Free & Affordable Ideas in Charlotte

The Schiele Museum of Natural History

The Schiele Museum of Natural History is a museum campus in Gastonia that offers free admission days twice a month for visitors, on both the second Tuesday and fourth Friday of the month during the afternoon and early evening hours. The museum showcases a wide variety of indoor and outdoor exhibits, including the Hall of North Carolina Natural History, which features dioramas depicting the state's native flora and fauna, and the Hall of North American Habitats, which recreates the beauty of the region's natural terrains and ecosystems.

Indigenous cultures are showcased in the Henry Hall of the American Indian, while temporary rotating exhibits are on display in the Robinson Featured Exhibit Gallery. Outside, a 0.7-mile nature trail showcases pine and mixed hardwood forest habitats and a children's play area, while a Catawba Indian Village is home to recreated indigenous structures. An 18th-century backcountry farm is also preserved, along with a memorial wildlife garden showcasing some of the region's native plant species.

The Schiele Museum of Natural History, 1500 E Garrison Blvd, Gastonia, NC 28054, Phone: 704-866-6908

The Mint Museum

The Mint Museum is one of Charlotte's premiere cultural museums, offering two museum locations that together comprise the city's largest visual arts organization. The original Mint Museum Randolph facility is located in the former Charlotte Mint federal building, opening to the public as North Carolina's first art museum in 1936. Its permanent collections showcase fine art from the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia, including significant pottery, costume, and photography collections.

Its adjacent Mint Museum of Craft + Design facility displays more than 2,500 contemporary craft works, considered to be one of the finest contemporary craft museums in the world. At the new 145,000-square-foot Mint Museum UPTOWN, opened to the public in 2010, visitors can see additional works from both original museum collections.

The Mint Museum, 2730 Randolph Rd, Charlotte, NC 28207, Phone: 704-337-2000

President James K. Polk Historic Site

President James K. Polk Historic Site preserves the childhood farm property of 11th United States President James K. Polk, a noted Democratic Party figure who oversaw the much of the nation's westward expansion during the mid-19th century. The site is home to a 150-acre farm that was owned by Polk's parents, Jane and Samuel Polk, and was home to Polk and his nine siblings throughout their childhood.

Period-appropriate furnishings and equipment are displayed throughout the site, with exhibits highlighting the life and career of the president and the typical lifestyle of 19th-century North Carolinians. Admission to the historic site is free, though donations are suggested to offset the cost of future facility operations.

President James K. Polk Historic Site, 12031 Lancaster Hwy, Pineville, NC 28134, Phone: 704-889-7145

McColl Center for Art and Innovation

McColl Center for Art and Innovation is a nationally-renowned contemporary art gallery and studio work space, located within the historic Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church facility in Charlotte's Uptown area. The center offers more than 30,000 square feet of gallery and studio space, including 5,000 square feet for rotating public art exhibitions.

Nine individual art studios are available for regional artists working with the center's artist-in-residency program, with common-use spaces available for additional use, including a large-scale sculpture studio. The center's galleries and studio spaces are open to the public with free admission Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays throughout the morning and afternoon hours or daily with advance appointment. Free parking is available at the center's 10th and Church Street parking lot, with additional free metered street parking spots available nearby after 6:00pm and on weekends.

McColl Center for Art and Innovation, 721 N Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202, Phone: 704-332-5535

Matthews Heritage Museum

Matthews Heritage Museum is a living history museum housed within the 1880 Massey-Clark House, one of the oldest extant structures within the Charlotte suburb of Matthews. The home was originally constructed for Civil War veteran and physician Henry V. Massey, equipped with pine flooring and designed according to popular housing trends of the era. The home was sold to Susie and C.C. Clark in 1925 and remained in the Clark family until its was donated to the Town of Matthews in 1977. Today, the home interprets the first century of residential living in Matthews through a variety of restored artifacts and exhibits, including a Lifestyles Gallery and Community Gallery, which feature exhibits on typical civic life in the area during the 19th century.

Matthews Heritage Museum, 232 N Trade St, Matthews, NC 28105, Phone: 704-708-4996

The Billy Graham Library

The Billy Graham Library honors evangelical Christian minister and public figure Billy Graham, open to the public Mondays through Saturdays during the morning and afternoon hours. Visitors can explore all attractions at the 40,000-square-foot library and museum complex for free, including the site's main barn-shaped building, constructed to reflect Graham's farm living childhood. The library's Journey of Faith exhibit chronicles Graham's life and career, displaying significant artifacts and multimedia exhibits, including videos of Graham's sermons and Christian music. Its Graham Family Homeplace exhibit showcases the restored homestead Graham lived in as a child, while its Memorial Prayer Garden contains the burial site of Graham, his wife Ruth Bell, and several members of the Billy Graham Crusade Team. Paid attractions at the site include the Ruth's Attic bookstore and the Graham Brothers Dairy Bar restaurant.

The Billy Graham Library, 4330 Westmont Dr, Charlotte, NC 28217, Phone: 704-401-3200

The Greenways

The Greenways are a system of linear parks within Mecklenburg County that are intended to connect the county's residential and urban areas, reduce flooding impacts, increase regional water quality, and create and sustain urban wildlife habitats. More than 49 miles of greenway trails have been developed throughout the region as part of the Mecklenburg County Greenways and Trails Master Plan, one of the oldest programs of its kind in the American Southeast, developed in 1996. 17 greenway trails are offered throughout the Charlotte area, including the Briar Creek Greenway, the Four Mile Creek Greenway, the Little Sugar Creek Greenway, and the Irwin Creek Greenway. Trails may be used for both transportation and recreation, including walking, jogging, and cycling.

