The Best Things to Do in Charlotte in November
No matter where you live, fall never lasts long enough. So before the weather turns stupid, milk this last full month of autumn for all it’s got. Here are some events that will make you feel like wearing flannel—even if, as sometimes happens in this unpredictable place, it’s too hot to actually do it.
Rural Hill Sheepdog Trials and Dog Festival
Nov. 4-5
Put on your best newsboy cap and pretend you’re in George Miller’s Babe while you watch the United States Border Collie Handlers Association championships. There will also be Carolina Dock Dogs and Canine Agility Club competitions; other dog sport demonstrations; Carolina beer, wine, and food vendors; livestock viewing; hayrides; historic craft and cooking demonstrations; antique tractors; kids’ activities; “pumkin’ chunkin’” and “corn launchin’”; shopping; and open walking trails. Leashed dogs welcome, but no pigs.
Historic Rural Hill. Tickets start at $14 for adults
Belmont Drive-In
Friday and Saturday nights
The 75-year-old, family-run drive-in movie theater reopened in August. Check the theater’s Facebook page to see what’s playing. Movies start at dusk, concessions are open, and it’s cash-only.
314 McAdenville Road, Belmont. Tickets: $25 per car
Retro Horror Series at The Ayrsley Grand Cinemas
Through Nov. 2
Halloween II (7 p.m.) and Night of the Living Dead (9 p.m.) are back on the big screen.
Ayrsley Grand Cinemas. Tickets: $5
Día de los Muertos Flow
Thursday, Nov. 2, 7-8:30 p.m.
Dancing Lotus Yoga + Arts hosts this yoga and meditation event to “honor life, remember those who have left this physical word, and celebrate the eternal cycle of existence.”
Urban District Market. Tickets: $20
Statesville Pumpkin Fest
Saturday, Nov. 4, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Look for a classic car show; a kids’ zone with inflatables; live entertainment; food vendors; and beer, wine, and cocktails from Statesville’s Red Buffalo Brewing Co.
Downtown Statesville. Free
Monroe Annual Fall Festival
Saturday, Nov. 4, 2-6 p.m.
Monroe Parks and Recreation Department’s annual festival will have food trucks, craft vendors, games, a rock wall, a bounce house, and more.
Parks Williams Athletic Complex. Free
Tap the Rock
Saturday, Nov. 4, Noon-5 p.m.
A beer festival with more than 100 North and South Carolina beers, plus live music, food trucks, and other local vendors.
The Historic Robertson Home, Rock Hill. Tickets start at $50
Courtesy, Mike Crowley
Whiskey, Wine & Fire Fest
Saturday, Nov. 4, 4-9 p.m.
Featuring whiskey and wine tastings; live bluegrass, Americana, and country music; all kinds of barbecue; a s’mores station; educational seminars; shopping; firepits; and a cigar area.
Ballantyne’s Backyard. Tickets start at $69
Carolina Panthers home games
Sunday, Nov. 5 , 4:05 p.m. versus the Indianapolis Colts.
Sunday, Nov. 19 , 1 p.m. versus the Dallas Cowboys.
Bank of America Stadium
The Wiz
Nov. 7-12
See this Tony Award-winning musical adaptation of The Wizard of Oz before it hits Broadway.
Belk Theater, Tickets start at $30
Charlotte Symphony’s Sherlock Holmes & The Case of the Missing Maestro
Saturday, Nov. 11, 11 a.m.
When the maestro goes missing just before the concert, Sherlock Holmes investigates each instrument family to solve the case. Conducted by Christopher James Lees.
Knight Theater. Tickets start at $10
Courtesy, Charlotte New Music
Stargazer Music Festival
Friday, Nov. 17, 6 p.m.-2 a.m.
Set up a blanket or chair to watch the Leonid meteor shower as you listen to live music from artists like Jaguardini, Starlitmire, Ke’Andra, and The Harvey Cummings Project.
Hodges Family Farm, Tickets start at $48 for adults
Historic Huntersville Day
Sunday, Nov. 19, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Tour three historic Huntersville sites—the Historic Hugh Torance House & Store, the Old Huntersville Jail, and Rural Hill—in honor of the town’s 150th birthday.
Historic Rural Hill, Tickets start at $15 for adults
Novant Health Thanksgiving Eve Parade
Wednesday, Nov. 22, 5:30 p.m.
The nighttime parade will light up Tryon Street from Ninth Street to Good Samaritan Way and pass food and beverage vendors along the route.
Uptown Charlotte, Free
Charlotte Turkey Trot
Thursday, Nov. 23, 6:30 a.m.-noon
For those of you who enjoy running (what’s that like?), the Charlotte Turkey Trot brings more than 9,000 Charlotteans together on Thanksgiving morning for an 8K run, a 5K run/walk, a 1-mile fun run/walk, and a tot trot.
SouthPark Mall. Prices vary
Four local farms that offer quintessential fall festivities:
Pumpkin patches, corn mazes, and hayrides
Country Days Corn Maze
Indian Trail (through Nov. 4)
Almond Farm
Concord (through Nov. 5)
Hunter Farm
Weddington (through Nov. 5)
Wise Acres Farm
Indian Trail (through Nov. 5)
