The best way to explore a city is on foot, which is why City Walks have been so popular.
They are taking place in Charlotte May 3 to 6, 2023.
These walks are led by historians, neighborhood leaders, landscape architects, or anyone with a passion for a neighborhood.
City Walks are free and are open to all. However, they have limited space and fill up quickly.
City Walks are part of a national and global celebration—known as Jane Jacobs Walks or Jane’s Walks—of free, citizen-led walking tours inspired by Jane Jacobs, a famous neighborhood champion who lived in New York and later in Toronto.
UNC Charlotte Urban Institute organizes City Walks.
2023 Charlotte City Walks
Find all the information about the Charlotte City Walks, and register.
An Evening Stroll in the Elizabeth Neighborhood
Wednesday, May 3, 2023
7 to 8:20 p.m.
Meet in the Hawthorne Recreation Center
345 Hawthorne Lane, Charlotte, NC
The Elizabeth Neighborhood got its start around 1900 as Charlotte’s second “streetcar suburb.” Today its residents are considering official designation as a Charlotte Mecklenburg Historic District. You will stroll through newly renovated Independence Park and admire arts-and-crafts bungalows including the home of noted Jewish writer and Civil Rights activist Harry Golden.
Additional information: This walk is almost entirely on city sidewalks, sometimes uneven but wheelchair-accessible.
UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens
Thursday, May 4, 2023
10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Meet at the McMillan Greenhouse
UNC Charlotte, 9090 Craver Road, Charlotte, NC
Join a walking tour through UNC Charlotte’s beautiful Botanical Gardens.
Parking: There are five free parking spots available adjacent to McMillan Greenhouse, in Lot 16A. If you park in those spots, you must sign in at the Greenhouse. If those spots are full, the closest paid visitor parking is in East Deck 1, 9110 Mary Alexander Rd., Charlotte, NC 28262.
Additional information: This walk is only walking accessible and comfortable shoes are recommended.
Pollinator Habitat Tour Along the Urban Arboretum Trail
Friday, May 5, 2023
9 to 11 a.m.
Meet at West Pinewood Cemetery
1335 Old Cemetery Street, Charlotte, NC
Explore Charlotte’s pollinator gardens and community green spaces along the Urban Arboretum Trail in Historic West End and Third Ward. The tour will be a loop that begins at West Pinewood Cemetery and will make several stops including Martin St. pollinator garden, I-77/West Trade St. underpass enhancement area, and Third Ward Gathering Garden on West 4th St. at Johnson and Wales Way.
Additional information: This walk is wheelchair-accessible. The tour will be rather lengthy at 2.25 miles, and attendees will be walking mostly on sidewalks throughout the tour, including a few hills with steep topography.
University City: Suburban Retrofits
Saturday, May 6, 2023
10:30 to 11:45 a.m.
Meet at Boardwalk Billy’s
9005 JM Keynes Drive, #2, Charlotte, NC
University City has become one of Charlotte’s most dynamically changing places since light rail delivered in 2018. Since then, urbanity has begun to replace the suburban fingerprints of the past, making way for a much more walkable place. This walk around the core of University City will explore our past, present and future. Including a mix of history, details and insights on the projects reshaping the community, as well as plans for the future, you will learn about the challenges and realties that come with retrofitting suburbia.
Parking: Shoppes at University Place
Additional information: This walk will cover mixed terrain, and some stretches have limited wheelchair-accessibility.
Hawthorne Recreation Center
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