Charlotte/NoDa
NoDa is an arts district in Charlotte. Its name is a blend of "NOrth DAvidson", after the district's main street. It began as a mill village that operated almost independently of Charlotte, and became a haven of poverty and vice in the middle of the 20th century. Since the late 1980s, it has been redeveloped as a home of the arts, as well as one of Charlotte's best-preserved historic districts.
Get in
Most visitors will arrive in NoDa by means of car or bus. From Uptown, take North Davidson St outbound. Generally the district is considered to run along N Davidson between 30th and 36th. The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) operates buses in the city. The #3 and #23 routes travel through NoDa, stopping along North Davidson and 36th Streets. Fares are $2.20 each way (as of Dec 2022), with 50% discounts for seniors, children and people with disabilities.
The Blue Line Light Rail serves 3 stations in the NoDa neighborhood. From Uptown take the train to University (north-bound) and the NoDa stops include Parkwood, 25th, and 36th street stations. The 36th station is the closest to the Arts District and most of the restaurants, shops, and venues.
See
NoDa is recognized as Charlotte's primary arts district. There are numerous art and craft galleries to be found in the district.
- 🌍 Hart Witzen Gallery, 2422 N Tryon St, ☏ +1 704-334-1177, hartwitzengallery@hotmail.com. The gallery is rented for use by various artists, giving it a constantly changing clientèle. Features a wide variety of exhibitions and performances, and tends to be rather avante-garde in nature.
Do
- 🌍 The Evening Muse, 3227 N Davidson St, ☏ +1 704-376-3737. W Th 6PM-midnight, F Sa 6PM-until. A combination of music venue, cafe, and art gallery, the Evening Muse is not to be missed. Occupying the key corner at Davidson and 36th St., it is one of the best-reputed establishments in the area. A very strong schedule of performances and exhibitions keeps it active throughout the week.
- 🌍 Neighborhood Theater, 511 E 36th St, ☏ +1 704-358-9298. The heart and soul of NoDa, this was once a burlesque theater but has been converted to an intimate venue with comfortable seating. A wide variety of acts play here, from hard rock to acoustic jazz.
Buy
By and large, Noda's stores are hip and artsy, making for a great casual shopping scene.
Also, the first and third Friday of each month is reserved for a district-wide gallery crawl (which really has the atmosphere of a pub crawl). Local establishments usually coordinate their events to coincide with these larger crowds.
- 🌍 The Boulevard at NoDa, 453 E 36th St, ☏ +1 704-332-0142. Collection of hand made jewelry, hats, home decor, purses, pet section, etc.
- 🌍 Lyncrist Calligraphy Studio, 3460 N Davidson St, ☏ +1 704-344-0070.
Eat
- 🌍 Boudreaux's, 501 E 36th St, ☏ +1 704-331-9898. Cajun cuisine in a jazzy atmosphere. A very solid beer menu and excellent entrees make Boudreaux's a standout citywide. Also features live music on a regular basis.
- 🌍 Cabo Fish Taco, 3201 N Davidson St, ☏ +1 704-332-8868. California-style take on coastal Baja fare. Fun and affordable, representing a cuisine that gets little exposure elsewhere in Charlotte.
- 🌍 Amelie's French Bakery, 2424 N. Davidson St., ☏ +1 704-376-1781. Amelie's is a little too far from the center to NoDa to reach by foot, but is a popular hangout due to the unlimited free Wi-Fi and the fact it is open 24 hours a day.
Drink
- 🌍 Dog Bar, 3307 N Davidson St, ☏ +1 704-370-3595. The only place in Charlotte where your pet and your nightlife come together. It's exactly what it sounds like: a bar that is friendly to canine "guests". Pet membership costs $10, and the scene is regulated to allow for safety and civility (no kids allowed, for instance). But where else can you have a Corona with your Chihuahua?
- 🌍 The Smelly Cat, 514 E 36th St, ☏ +1 704-374-9656. One of the city's better coffeehouses and a great perch for people-watching. Open till midnight on weekends to accommodate the after-concert crowds, but also early enough to be a good hangover-busting option.
- 🌍 Sanctuary, 507 E 36th St (Right next door to Boudreaux), ☏ +1 704-331-9797.
NoDa is also home to a few of the Charlotte area breweries.
- 🌍 Divine Barrel Brewing, 3701 North Davidson Street, Suite 203, ☏ +1 980-237-1803, info@divinebarrel.com. W-Su. Divine Barrel Barrel brewing focuses on barrel aged styles such as sours, wild ales, and stouts. They also serve more common styles like IPA and Saison.
- 🌍 Free Range Brewing, 2320 N Davidson St, ☏ +1 980-201-9096, info@freerangebrewing.com. W-M (closed Tu). Free Range brews a large variety of small batch beers including IPAs, Wild Ales, Sours, Saisons, and more. You may occasionally find live music in their event space.
- 🌍 Heist Brewery, 2909 N Davidson St., ☏ +1 704-375-8260, info@heistbrewery.com. Heist Brewery is a brewpub that specializes brewing Belgian Table Beers, Saisons, IPAs and Double IPAs, and Porters and Imperial Stouts in small batches. They also serve a uniquely crafted cocktail menu and tapas style plates of food.
- 🌍 Salud Cerveceria, 3306-C N Davidson St, ☏ +1 980-495-6612, info@saludcerveceria.com. Tu-Su 11AM-close. Salud Ceveceria is upstairs of its bottle shop located on the ground floor. The brewery has a large selection of American IPA, Saison, and Stout styles.
Sleep
There are no hotels of significance in this district. The nearest hotels of significance are about a mile away off Independence Blvd. Also, visitors staying Uptown are only a few minutes' drive away and generally have no problem locating NoDa.