a festive wintery weekend
how to spend your golden days of yore (in charlotte, nc)
happy December!
I’m typically not great at making time to attend the seasonal events thrown on by the city I live in, so when my friend was in town we made it our mission to be as festive as possible!!!! Let’s #romanticize the winter season!!! Let’s bundle up and appreciate all the little things about the days leading up to Christmas!! I felt like I was the tourist, even though I was definitely the tour guide. It was fun.
So, before Christmas scampers off and the new year is upon us (because I’m always publishing things months after they happen), let me tell you all about it~
saturday
(with wind chills at ❄️❄️❄️)
📍Copain Bakery & Provisions // truly one of the coziest places for a light breakfast (like coffee & pastries) you can find yourself at anytime of the year, but especially during the winter months. Copain has a casual, order-at-the-counter vibe but a dine in space that feels done-up and ooh la la like you’re in Europe (potentially). An order that never goes wrong for me: their speck & gruyère croissant—warmed, of course—with a seasonal latte (house made gingerbread, peppermint mocha, sugar cookie syrups)!
📍South End Farmers Market // (8:00 AM - 1:00 PM) size wise, it can’t compare with the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market, but it’s great for checking out local vendors and getting your toes wet with the South End atmosphere (when you’ve got a new visitor, they must see South End!). From there, you can easily round out the visit with putzing around Atherton Mills, grab more coffee at Not Just Coffee, etc. etc.
📍Optimist Hall // I don’t make it out here often, so every time I do come I feel like I’m getting that whiplash experience you get when you’re watching your friend’s baby grow up in the pockets that you get to hangout with them (“they really grow up so fast!”). The vendor selection here is always under refinement, vendors turning over (mostly for the better), the growth in consumer base is immense! My safety net options are Mezeh or Harriet’s Hamburgers, but this time I explored Botiwalla’s menu, and the lamb burgers were deliciously seasoned.👌
📍Mistletoe Market // (3:00 PM - 8:00 PM) located in Camp North End, I found the selection of vendors this year more hit than miss! A lot of the booths were makers with quality handicraft, or secondhand curators. Some of my favorite vendors were: Lazo & Stone (handcrafted jewelry), shop Bailey Bee (natural fragrance), Gather Ye Honey (local beekeepers farming regional honey). And we warmed up with a hot chocolate from Wentworth & Fenn.
📍Carolina Holiday Light Spectacular // (5:30 PM - 10:00 PM) this ended up being a great holiday night cap to our day (even though the Ballantyne Backyard is the opposite side of town when you’re coming from Camp North End). We made it 45 minutes before close and I sort of actually recommend you come at this time because (1) the tickets are cheaper, and (2) there’s not a soul in sight! Makes it easier to take photos and also enjoy the lights without navigating a sea of people.
sunday
(weather was basically fall time warmth)
📍Renaissance Pâtisserie // the food food menu is one of the best for breakfast and lunch. Everything is French-ish and yummy. I love their fries, but was more in the mood for a croissant breakfast sandwich this time around. And when you order a latte, prepare for the largest cuppa ever!
📍Queen City Church // service was on the topic of waiting. “Waiting lost,” losing hope, having a gap between expectation and what is delivered…when we wait on the Lord, it’s more important how we wait, not just what we’re waiting for.
📍RuRu’s Tacos + Tequila // a charming piece of architecture from the Tuscan Revival era with some of the best house made queso-guac-salsa I’ve tasted (menu dubs it “The Three Amigos”). So you bet I ordered that for lunch 😋
📍Light the Knights Festival // (hours vary) which takes place in Uptown’s Truist Field, I expected this to be mildly overrated but it did feel pretty cool skating among towering high rises. While this event is more known for their evening experience (Christmas lights and skyscraper lights are hard to beat), the Truist Field was somehow just as good in the daytime?! Golden hour was stunning.
total pricing: $40 for admission (walking around the vendors on the concession-level) + activities (skating & tubing); then $8 for the locker (or you can leave your stuff out in the open, we just decided not to)
tips: parking can go for $50-$60 flat rate at night (not to mention, super difficult to find); either reserve a garage spot or have someone drop you off
📍Merry Midwood Market // (2:00 PM - 7:00 PM) this was a one time event located in the old Pizza Peel that is caddy corner to Workman’s Friend in Plaza Midwood. After marathoning so many markets over the weekend, I expected this one to be fairly comparable, but it was a lot smaller than any of the others. I don’t think it’s quite worth your time if you’re not in the neighborhood, but it did have 5-6 vendors and many kid-friendly activities that included Santa 🎅
📍Amelie’s French Bakery & Cafe // we ended the trip with a quick in-and-out at Amelie’s, because when in Rome, amiright? And of course, the salted caramel brownie and twice baked almond croissant were the chosen ones!
& with that, we wrap up the weekend like a present for under the tree :)
If you also live in the Charlotte, North Carolina area and are looking for wintery holiday festive things to do, check out some of these sites:
Charlotte on the Cheap’s Holiday Christmas Guide — a day-by-day guide that is updated regularly; they list events happening each day, but that scroll bar is immense 🤯
Charlotte Mag's 2024 Holiday Round up — a summarized list that feels less overwhelming to browse through
…Charlotte’s definitely got a lot 😉 let me know what you get up to, or if you have any recommendations I should check out this winter!
stay warm,
~ cath!!