best birthday present ever. Period. Lowe's Motor Speedway, three laps at 160 mph--incredible! We got so close to the walls on the straightaways, I could have touched them. In the turns, it seemed we might drive into the grass. Those turns were awesome! Even strapped in, I became quite familiar with the side of the car! I was sooo hoping we'd scrape the wall, or maybe even spin around, but, alas, the Petty Driving Experience guys know what they're doing. It was fast. It was loud. It was awesome! I can't wait to get in one again. Next time, I'm driving! Yeeee haaw!
Michael Waltrip's, Race World USA is great. If you want to see a race shop, this is the one to see. Everything is open so you can see ALL the inner workings of a race team: fab shop, engineering, suspension, assembly area. Everything. We watched a pit crew practice. When they took a break, one of the crew called our boy over and gave him a couple of the lug nuts from the car. Josh's eyes really lit up! We also met Michael Waltrip, driver and owner. He's a friendly guy, and tall! In fact, when Junior heard that he was big, he was scared to meet him. He was picturing a giant! Once he saw Mr. Waltrip talking to us, he changed his mind. They had a really cute conversation and Junior decided that he was pretty cool after all.
Charlotte was a fantastic place, with awesome people, and I could go on and on about it. We really look forward to going back again someday.
I'll close with our son's prayer from the day we met Michael Waltrip.
"Dear God, thank you for our day. Thank you for making Michael Waltrip, and my hands strong so I can lift everything. I love you. Amen."
