For a long time, all eyes in Charlotte were focused on South End.<\/p>\n
Restaurant openings and new bars and nightclubs were popping up like clockwork \u2014 and, truthfully, they still are<\/a>. South End is the spot to see and be seen when you\u2019re young, on trend and on the rise.<\/p>\n Read more Ex-Charlotte banker sues over sex-bias claims, firing before $500K in stock vesting<\/a><\/p>\n All the while, another commercial core is thriving, carrying the quiet confidence earned when you\u2019re more settled, and you\u2019re no longer chasing success because you\u2019ve already arrived.<\/p>\n A comment overheard at a recent food event \u2014 \u201cSouthPark is like South End for grown-ups\u201d \u2014 stuck with me as ringing true.<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t take that as a knock on South End, either; I heard it as an acknowledgement that how you spend your time often looks quite different when you\u2019ve gotten a little more life under your belt. And the more I thought about it, the urge to dial in to SouthPark grew.<\/p>\n SouthPark is stacked with luxury shopping, specialty services, hotels and gourmet dining, beckoning crowds who have made the lifestyle transition from espresso martinis and rooftop bar crawls into sipping Bordeaux and browsing through high-end boutiques.<\/p>\n The city\u2019s tourism entity, Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority<\/a>, calls the urban-yet-suburban area a \u201cgleaming escape\u201d and notes the area is \u201ccentered on upscale experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPeople often say that their whole lives are in SouthPark, and I think that\u2019s because people do work and play here, but it\u2019s a great base for people,\u201d said Maddie Chase, the vice president of marketing and experience at SouthPark Community Partners. The nonprofit public-private partnership manages the municipal district with services that include infrastructure planning, community engagement and more.<\/p>\n Where else in Charlotte can you shop for Spanish fashion at Zara<\/a>, then pop over to RH Rooftop<\/a> for a $55 chips and dip snack featuring Petrossian Imperial Kaluga Caviar, cr\u00e8me fra\u00eeche and chives with a bottle of bubbles? Or start your morning with a Sunday mariachi brunch<\/a> at Mal Pan, savor a spa day and then gather a group to tackle a martini tower at DTR SouthPark<\/a> without moving your car?<\/p>\n \u201cIt is that market exclusive retail that we have that makes it so attractive,\u201d Chase said. \u201cThere are other places that you can go, and you can watch a live sports event or go to a museum. There are a lot of places where you can go get great dinner. But there are very few places where you can go get great dinner, go to an art gallery, go to church, go to the grocery store, go shopping.\u201d<\/p>\n The neighborhood even has a free car service \u2014 the SouthPark Skipper<\/a> \u2014 that will drive you around from place to place. It draws about 5,000 passengers a month<\/a>, according to SouthPark Community Partners stats. It\u2019s certainly a luxury ride compared to cramming into a light rail car or hopping on a rented scooter left on a street corner.<\/p>\n Another plus: SouthPark is built around green space including the SouthPark Loop<\/a> and Symphony Park<\/a>, home to events such as SouthPark After 5,<\/a> where all-ages crowds carrying lawn chairs and picnic nosh on food truck bites while enjoying free live music each spring.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a great place to like again connect with your, your neighbor, your friends, coworkers \u2014 we see tons of kids and families. And then the later part of the evening is people who are looking for more cultural experiences,\u201d Chase said. \u201cThey want to hear live music, they want to enjoy a picnic in the park \u2014 that kind of stuff, and I think evolution of events in South Park is actually just gonna get better.\u201d<\/p>\n Whereas the sights and sounds of South End lean toward bar crowds and joggers traversing the Rail Trail<\/a>, SouthPark is more about catching a whiff of Le Labo<\/a> and seeing couples settle in at a corner table with glasses of Cabernet and small plates.<\/p>\n Read more John Oliver Lands Dream Roles on \u2018General Hospital\u2019 and \u2018Days of Our Lives\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Quality, consistency and craftsmanship hold sway over trendy bites and Instagram flash in SouthPark’s food and drink scene. Think: upscale, seasonal flavors and prime cuts.<\/p>\n It\u2019s where weeknight diners feast on A5 wine-fed Kobe and chicken fried lobster tails at Steak 48<\/a> or share plates of crudo and fried oysters at Peppervine<\/a>, which hosted the \u201cTop Chef\u201d Season 23 finale<\/a>.<\/p>\n Newer spaces like Salted Melon<\/a>, The Craic<\/a> and Laurel Park<\/a> offer fresh takes with a relaxed feel and fun patio spaces, while mainstays like Rhino Market<\/a> and Arthur\u2019s<\/a> fill up with longtime fans.<\/p>\n But there are also plenty of spots packed with culture, too: Baoding, Calle Sol, Mizu and Moon Thai \u2014 just to name a few.<\/p>\n And there\u2019s another bonus: Parking near most restaurants and retail centers is free in SouthPark, unlike South End and uptown, where parking is pricey, hard to find or both. So more of your hard-earned dollars are going directly toward your dining and entertainment purchases.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe you live in Ballantyne and you really want to have like a cool cultural experience, like wanting to see the symphony. You can come to SouthPark in the summer and do that, as opposed to going all the way to uptown. Parking is a huge part of that. I mean, you can\u2019t talk about Charlotte\u2019s growth without talking about parking,\u201d Chase said.<\/p>\n Ultimately, leaning into SouthPark can be an evolution, one that trades off a bit of the city’s hustle and bustle for a quieter presentation of urban life.<\/p>\n South End carries the energy of your clubbing era \u2014 when you\u2019re deep into the chaotic ritual of survival and recovery, and you\u2019re living on giant pizza slices and oversized burritos. It\u2019s fun, it\u2019s loud, and it can be a little exhausting if you dive in too deep for too long.<\/p>\n But SouthPark’s energy carries more of a steady exhale \u2014 when you\u2019re seeking peace, a little pampering and a tranquil environment for kicking back. Instead of shouting over a DJ set to order another round of mimosas at a rooftop brunch, you\u2019re cutting into a perfectly prepared crab cake and sipping a specialty coffee while waiving to friends across the room.<\/p>\n South End will always sparkle, and there\u2019s absolutely a time and a place for that. But when you\u2019re ready to trade the chase for something a little more curated, SouthPark is waiting.<\/p>\n Are you still in your South End era, or have you graduated to SouthPark or another local neighborhood? Let us know at charlottefive.charlottefive.com.<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n