The Greenways, 5841 Brookshire Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28216, Phone: 980-314-1000

Romare Bearden Park

Romare Bearden Park is a Charlotte public park named after regional artist Romare Bearden, a leading 20th-century African-American artist and civil rights activist associated with Harlem-based arts and activism group The Spiral. The 5.4-acre park was opened to the public in 2013, located along downtown Charlotte's Church Street across from the BB&T Ballpark. Its landscape design is inspired by collage paintings by Bearden, with landscaping overseen by artist Norie Sato. Two formal gardens are offered, along with a Childhood Muse Plaza play area with interactive chime elements, an event green, a public courtyard, and several waterfalls. Public special events offered at the park throughout the year include the Romare Fest music festival, the Bearden Music Series summer concert series, and an annual Bearden Birthday Bash.

Romare Bearden Park, 300 S. Church Street, Charlotte, NC 28202, Phone: 980-314-1002

McAlpine Creek Park

McAlpine Creek Park is a 114-acre Mecklenburg County park that offers a variety of outdoor recreation opportunities for local residents and visitors alike, including Ray's Fetching Meadows, the first off-leash dog park overseen by the county's Parks and Recreation Department. An outdoor fitness center is offered at the park, along with five fields for soccer and a court for playing horseshoes. Visitors can also enjoy a fully-stocked three-acre lake with fishing pier access, along with a two-mile bicycle trail and a 1.5-mile nature trail for walkers and joggers. A 5K championship cross-country running course connects the park to nearby James Boyce Park and Campbell Creek Greenway, with competitive races held throughout the year.

McAlpine Creek Park, 8711 Monroe Rd, Charlotte, NC 28212, Phone: 704-552-8213

Bechtler By Night

Bechtler By Night is a free third Friday night celebration at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Charlotte's premiere museum space for the display and curation of 20th-century modern art. The museum is noted as the second museum in the United States designed by renowned Swiss architect Mario Botta, best known for his work on the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and showcases a collection of more than 1,400 pieces of art by major 20th-century modernists, including Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Jean Tinguely, and Joan Miró. Each third Friday, the museum is open for free between 5:00pm and 9:00pm, offering a chance to explore galleries and collections such as the School of Paris collection and the museum's 17-foot Firebird sculpture, created in 1991 by sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle. Interactive art activities and games are offered for visitors, along with live musical performances and a full-service bar.

Bechtler By Night, 420 S Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202, Phone: 704-353-9200

UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens

UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens oversees three garden facilities at the University of North Carolina campus, all of which are open to the public seven days a week between dawn and dusk. The gardens' centerpiece is the 4,000-square-feet McMillan Greenhouse, which showcases native and exotic plants from desert and tropical regions throughout the world, including a display of carnivorous plants. Outside, the Ralph Van Landingham Glen showcases a collection of more than 3,500 plants cultivated since 1966, including more than 900 species of indigenous trees and shrubs. The three-acre Susie Harwood Garden displays an Asian-themed gazebo and plantings of Japanese maple trees, while the Dinosaur Garden highlights primitive plants arranged around a replica Deinonychus skeleton. Visitors should note that while garden entrance is free, a suggested donation is appreciated.

UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens, 9090 Craver Rd, Charlotte, NC 28262, Phone: 704-687-0721

McGill Rose Garden

McGill Rose Garden is one of four designated All-America Rose Selections public gardens in the state of North Carolina, located in Charlotte's NoDa neighborhood. The garden is located on land formerly owned by prominent philanthropist Henry McGill, which was cultivated by his wife Helen and opened to the public for Mother's Day celebrations beginning in 1967. Since 1996, the 1.3-acre garden has been managed by the City of Charlotte, showcasing more than 1,000 rose bushes across more than 200 varieties. Annual and perennial plants are also showcased, including native and exotic blooms and herbs. Design elements throughout the park have been crafted by Charlotte native Tom Risser, including sculptures and fountains.

McGill Rose Garden, 940 N Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28206, Phone: 704-578-2072

ImaginOn: The Joe and Joan Martin Center

ImaginOn: The Joe and Joan Martin Center is a 102,000-square-foot learning center that is open to the public daily for free, featuring a variety of library, audiovisual, and performing arts studios and libraries for use by Charlotte's youth. The center was opened to the public in October of 2005 and is Mecklenburg County's first LEED-certified facility, designed by the Holzman Moss Bottino and Gantt Huberman architectural firms. It is operated as a joint venture between the Children's Theater of Charlotte and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, offering a full children's library facility, the Spangler Children's Library, on its first floor. The 4,000-square-foot Loft features a collaborative hangout space for local teens, while Studio I lets teens try their hand at animation technologies and production. The center is also home to the McColl Family Theater and the Wells Fargo Playhouse, which present regular season and touring theatrical performances by the Children's Theater of Charlotte.

ImaginOn: The Joe and Joan Martin Center, 300 E 7th St, Charlotte, NC 28202, Phone: 704-416-4600

Charlotte's Historic Fourth Ward

Charlotte's Historic Fourth Ward is one of the city's most historic neighborhoods, spanning approximately 30 blocks throughout the northwestern section of the city's Uptown area. The neighborhood is home to a number of Charlotte's most historic buildings, including its St. Peter's Episcopal Church, First Presbyterian Church, and First Methodist Church, which may be explored as part of walking tours of the district. Tree-lined streets are home to century-old residences and magnificent courtyard gardens, with top restaurants such as Alexander Michael's housed within converted historic buildings from the 19th century.

The district is also home to the city's central arts and cultural district, with venues such as Discovery Place, the North Carolina Music Factory, and the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center offering opportunities for cultural experiences for visitors of all ages. Annual special events include the Fourth Ward Holiday Home Tour, which showcases the district's Christmas lights and displays.