On a quiet Sunday morning, the Union-Market Passageway in Concord felt anything but spooky, which…read moreis always a pleasant surprise because some alleys can definitely give off that vibe. But here, the white painted brick and the bright artworks made it feel open and welcoming. The murals tell the story of Concord's industrial past and how those early mills and factories shaped the city. Knowing the installation was completed in 2013 by artist Sharon Dowell made me appreciate how intentional the space feels. One of the captions, "This image shows the original Cabarrus County Courthouse, built after the Town of Concord was laid out in 1796 on a 26 acre tract of land called 'Pea Ridge' near the old Indian Trading Path. It was a modest frame structure 30 feet wide and 30 feet long with a 15 foot hip roof. It was constructed in the intersection of Union and Corbin (now Corban) Streets." Walking through with no one else around, it was easy to slow down and take in the colors and the way the artwork is framed against the clean brick walls, and the passageway felt more like a small outdoor art gallery than a cut through. It is a simple spot but a charming one, and on a calm Sunday morning, it added a nice bit of character to my walk through downtown Concord. [Review 665 of 2026 - 4753 in North Carolina - 25846 overall]

Union-Market Passageway is not just another utilitarian alleyway in an historic downtown district…read more It's historical and artsy too! located between 48 and 46 South Union the pedestrian alley is currently adorned with works by Charlotte artist Sharon Dowell titled "Momentous- A Timeline of History Shaping Sites of Concord" it includes several large pieces installed on the wall depicting places and periods significant to life in the early days of the greater Concord metro. small plaques accompany the panels providing background and context for the illustrations.

This is such a quaint little village! I spent an afternoon here. The drive up from Charlotte is…read morebeautiful once you're off the main highway. Got lunch at fat Mack's and hopped in and out of the gift shops. They do so much every month, check out their website for goings on. I know this upcoming weekend will be founders weekend with a lot of vendors and food trucks, along with a parade. They decorate the village for Christmas, and the first 3 weekends in December have Santa and the Grinch on site. Seems like there's something for everyone here. We will be back to check out the trails on the 70 acre park.

My family and I drove from Waxhaw to Gold Hill on a Thursday only to be met with disappointment…read more Most of the shops in this little town are only open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Dang, bad timing on our part. We still enjoyed walkin around town and seeing what we could see from the outside. I know my grandma really wanted to see the shops, though. All we were able to do is see the park which was open. That was pretty cool. There is an old jail there when you first drive in. And a bunch of old mining equipment. The coolest part of a crevice in the rock. There is a small set of stairs which goes down deep enough to see it. I don't know why that as so cool but it was. Since we wanted to see the shops and looked to see that they should be open on Sundays, we came back just a couple of days after we first came to Gold Hill. Struck out again! The shops still weren't open. It was a little early (11:00ish AM). We were hoping and expecting at least a couple of the shops to be open. What a bummer that they were not. Maybe the fall is off season and the summer would be better. I don't know. But we had just wasted another trip trying to see this place and ALL that is has to offer. So, 3 stars for now based on what we did see. Maybe if I can come back and go into some of the shops some time then I can reevaluate and increase the star rating.

Recently ranked as one of the Top 50 artworks built in 2018, this interesting display is made up of…read more5.768 individual pieces and climbs 8 feet tall around Southwest and Southeast corners of the new Stonewall Station Parking garage. It's not a great spot to enjoy unless you are headed into Uptown on Caldwell Street. I had to park on the 277 onramp and hope not to get a ticket as I took my pictures and tried to appreciate the artwork. The piece is suspended as a one continuous piece without the use of a secondary support system. According to information I found online, "The 16-inch deep directional folds across the structural skin borrows from the concept of nappe--a geological term relating to both the movement and form that creates the earth's peaks and valleys over their tectonic history. A dynamic cultural asset for the City of Charlotte, Wanderwall celebrates the spirit of growth and discovery." Worth a stop to check it out. [Review 11551 overall, 1331 of 2019.]

