FUN IN THE QUEEN CITY OF CHARLOTTE T

here isn’t a lack of fun, interesting or unusual things to do in Charlotte. So whether you have been to Charlotte before or this is your first time, you are

guaranteed to find something for you. The ARA’s 72nd Annual Convention & Expo is conveniently located within walking distance to many of the most popular attractions including, NASCAR® Hall of Fame, fabulous museums such as The Levine and Mint Museums, excellent restaurants and entertainment. The NASCAR®

Hall of

Fame is worth a visit whether you are a NASCAR fan or not.

Some of the highlights of the 150,000-square-foot site include high-tech exhibits, racing simula- tors and a 278-seat theater. It also features the Heritage Speed- way exhibit, which details NASCAR’s six-decade history using authentic artifacts and educational films. For those seeking a more interactive expe- rience into how a NASCAR team preps for race day, the Race Week exhibit is the answer. Here, visitors can practice a pit stop, walk through a full-size NASCAR Sprint Cup hauler, call a race and get behind the wheel of one of eight racing simulators. Charlotte boasts an exploding art scene and

there are several art museums lo- cated close to the hotel. Both the Bechtler and Mint Museum Up- town are museums well worth ex- ploring. The Bechtler Museum of

Modern Art, is located on South Tyron Street and houses an im-

pressive collection of mid-20th century art. The building itself is a work of art and is filled with gems from famous artists such as Pi- casso, Calder, Warhol and more. TheMint Museum Uptown is

the second location of the Mint Museum and features a wide vari- ety of American and European art. The first location, Mint Museum Randolph, is in a building that was the original branch of the United

The highlight of any visit to Charlotte is the NASCAR® Hall of Fame, complete with racing simulators that have you believing that you are a real driver.

Levine Museum

States Mint on Randolph Road. The building in Uptown houses many contemporary exhibits, in- cluding a collection of costumes and textiles. There’s also the world- renowned Mint Museum of Craft

+ Design, a special collection of in- ternational studio glass, fiber, jew- elry, furniture, wood and clay art. The Levine Museum is one of

Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, top, and Mint Museum Uptown, below.

the most comprehensive post- Civil War history museums in the country. Permanent exhibits like Cotton Fields to Skyscrapers focus on the history specific to the Charlotte area while a rotating schedule of temporary exhibits all serve to educate and challenge the museum’s visitors.

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