Fantastic event with some great entertainment and even better brews. This is one of the several…read moreCarolina beer-centric fests that pop up around Charlotte this time of the year. Proceeds were benefitting the Habitat for Humanity, but you had to really look to find that out. The cost for us to get in was $20 since we purchased our tickets pretty early on. Prices fluctuated after a specified date. The average non-VIP patron paid around $30 when purchased early with those costs sky-rocketing later on. VIPs gained entrance at 12:30PM while the bottom feeders like myself had to wait an additional hour before the gates opened. I took the gamble and it paid off. We arrived around 1:15PM and a not-so-large group of VIPs were partaking. We were the 1st general admission folks in line, so we scored there. The line did rapidly expand afterwards, but it still wasn't horribly crowded. The entrance to the event was a bit discombobulated; staff and volunteers didn's seem to have a plan of action. The starting point and directions seemed to change a bit much for my taste. OInce the gates opened they checked my ID and tickets but failed to tell me what to do from there. I ended up missing the wristband and glasses so my early arrival was negated when I had to go back to the entrance to get these necessities. Once inside, and properly outfitted, we received a brochure listing the 20 or so breweries in attendance. We passed by some corn-hole games, volleyball beer pong, several vendors of food and fare and eventually were able to start trying out the different brews. The beers were mostly good. We took our time and decided to enjoy the experience since the lines weren't all that bad. Folks waited their turn and the everything moved along fairly rapidly. A positive aspect of this event was the water containers located at each brew tent for cleaning out glasses. I've been to several events where you had to go to a central cleaning area. That slowed things down. Here we were able to clean the glass and try the next brew in short order. One drawback was the lack of seating. While we never waited long to grab a chair, the total number of seats was lacking. Most people didn't hunker down, so it wasn't a big annoyance, but I think this could have been a little better laid out. We enjoyed the music more than most events. The groups engaged well and played a lot great tunes. Later in the afternoon we spent a good bit of time just singing along. Great choice in entertainment. As far as the rest, the event was attached to the Slate Billards so there were plenty of restrooms. When we arrived and didn't seem any porta-potties we were concerned, but Slate had that covered. Well done. This event was better than most. I think the tickets were priced fairly well and you go a lot for the price tag: especially if you purchased early. Kudos! I'll be back.

There were great beers there, but I was a little disappointed with the location. With so many parks…read moreand areas with grass, I think it would've been better at a park somewhere. Asphalt is hot. Getting beer samples was pretty quick though. I'd probably go again next year.

I visited Spotlight to see a play that a friend was in last night. He is involved with the Black…read moreand White Theatre Company and they were using Spotlight's space for the four day run of "The Mousetrap" by Agatha Christie. The space is cozy, set up with folding chairs facing a single stage, but is nicely arranged, clean and well suited for a small community theater production. "In the daytime" this is a performing arts academy for lessons and the like, but they apparently partnered with Black and White to have space to perform and I am so glad they did! The negatives are few, but important...finding the location on a pretty busy road in Mint Hill is a bit of a challenge as it is nestled in a building with 2 other businesses and the sign is quite faded. Now that I have been there, I won't forget it to pull in at the pet supply store with the horse to park around back. The restrooms require a maze of turns from the performance area and felt a little like I needed a trail of breadcrumbs to find my way back! A friend mentioned her wheelchair bound mother would like to attend a performance, but we did not see a wheelchair ramp, though access may be available away from the front steps and we did not inquire about it this trip. Overall it was a great performance and I love to support community theater when I have the chance and appreciate Spotlight Academy teaming up with Black and White Theater Company for this performance!

