If you're not in the city for some banking deals, make a detour from the central business district to Tryon Street's busy downtown thoroughfare. If the tall buildings and concrete hold no appeal, travel a few blocks away and help yourself to some attractions. The Discovery Place has a planetarium, an IMAX theater, and an indoor rainforest, which complete all the necessities for one hit kids-oriented museum. The Museum of New South is also an excellent choice.

There are loads of hotels around the city, but most reflect the rigid atmosphere the banking centers exude. The amenities are almost always aimed at Charlotte's conference trade, but a 1929 structure stands above the rest of the dull but high-class competition. Dunhill Hotel still possesses that Old World elegance, long lost after the Queen City traded its homey vibe to a mass of trades.