We are so excited to celebrate the wedding with you all! Below is the schedule for the weekend along with some ideas for any free time you might have.

On Friday night (25-October-2024), we will be hosting a “drop in” at Olde Mecklenburg Brewery (OMB) in Ballantyne

https://www.ombbeer.com/location/the-olde-mecklenburg-brewery-ballantyne/

Please join us any time from 4-8pm in the biergarten (Bride and Groom will arrive closer to 5pm). Weather permitting, we will enjoy outdoor games and music. It will be a great time to get to know Billy and Jess’s closest family and friends. Attire for the biergarten is what you might expect, comfortable and casual with jeans and a pullover / sweater, given low temps in October can be in the 50’s.

For those traveling to Charlotte, we have blocked in 2 hotels, the AC and the ALOFT, which are both within walking distance of several restaurants.

If you are flying into CLT, please let Susan and Suzanne know by Friday, October 11th about your arrival and departure information - we are going to coordinate transportation where possible. The airport is about 20-30 minutes from Ballantyne, a suburban area of Charlotte. Uber and Lyft vary widely in rates to our area, from $28 - $80+ each way, based on the time of day and other events in our city.

The AC Hotel is in Ballantyne VIllage https://www.ballantynevillage.com/directory/ We can personally recommend just about every restaurant; our favorites are Jade Asian Fusion & Sushi, Eggspectations, Azucar, Fiore,, Zinicola, The Blue Taj, and Tifa Gelato. RESERVATIONS are always recommended in Charlotte - check their websites or call ahead.

The ALOFT Hotel is right next to the corporate park and the brand new Ballantyne Bowl retail area https://thebowlnc.com/ As of August 2024, we can recommend North Italia, Flower Child, Postino’s, Olde Mecklenburg Brewery (OMB) and more places are scheduled to open up weekly, including Bossy Beulah’s Chicken Shack. RESERVATIONS are always recommended in Charlotte- check their websites or call ahead.

For Saturday morning/afternoon, we can recommend a number of activities. Get back to your hotel by 3pm to rest and get ready for the evening events!

https://www.theballantynehotel.com/ The Ballantyne Hotel has several beautiful lobbies and sitting areas for reading and relaxing. They have a fabulous spa for those who want to indulge.

https://center.whitewater.org/ The US National Whitewater Center is for our active, outdoors people! It is about 20 minutes away and you can “pay to play” with rafting, zip lines, kayaking, mountain bikes. Or you can simply watch and enjoy the sunshine.

https://www.dukemansion.org/mary-d-b-t-semans-gardens/ The Gardens in Duke Mansion are one of our favorite “hidden gems). This Inn has a bar and dining and the garden has wonderful shady spots. Do call in advance to ensure you won’t be crashing someone else’s wedding.

https://dsbg.org/visit/ Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden is a bit of a drive, but such a beautiful property.

https://www.bechtler.org/visit The Bechtler family shares their incredible collection at a beautiful museum in Uptown Charlotte. The exhibits rotate, so check the website to see what is on view. Suzanne calls it a 1-2 hour museum, not too big. Pair this with The Mint Museum The Mint Uptown, which is right next door. There are several great lunch places nearby while you are uptown.

https://southparkclt.org/shop/shop South Park mall and the area around it is full of retail options. Macys, Dillards, Belk, Nordstrom, and Nieman Marcus are the anchor stores.

Sunday Morning/Brunch

As of August 2024, we haven’t formally organized anything on Sunday. Both hotels have breakfast offerings.

So many options - reservations are recommended or call ahead for wait times!

Eggspectations

North Italia

Flower Child

First Watch

Another Broken Egg

Drop In:

Coffee Republic

Summit Coffee

Sunflour Bakery

Panera

J&B

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