Community News

Downtown vibes: 55 best towns in the Carolinas and what to do at each, according to you

By Melissa Oyler and Heidi Finley | Charlotte Five
Updated July 13, 2022 10:44 AM

If you’ve lived in Charlotte for long enough, you already know one of the best parts about road trips involves passing through the charming small towns across the Carolinas. We actually have so many quaint towns and cities that even a Carolinas native may not have visited them all.

So when two of our best landed on HGTV’s list of the 30 most charming downtowns in America (Concord in North Carolina and Greenville in South Carolina), we wanted to know which other small towns could have easily been on that list.

So we asked you: What’s your favorite small town downtown in North and South Carolina? We got more than 200 responses. Many of your favorites are arguably not “small” — but all of them quaint, so we decided they should count.

Here are the 55 cities and towns that you recommend in the Carolinas, and what to do at each:

CONCORD

Location: 26 miles from Charlotte

What to do:

• Start with our full guide to a day in Concord’s downtown for less than $50.
• Before exploring downtown, strap in and ride like a NASCAR driver with an infield experience tour at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
• Then head downtown, where you can browse the charming shops, after stopping for a latte at Press & Porter.
• Grab a beer and loaded nachos at Little Robert’s Place.

CHARMING CONCORD: City makes HGTV’s list of 30 most charming small-town downtowns in America

Concord’s downtown includes shops, coffee, bars and restaurants. Alex Cason CharlotteFive