CHARLOTTE CITY WALKS Has concluded for 2022
Thanks to all our walk leaders and attendees for a successful 2022 return to in-person Charlotte City Walks. The program has concluded for this year. Stay tuned for updates on 2023.
Gallery: Photos from Charlotte City Walks 2022
Archived: Charlotte City Walks are back in 2022!
After City Walks were canceled in 2020 and virtual-only in 2021 because of the pandemic, the program is back this year. We've got a full slate of in-person walks scheduled, and we're excited to welcome people from across our community to once again gather and learn about Charlotte's history, neighborhoods and culture.
Registration is now open! Click here to register for the 2022 in-person City Walks
The walks are free, led by community members and open to all. Some virtual walks are still available as well, which means you have more flexibility to experience City Walks on your schedule. Additional self-guided walking tours are also available through historian Tom Hanchett's History South website.
“We’re so excited to bring Charlotte City Walks back in person this year for the first time in three years,” said Angelique Gaines of the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute, which organizes Charlotte City Walks. “Now more than ever, we need ways for people to connect across neighborhoods and across differences. City Walks offer people an easy way to get to know our city and each other.”
[Frequently Asked Questions: COVID safety, City Walks scheduling, and more]
Here's a complete list of the available City Walks tours this year.
2022 Charlotte City Walks
Elizabeth neighborhood tour

[Register here]
Ramble along The Plaza
Coffee + Donuts: South End Edition
Art in Transit: Blue Line Tour
[Register here]
South End’s History: Rail and Reinvention
[Register here]
A Walk on the Wild Side...of Plaza Midwood
When: Saturday, April 30, 10-11:30 a.m.
What: This walk will explore both the history as well as the new and amazing place called Plaza Midwood. We will find out how this unique and very interesting area came to be and the exciting plans for the future. It is very unique to Charlotte and holds much history as well as secrets!
Where: We will meet in the parking lot at Veterans Memorial Park, 2136 Central Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205.
Accessibility: This walk is accessible and open to all ages.
Parking/transit: Please park in the parking lot at Veterans Memorial Park.
[Register here]
History, Murals and Mills - A Walking Tour of NoDa and Historic North Charlotte Tour #1

[Register here]
History, Murals and Mills - A Walking Tour of NoDa and Historic North Charlotte Tour #2
[Register here]
Exploring the “hidden” history of African American community-building along West Boulevard
[Register here]
Charlotte's Belmont Neighborhood: Where do I go from here?

[Register here]
Historic West End / Biddleville Tour
[Register here]
RESCEHDULED: Heart of Myers Park tour
[Register here]
Treetops & Tombstones - Charlotte's Super-Natural Arboretum
The Evolution of University City

