Charlotte's U.S. National Whitewater Center--Fun Even For Bystanders

I recently visited Charlotte, N.C. for the first time on a trip to visit my friend Mary Alice. I couldn't believe I hadn't been there before. My friend drove me around, and then we took the train from her suburb to downtown. The downtown is neat and clean, and there is also an "artsy" part of town. We didn't stop there, but it looked very interesting as we rode by.

My biggest surprise came when we went out to the U.S. National Whitewater Center. It is a U.S. Olympic training site, but anyone can go there to have fun whitewater rafting, kayaking, wall climbing, riding trails, or doing the zipline. We grabbed a chair down by the water and enjoyed watching people raft or kayak in the rapids. Just watching the rapids was relaxing. The zipline looked very promising--I am sure we will go back to do that sometime. A one-day pass for an adult participant is $49, and an adult season pass is $139. Wall climbing by itself is $15, and the zipline is $10. But watching is free!