The Green

400 S. Tryon St., Charlotte
www.thegreenuptown.com [1]

HOURS: Daily dawn–dusk

COST: Free

The Green is a favorite Uptown hangout. It’s more than just a park; the 1.5-acre green space is an outdoor art gallery and interactive sensory experience. A walkway that connects the Charlotte Convention Center to bustling Tryon Street is known as the “rhythm walk” because the motion of passersby triggers the speakers embedded in the walkway to play a series of animal and water sounds.

The fountain is also interactive; someone has to wander past the giant concrete fish before the water will stream from their mouths.

The three-tiered urban park is also home to a life-sized checkerboard and public art that doubles as seating (the mosaic “cushions” that are arranged in a circle are park favorites). Giant sculptures of stacked books and colorful signs marking park intersections of Edgar/Allan/Poe and Walden/Pond mark the perfect spots to hang out and read.