[Register here]
Stories in Stone - Our Charlotte Hebrew Cemetery
Virtual City Walks
Walks available to experience via phone on the Clio App (click the title to open the walk)
Groups will explore the vibrant history of North Charlotte and NoDa with local tour guides. We will visit three textile mills, stroll through two distinct and largely intact mill villages, view local art and several large murals, and hear about some of the colorful neighbors from NoDa.
What’s with all the new murals we have uptown? Join ArtWalks CLT for a free guided artwalk, Experience firsthand how murals enliven public space, learn about the Talking Walls mural festival, and be inspired by discovering a dozen murals.
Exploring the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens
The UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens include a wide variety of rare and exotic plant materials. From carnivorous plants to tasty tubers, take a walk with Dr. Jeff Gillman to discover the fascinating histories and hidden treasures in the Botanical Gardens.
Charlotte's Belmont Neighborhood: Where do I go from here?
Join us for a 90 minute walking tour of Charlotte's Belmont neighborhood (not the town of Belmont). Learn about the origins as a white mill village, the change to an under-invested Black neighborhood, and now another change. Charlotte's tale of two cities as noted in the Leading on Opportunity report is playing out in the Belmont neighborhood. As housing prices soar, long-time homeowners are concerned about tax increases, and renters are losing their affordable rates. This begs the question – where do I go if I need to leave my home? See large new homes next to small mill homes, learn about mill village life and current redevelopment, and hear how the community association is working to navigate this change.
Arts, Parks, and Culture in east Charlotte
Central Avenue, Kilborne Drive and Norland Road are undergoing a Comprehensive Neighborhood Improvement Program (CNIP) through the City of Charlotte. These improvements will provide the area with a safer pedestrian and bicycle connection between two very special urban parks, Kilborne Park and Evergreen Nature Preserve. It also lays the groundwork to pedestrian, bicycle, bus and future streetcar connections for its vibrant diverse community that will provide this East Charlotte community with more economic opportunities for jobs and education. It will create a sense of community through its small, independent businesses and community gathering places with enhanced neighborhood safety and security. Good transportation connections will significantly improve the quality of daily life for all who live, work and play in this established East Charlotte community. Come along with CharlotteEAST as your guide to experience the revitalization - we are excited about the future of this community!
Treetops & Tombstones: Charlotte's Supernatural Arboretum
Elmwood Cemetery in the heart of uptown Charlotte offers not only a fascinating glimpse into Charlotte’s past, with graves dating back to the 1800s - it’s also a certified arboretum. Erin Oliverio leads this walking tour, where she’ll provide tips on how to identify trees and discuss the city’s meticulous stewardship of this Center City gem.
Video Walks
Around the Clocktower: JCSU & Biddleville
Founded as Biddle Institute in 1867, today’s Johnson C. Smith University has nurtured history-makers for over 150 years. African American history specialist Michael Webb, a JCSU alum, and Tom Hanchett, community historian, delve into stories behind campus landmarks. Then loop through Biddleville to see homes of important education leaders Dr. George E. and Marie G. Davis, a Civil War blockade-runner and more.
Find all the details and directions to see the sights yourself at History South.
South End Interactive: Murals that jump off the walls
South End Interactive is where art comes to life. Experience eight murals in South End with augmented reality technology that allows you to dive deeper into each piece, play with face filters, and explore 3-D models of the most intricate details.
You can see directions and where to find all of the murals at SouthEndCLT.org.
[See an archived list of 2019 walks here]
History South: Explore Charlotte's intriguing past and vibrant present
Charlotte's own historian extraordinaire Tom Hanchett has compiled a dozen walking self-guided walking tours for people to explore neighborhoods like Plaza Midwood, NoDa and Dilworth. Learn about the history of Charlotte's streetcar, the mill enclave that became NoDa, and how the Thirsty Beaver saloon hangs on in its little spot on Central Avenue.
Previous 2022 walks
Walk Tall: Wander Among the Trees of University City’s Green Heart, UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens
When: Monday, April 25, 12 – 1 p.m.
What: Join April Faucette for a walking tour through the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens. The walk will start at the McMillan Greenhouse and head into the Van Landingham Glen – a woodland garden of thousands of native plants and rhododendron. We’ll follow winding paths below majestic trees, including a grove of bigleaf magnolia. The tour will continue to the Susie Harwood Garden through the Mellichamp Native Terrace and Asian Garden, and return to the greenhouse to tour its collection of carnivorous plants.
Where: McMillan Greenhouse, UNC Charlotte, 9090 Craver Road, Charlotte, NC 28262.
Accessibility: This walk is only accessible by foot. There is a steep gravel path to access the Gardens and Glen. It is appropriate for all ages.
Parking/transit: There are five free parking spots available adjacent to McMillan Greenhouse, in Lot 16A. If you park in those spots, you must sign in at the Greenhouse. If those spots are full, the closest paid visitor parking is in East Deck 1.
[Register here]
Dilworth/South End tour
[Register here]
What is a City Walk?
After you take a tour, take this short survey and let us know what you thought.
Is this just a Charlotte thing?
Activist Jane Jacobs celebrated the power of everyday people to shape their city.
City Walks are part of a global celebration – known in many cities as Jane Jacobs Walks or Jane’s Walks – of free, citizen-led walking tours inspired by Jane Jacobs, a famous neighborhood champion who lived in New York and Toronto.
Born May 4, 1916, Jane Jacobs was a writer, activist and urban thinker who championed a community-based approach, based on what she observed in her neighborhood, Greenwich Village. She saw cities as ecosystems with their own logic and dynamism. She encouraged residents to get engaged and to explore where they lived, worked and played.
Scorned at the time – the 1960s – by many professional planners, architects and city officials, Jacobs’ books and ideas are now routinely taught in planning and architecture schools.
Jane's Walks take place around the world during the first weekend in May, to honor her birthday, but in Charlotte they take place throughout May.
Contact us:
- Angelique Marcus Gaines, amarcus5@uncc.edu, 704-687-1199
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What COVID safety protocols are in place?
A: City Walks will follow all local guidelines. The walks are mostly outside, which is a lower-risk environment. Participants are welcome to wear masks and/or social distance if they wish to do so.
Q: If I want to see the virtual tours on the Clio App, what should I do?
1. Open the Apple or Google Play Store on your phone.
2. Search for “Clio”
3. Choose the “Clio-Your Guide to History” App and choose
download
Q: What about the munching tours — those were my favorite! Are they coming back?
A: Yes! We love eating delicious things as well, and we know how popular the munching tours have been. While it wasn’t practical to include them this year due to COVID concerns and challenges in the restaurant industry, we plan to reincorporate munching tours into our lineup as soon as we can.
Q: Can I still organize a City Walk?
A: For 2022, we have reached our capacity for City Walks-affiliated tours. However, we would love to hear your feedback and ideas for additional walks — contact Angelique Gaines.
Q: Is City Walks still free?
A: Yes. The in-person walks, Clio app and History South self-guided walking tours are all totally free.
Q: Will you have new virtual walks in the future?
A: Let us know what you’d like to see. Depending on the response to this year’s City Walks program, we’ll certainly consider it. Virtual tours and self-guided walks have the advantage of letting you move at your own pace and go whenever you want. At the same time, they can lack the community-building experience of getting to know your neighbors while you learn about a new place together — so, it’s a balancing act.
Photos by Nancy Pierce