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Photo: James Willamor, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
An excellent introduction to the South's history and influences since the Civil War. Boasting an excellent standing exhibit with walk-throughs and hands-on experiences, this is a great museum for anyone even slightly interested in Southern culture and history.
The Levine Museum of the New South is a history museum located in Charlotte, North Carolina whose exhibits explore issues relevant to the history of the greater Charlotte metro area and spark curiosity about our world today. Founded in 1991 as the Museum of the New South, it was renamed after museum patron and Family Dollar founder Leon Levine in 2001.
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This library/theater is fantastic for families. Very attractive and safe, ImaginOn appeals to both younger children and teenagers, and is a relatively quiet refuge for parents. The library features an extensive area for younger children on the ground floor, and a teens-only (no adults allowed) top floor. Also, the Children's Theatre of Charlotte maintains cutting-edge facilities including a very comfortable theater. ImaginOn is truly underrated and should not be missed by those looking for an educational experience.
Active children's theatre. PlayPlay! creates plays specifically for children ages birth to age 3.
For weekend evening performances ImaginOn re-opens one hour prior to performance time. Box Office hours M-F 10AM-5PM, and one hour prior to all performances for walk-up guests (box office phones are not answered on weekends). Founded in 1948, it has been opening young minds to the wonders of live theater for over half a century. Annually, it reaches more than 320,000 young people and families from preschool to late teens, with four program areas: MainStage productions; Tarradiddle Players, the professional touring company; and Community Involvement Program.
One of the nation's most acclaimed children's museums, Discovery Place focuses primarily on the sciences, though special exhibits may have a more general focus. Step into the rainforest, see and feel fish, watch a hydrogen balloon explode and a frozen banana hammer, or check out a movie in the IMAX Dome theater.
The Performing Arts Center has three performance spaces: the 2,100-seat Belk Theater; the 434-seat Booth Playhouse, and the Stage Door Theater which seats 150. The Center presents the Broadway Lights Series, featuring national touring Broadway productions and a wide range of special attractions. Home to the seasons of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Opera Carolina, North Carolina Dance Theatre, Carolina Voices, the Carolinas Concert Association, ArtsTeach, Community School of the Arts, and the Light Factory.
Charlotte's NBA team plays in Spectrum Center (formerly Charlotte Bobcats Arena and Time Warner Cable Arena) in Uptown. Support for the team has been inconsistent due to an ugly divorce with the original Charlotte Hornets franchise in 2003. Ticket prices are low and it is generally not a problem to purchase a ticket on game day.