Charlotte

A 525-hectare outdoor sports centre on the Catawba with the world's largest artificial whitewater river, open to rafting for all, plus trails, climbing walls, zip lines and free summer concerts.

💡 Entry and the trails are free: only the activities require a pass, bought online with the liability waiver filled in beforehand. Come on a weekday, as the rafting queues grow at weekends. Price: parking $13, about €11, per car per day; activities charged according to the pass.

HowardMorland / Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)

A 150-hectare estate on Lake Wylie with themed gardens, fountains, a tropical orchid conservatory and forest trails, changing with the seasons from spring tulips to end-of-year illuminations.

💡 Buy your ticket online, it must be used within 48 hours, and come in the morning in summer, before the heat. Pair the visit with the Whitewater Center, 20 minutes away. Price: $18.95, about €16, per adult; $10.95, about €9, for ages 2 to 12, plus tax.

Seth Taylor / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

A centre for African American arts and culture named after Charlotte's first Black mayor, whose stepped façade recalls the Myers Street School, with exhibitions on art, photography and the region's Black communities.

💡 The centre is closed on Mondays; it opens from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and on Sunday, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. Combine it with the Mint and the Bechtler using the Levine Center for the Arts pass. Price: $10, about €9, per adult; $7, about €6, for ages 6 to 17.

Mark Clifton / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

The downtown branch of North Carolina's first art museum, with American paintings from the 18th to the 20th century and a renowned collection of contemporary craft and design in ceramics, glass and wood.

💡 The museum is closed on Mondays; it opens from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., until 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, and from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Entry is free on Wednesdays from 5 to 9 p.m. The Levine Center for the Arts pass, $20, gives access within 48 hours to the Mint, the Gantt Center and the Bechtler. Price: $15, about €13, plus tax; free for under-18s.

Bz3rk / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

The museum of stock-car racing, born on the dirt tracks of the South, with around twenty cars on a ramp banked like a racetrack turn and simulators that let you take the wheel.

💡 The museum is closed on Tuesdays and opens from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on other days. Buy online, $2 less per ticket, and take the package with the simulator if you are travelling with teenagers. Price: $29, about €25, per adult at the ticket office; $22, about €19, for ages 4 to 12.

Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)