Charlotte/SouthPark

SouthPark is a semi-urban district in south-central Charlotte. A hub of business and retail activity, it is also home to some of the city's most exclusive neighborhoods. SouthPark has many midrise condominiums and office buildings to complement its suburban-style malls and business centers. It is still essentially an outlying area in relation to Charlotte's central districts, but SouthPark has become the city's primary destination for upscale shopping and dining.

Get in
Like most suburban areas, SouthPark is dominated by wide boulevards. Thus, the easiest method for exploring the district is the automobile. Most locales worth visiting are within seconds of a major street, and parking is adequate throughout the neighborhood. Major arteries include Providence Rd. (NC Hwy 16), Randolph Rd., Sardis Rd., and Rama/Fairview.

It is strongly advised that visitors obtain a street map of SouthPark before exploring the area. The neighborhood is notorious for its changing street names and complicated intersections.

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) has a few bus lines that serve SouthPark, though they are generally not used by affluent southsiders. Bus routes #18, #20, and #29 connect SouthPark to neighborhoods north, including Uptown. Routes #30, #57, and #60 travel west, connecting to LYNX stations on the way. It is rather difficult to explore the neighborhood using only buses as transportation. Exercise judgment before using the buses as a last resort.

See
SouthPark is still primarily a residential neighborhood, and therefore offers little in the way of public attractions. There are many stately homes in the area that may be of interest, and the office-tower cluster at the center of the district makes a good photograph.