Charlotte: Sports Lover’s Paradise

Football season is upon us, and North Carolina’s Panthers soundly defeated the Rams in St. Louis, the first time since the franchise began that their opener was an away game. Charlotte is the city the Panthers call home, and is also the home town of NASCAR. For sports lovers, you just can’t beat it!

The home schedule for the Panthers at the beautiful downtown Bank of America Stadium and events schedule for Lowe’s Motor Speedway are below, and there are several overlapping weekends that sports lovers could take advantage of for booking a multi-purpose get-away in the Charlotte environs.

Whether one chooses to stay at one of the fine downtown hotels so as to take advantage of Charlotte’s lively music scene. excellent restaurants and brew-houses, or to rent a cabin or condo at nearby Lake Norman so as to get in a little water sport and golfing action too, there is plenty to fill any vacationer’s schedule.

Lake Norman is just 18 miles from Charlotte via interstate highway. It’s the largest man-made lake in the state with more than 520 miles of shoreline and extending over four counties. There are power and sailboat rentals, some prizewinning fish, fine sand beaches and a State Park which offers camping, hiking and biking trails. There are several championship golf courses around the lake, and luxury accommodations along with lakefront cabins available for rental. Several world class restaurants front the lake, and there are numerous regional attractions nearby. Not the least of which is Carowinds theme park, so bring the kids!

Charlotte Douglas airport is conveniently located, and a busy hub with flights in and out from just about everywhere. Shuttles to most outlying and downtown hotels serve arriving passengers, or you can rent a car right at the airport and take your own time and sightseeing tours. Getting your tickets ahead of time is always advised for Panthers home games, though speedway events generally have room for drop-ins and also offers tours of the facilities on off days.

The North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame Museum is just a short drive from downtown Charlotte in Mooresville, where even the cop cars are adorned with NASCAR checkered flags and everybody who’s anybody sports a favorite driver’s car number on their bumper.

Panthers Football: Home Schedule
Sept. 16, v. Houston
September 30, v. Tampa Bay
October 28, v. Indianapolis
November 11, v. Atlanta
November 25, v. New Orleans
December 2, v. San Francisco
December 16, v. Seattle
December 22, v. Dallas

Lowe’s Motor Speedway Events:
September 13-16, Food Lion AutoFair
October 10, Jani-King Southern Showdown
October 11, Bojangles’ Pole Night
October 12, Dollar General 300
October 13, Bank of America 500
October 26-28, Goodguys Southeastern Nationals
November 1-3, World of Outlaws World Finals
November 23, Souvenir and Race Ticket Blow-Out

Links:

Lowe’s Motor Speedway Home

Speedway Visitor’s Guide

Carolina Panthers Home

NC Vacation: Lake Norman Vacation Rentals

NC Auto Racing Hall of Fame

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Filed under Lakes, Museums, NASCAR, Football, Sports, North Carolina |