Located at the main entrance to the Charlotte Douglas International Airport, this Crown sculpture…read moreis the eye-catching front door to one of the busiest airports in the world. That said, Charlotte is busy because it's a connecting airport. The greater majority of the passengers being served here are coming from somewhere else and going somewhere else. There aren't a whole lot of originating passengers at CLT that are going to drive past this sculpture. Still, it's pretty darned neat. Installed in 2020, the points of the crown are sharp and slick. They speak to the sleek and polished updates - $2.5 billion - that have recently been spent on airport improvements including a redesigned arrivals pick up and departures drop off lanes with a lovely scooped roof, the new concourses in Terminal A and the construction of a new airport control tower that is the second tallest in the southeast (after ATL). So yeah, this crown for the city we call the Queen City is appropriate and worth checking out. There is a sidewalk but it's not really a space for pedestrians so use caution. [Review 1738 of 2024 - 3668 in North Carolina - 22761 overall]

This beautiful mural takes up the entire wall of the Live Love Serve Foundation facing Old…read morePineville Road. A series of faces and patterns that don't quite line up with the porthole shaped windows but still provides a positive outlook on the foundation. They have also installed a sign that provides context. It reads in part, "'We exist to love and serve.' This was true in 1993 and is still true 25 years later. These simple words describe not what we do, but why we do it. 'We exist to Love and Serve our Clients, Associates and Community.' The 10'9" x 17'4" mural running along the Old Pineville Road side of our building is our way to inspire others to live a life focused on love. The inspiration for the mural came from the Wynwood community in Miami, Florida that embraces art in an effort to positively impact the community." It is worth a stop, especially if you're nearby for Brewers on Yancey. [Review 1116 of 2024 - 3614 in North Carolina - 22142 overall]

The five-story mural on the wall of The Nook condominiums in Plaza Midwood features a magnificent…read morepicture of Neptune, the Roman deity of the sea. It was created by Charlotte artists Matt Hooker and Matt Moore. I've reviewed a few of their pieces. The mural, designed to represent strength and longevity, features a statue rather than a lifelike figure, merging classical elements with a modern, politically charged color scheme of red and blue. The artists wanted for the piece to depict the neighborhood's resilience and changing identity, with Neptune representing the unstoppable flow of change and the idea of accepting it rather than opposing. The Plaza Midwood Neighborhood Association, local businesses, and the artists worked together to create this mural, which took almost three years to complete. A GoFundMe campaign also provided additional funding. The enormous brick wall, which was formerly regarded as an eyesore, is now a proud landmark and a representation of community pride. The mural was unveiled in 2018 and while the Dairy Queen has since been replaced by the milkbread restaurant, the artwork endures. [Review 513 of 2025 - 4113 in North Carolina - 24074 overall]

Though the bridge itself is simply a means of foregoing the need of an intersection on the west…read moreside of NoDa, the beautiful mural makes it stand out and a more memorable part of Charlotte's art flavor. Brainchild of local artist Will Puckett, this gorgeous mural tells a wonderful story of Mecklenburg history. There's a brilliant explanation of this at the listed website. Though you may not find yourself walking down North Davidson Street most days, take the time to walk by and take in this gorgeous story/work of art. It's quite remarkable and more memorable up front rather than from your car window.

Hooray for public art! This used to be one of the ugliest bridges in a city that prided itself on…read moreutilitarian industrial infrastructure. But a few NoDa artists have, with the help of many grants, painted the columns with the major contributors to the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. For those of you who took history classes in the real world, the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence probably isn't a familiar document. All true Charlotte citizens know that Mecklenburg declared independence from the British years before the Continental Congress. But then they lost the document and all proof of its existence so just take our word for it okay? This is especially convenient for southern gentlemen who are ferociously proud of the revolution but uncomfortable giving any credit to those damned Yankees. In the project's later stages the mural will extend beyond the bridge's columns to decorate the embankments on either side with images of the Mecklenburg Resolves, another document of unclear purpose and dubious existence. Basically, I'm saying that they could have picked some better subject matter. Like, something that actually happened. Or, if you are happy with imaginary events, why not choose something truly heroic like the day America beat back the Martian menace? But regardless, I think it is fitting that this bridge, spanning one of two routes into NoDa's arts district, be covered in an enormous, colorful mural.

There's another neat statue we found while we were exploring downtown area. I really enjoy looking…read moreat all the statues and finding things to review and take photos of and this one was pretty cool. I would definitely say go check it out.

This is an interesting piece of artwork. I'm not really sure what the artist is trying to "say"…read morehere other than this is a clever bunch of welding. It was the first project by the Davidson Public Art Commission and is located in the post office plaza.. The plaque at its base has three parts, "Dedicated to Kate MacIntyre for her vision of public art in Davidson." and "A Bouquet for Davidson by Andrew Dunnill, April 25, 2009" and "This project was mad possible with funding by The Arts & Science Council, The North Carolina Arts Council, The National Endowment for the Arts and the Town of Davidson." [Review 12633 overall, 2425 of 2019.]