Angela Gordon Mills should not be teaching. While she does have her bearable moments, and some…read moretalent, the verbal and physical abuse she puts some of her students through her should not be tolerated. I have seen her throw books at students, and yell at them relentlessly. She expects her older students to act like adults even if they are legal minors, and berates them when they do not act accordingly. Her employees, her are the same way. One employee, whom I will not name, bullied one of their students into a mental breakdown. While I have had good memories here, the only reason why I stayed was the friends I had, (and to be brutally honest), to build up my repertoire. Angela and her staff her so obviously precast and typecast shows, and cast the same people repeatedly as leads. If you are not in her good graces her, the chances are you will probably not get a lead role. Also, she showed up drunk to a rehearsal. If you are looking for a "theatre" in which you have to walk on eggshells in, and employees who care not for the mental, physical and emotional well-being of their students, this is the place for you! Majority of the positive reviews posted are from students who have not seen Angela's true, wretched nature; and parents who do not understand the atrocities that occur behind Spotlight Performing Arts Academy.

This was my second pottery class with Kyndell, and it was even more fun than the first! She's an…read moreamazing instructor--patient, encouraging, and super easy to follow. She even turned our friends oopsie into a fun pitcher - which I think is being used for pancake syrup for the kids. :) The atmosphere is super chill, Andrew and Kyndell are so welcoming (and they have a fantastic banter), and the studio pup, Tupac, is the perfect bonus. Pottery + great people + a pup named Tupac? What's not to love?

My partner and I had such a positive and fun experience while taking a private workshop for our 9th…read moreanniversary (which is pottery). We were allowed to bring snacks and wine! The instructor, Andrew, who happens to be the owner, was incredibly thorough as well as knowledgeable regarding every aspect of making our special pots! Would highly recommend taking a working at Pottery Central!! We may even go back for an open workshop for my birthday:)

Beautiful gallery and amazing collections. We came in on Wednesday evening and discovered that…read moreentry was free. The front desk person was friendly and helpful. She explained the lay out of the gallery and we were on our way. We explored each floor and were met with incredible, thought provoking, pieces. I'm so glad that we found this space and we're able to spend time here.

Great find. Enjoyed our time together in the museum. Great exhibitions a lot to see and contemplate…read moreand discuss together with each artwork.

I found Cafe Elie after buying a Living Social deal for a wine and painting class. I came with a…read moregroup of friends and we each brought our own wine and came ready for laughs and a unique and memorable experience. It was! Elie (pronounced Eel-ee) is the owner and is originally from France. He has been painting and showcasing his art since he was a teen. He now spends his days enjoying the arts (mostly painting) and sharing his talents with others. His shop is in an unassuming strip mall (on Main Street in Cornelius, near Davidson, just past Habitat for Humanity and just before Carolina Cones and the YMCA). He provides all kinds of classes, painting, drawing, sketching, etc. He provides private lessons, as well as group lessons, and my favorite (I'm not an artist!), the Sip and Paint classes. He occasionally offers Living Social or occasional deals, but if you call ahead and have a group coming, he might give you a good deal (hint). On Thursdays and Fridays at 7pm he hosts these BYOB (or BYO-wine) events. He provides the easels, paints, brushes, decent sized canvases, and everything else you could need. Plus I believe he sells/serves coffee and espresso. The class lasts 2-3 hours. On his website, you can see which paintings he'll teach you to paint. They look intimidating but he makes it look easy and you always leave with a great piece of art made by you!! On Wednesdays and Saturdays at 4pm, he hosts 2-hour BYOB classes, they're shorter and less expensive, but smaller canvases. I'd recommend the ones on Thursdays and Fridays. He also has a brand new high tech giclee printer. For those that don't know, this is basically a printer that can print anything on canvas and in a quality that most would genuinely think is an original painting. He can even do this with photographs in excellent quality on canvas... And at a great price. He sometimes seems to go fairly quickly to keep pace, but he walks around and helps when it's needed. If you need more time or help, just ask. I went back tonight with my husband and it was like our own private class, with wine and plenty of laughs and smiles. I'm planning on going back with a group of friends from my neighborhood. Trust me when I say we have no artistic abilities and can get a little silly at times, but we had a blast and were all pretty impressed with our final product. I highly recommend it!!!

Beginners and advanced students as well as returning artists can take class with Elie. Oil or…read moreacrylic painting as well as drawing classes are offered. I've been taking his classes for 6 years and continue to improve. The new location in Cornelius is just right!

