The Dixie Chicks World Tour was on Saturday night, but we took off early Friday to explore a new city and check into The Renaissance Hotel. Our hotel was a stones throw away from the South Park Mall where we spent several hours shopping and loafing around. After dinner at The Cowfish, we grabbed some dessert to go from The Cheesecake Factory and caught up on the Olympics since we don't have cable at home.
Saturday morning we slept in late and made our way to Flying Biscuit Cafe for a yummy brunch, and then explored some cute shops and restaurants like Soda Shoppe, Chopt, Onward Reserve, J. Crew Mercantile, and Suarez Bakery. Next, we drove across town to Atherton Mill and Market to check out the farmers market. This was my favorite area of Charlotte - very up-and-coming! We had an early dinner at Rooster's before making our way over to the PNC Music Pavilion. Word from the wise, leave early for concerts because there is no traffic control and you will be waiting for a long time. Other than that, we had a great time at the concert and really loved the venue!
Sunday morning we checked out of our suite and grabbed breakfast at Duck Donuts by recommendation of my bestie. Y'all, you need some maple bacon donuts in your life right now! While we stuffed our faces we planned our strategy for conquering IKEA. We loaded up on some great deals for the house and sunroom, and decided that the Charlotte IKEA is much easier to maneuver than the Atlanta location. By mid-afternoon we were ready to go home and see our kitties! We drove through main street Charlotte to check out the scenery as we made our way back to the interstate.
I'm so happy we were able to check Charlotte off our local city tour list, and daydream about the day when we can visit new places every weekend. A wonderful anniversary, indeed!