Charlotte Transportation
Plane arriving at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport; credit James Willamor/Wiki Commons
Airport
Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (CLT) is one of America’s 12 busiest passenger airports. It has a single large terminal split into 5-concourses to support over 125 non-stop flights to North America, Europe, and the Caribbean.
CLT Airport has WiFi, dozens of restaurants, shops, currency exchange, and many passenger amenities. It has also received the prestigious Eagle Award for Best Airport.
Taxis/Shuttles/Uber/Lyft
A Taxi Depot is just outside the baggage claim area for Ground-level Arrivals.
Charlotte’s central business district, called “Uptown”, is less than 10 miles away by Carolina Airport Express (704-359-9600) shuttle bus.
Car Rentals
Rental car brands Armada, Dollar, Enterprise, Payless, and Thrifty are available. Look for their shuttle pick-up signs at the ground-level roadway.
Train Station
A regional passenger train leaving Charlotte; (c) Patrick Schneider Photography
Charlotte’s current Amtrak train station at 1914 North Tryon Street is unimpressive to see, but features daily roundtrips by these Amtrak routes:
• Crescent: NYC-Philadelphia-Baltimore-DC-Charlottesville-Greensboro-Charlotte-Atlanta-New Orleans
• Carolinian/Piedmont: Atlanta-Charlotte-Greensboro-Durham-Raleigh-Richmond-Washington DC
An impressive Gateway Station is planned for the central business district at South Graham Street at West Trade Street to replace the current Amtrak station. When built, Gateway Station will host more frequent Amtrak, Commuter Rail, Light Rail, Streetcar, Bus Rapid Transit, Greyhound, Taxi, Uber & Lyft services. The big picture is Amtrak’s Charlotte-Greensboro-Raleigh-Richmond-Washington route in the Southeast Corridor is being incrementally upgraded to 110 mph by 2030.
Tours & Experiences
Charlotte NC Tours
DESCRIPTION: Among the range of tour options, Charlotte NC Tours provides three enlightening shuttle tours of Black Charlotte that include Romare Bearden Park, Harvey Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, Johnson C. Smith University, black businesses in Camp North End, McColl Center for Visual Art, and historic Billingsville Elementary School. Other options are Segway Tours, Bike Tours, Scooter Tours, Walking Tours, E-Bike Tours, Rydable Tours, Southern Food Tours, Holiday Lights Tours, Ghost Tours, and Family Reunion Packages. Call or book online.
DAYS & HOURS: Mon-Sat 9:30a and 6p, Sun 1:30p
PHONE: 704-962-4548
WEBSITE: https://www.charlottenctours.com/
Thomas of Soul Of America with Diana of Charlotte NC Tours visited Romare Bearden Park
Rapid Transit
Charlotte Transportation Center at 310 East Trade Street is located in the central business district locals call “Uptown.” That busy intermodal transit center is adjacent to Spectrum Center (NBA Basketball), Charlotte Convention Center, several office buildings, and interconnects Charlotte Area Transit System Light Rail, Streetcar, Bus Rapid Transit lines, local buses, taxis and Uber/Lyft services.
Charlotte Transportation Center in Uptown; (c) Mark Clifton/Wiki Commons
The two CATS Light Rail and Streetcar lines are:
• LYNX Blue Line Light Rail runs north-south
• LYNX Gold Line Streetcar runs east-northwest
CATS LIGHT RAIL & STREETCAR MAP
Lynx Gold Line train at Trade & Tryon intersection; (c) Soul Of America
While riding on Light Rail and Streetcar routes, you get leisurely tours of old and new Charlotte. The Streetcar is also a sightseeing option from Charlotte’s central business district to Johnson C. Smith University.
Plans call for Streetcar, Light Rail, and Commuter Rail expansion in several directions from Uptown by 2030.
Freeways
Charlotte Freeway System gets very congested at the most prominent intersection for I-77 and I-85 Freeways. The population has grown so much that Rush Hour is also lengthening.
The I-485 Freeway is fairly scenic while circling the Charlotte Metro Area.