We walked in to complete our America 250 stamp book and to check out the museum. When you walk into…read morethe front, go to the right and down the hall a bit and you will see the sign above your head. At first I thought it was small, but saw that there was a lot packed into the space. We paid our 3$ entry free and Francis asked us if we wanted a tour. We said yes and are very glad we did! We learned so much and honestly it was the BEST museum experience we have had in Gaston County. The inventions were particularly interesting, military uniforms and physician equipment. If you have an hour to go find Francis and take the tour. It is worth the 3$ just to hear the information that she gave. It was a real treat!

FREE! super cool way to spend free time. You can even walk into some artists studios and see their…read moreworkspace and that was so amazing. The front desk employee was very welcoming and friendly as well. Highly recommend for art geeks!

I remember when this old church caught fire years ago. I think I was in middle school... The story…read moreI heard was that several homeless people lit a fire in the then empty church to stay warm. They lost control of the fire and the church almost burnt to the ground. The empty, hollowed out skeleton of the church sat abandoned for years. Eventually, the McColl Center came along to bring this gorgeous building back to life! Now, it hosts art exhibits created by visiting artists from all over the world. Most recently, I visited Leah Rosenberg's Color for the People exhibit. It is fun, interactive, vibrant, and of course, full of color! I also enjoyed Nelson Morales' photography. The Fall 2017 residency ends this week and while I'm sad to see the latest class go, I'm excited to meet the next batch of artists to bring their gifts to Charlotte! The next time you're uptown and looking for something to do, I encourage you to visit McColl! Admission is free (with a suggested donation of $5) and they're open Tuesday through Saturday. If you're lucky enough to catch an artist working with their door open, you're encouraged to go into their office/studio and say hello. It's a great chance to meet the artist and learn more about their work!

Magnificent free museum. The front desk check-in lady was incredibly flattering, she thought I was…read moreactually playing in the Charlotte FC game when she asked why I was in town, and me being in town "for the game" was delightfully read by her as me playing in the game, which was an "I wish" moment. Number of people who think I look like a MLS player that are not my mommy: we're up to one now, but men remember every compliment they receive (most don't get that many) so obviously I will remember this forever. The museum has a large footprint in the building for being an overall relatively small museum. There is a lot of empty floor space which is for vibes I guess, or the Southern deep fried ambiance that you need adequate room to maneuver yourself around the wide open walkways when Bojangles is sufficiently well-loved around these parts. The museum is very similar to the STL Gateway Arch Museum, in terms of set up, focus on limited time periods, lewks, and content depth. This free museum is an introduction to a very interesting, historically rich city that gives you a taste of the history (but isn't a dissertation on every little thing) and gets you excited about the future of the city based on some key moments in modernity. While the state government was very particular about which bathroom you used up until it was repealed in 2020, CLT had originally passed local protections that the state got threatened by and made an international spectacle of for years of high profile constitutional litigation and appeals. If you read somewhat fast you can get through the entire museum in under 30 minutes; it is closer in size to the Bechtler rather than the Mint. It is well situated on S. Tryon (the city so far has resisted the obvious name change to Trigon, for all my Teen Titans bros, bro-ettes, and non-binary brxs) to hop, skip, or frogger across the street to the Bechtler and Mint for further museum experiences nearby. They have weird hours and occasional closure days (put actually tell you about it in advance) so be sure to check their webpage to plan ahead for when you can drop in. The gift shoppe is very small but every purchase helps support the free museum so I picked up a shirt for my next volunteer shift at the food bank this week. When you visit here too I am sure you will want to contribute something (voluntarily) to help support the free museum. That is when you know you have a free museum that actually works as intended. A great place to start to realise why Charlotte is one of my favourite American cities, and it could be one of yours too.

This is a small elegant museum, free to enter. It captures the history and evolution of Charlotte…read moreand North Carolina pretty well. It's a single floor, takes about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on how much time you spend on each topic. Lots of images, maps, explanation of milestone moments for the city and the state that shaped it over centuries. The two key events I remember from visit are Charlotte's role in ending segregation and the city became the a leader in banking world. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Charlotte for the first time.