Concord

Downtown Charm

Concord’s delightful historic district is lined with locally owned restaurants and shops and welcomes guests with stunning architecture and a colorful mural dedicated to beloved locals, The Avett Brothers. The centerpiece of downtown is the Greek Revival-style Historic Cabarrus County Courthouse, home to the Concord Museum, curated exhibitions throughout The Galleries and live performances inside the intimate Davis Theatre. Don’t miss other downtown favorites like The Basement Arcade Bar for retro games over local craft beers, and Cabarrus Creamery for more than 25 ice cream flavors including their signature Moon Pie flavor inspired by the Southern chocolate graham cracker cookie with marshmallow filling.

Gibson Mill

The city of Concord became a textile hub in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Today, many former mills have been transformed into community gathering hubs including Gibson Mill. Minutes from the historic downtown center, Gibson Mill is a collection of entertainment, shopping and local dining.

Indulge in barbecue, tacos, seafood and more at Gibson Mill Market food hall, admire cool cars inside the AutoBarn Classic Cars showroom, then sample locally made craft beer at Cabarrus Brewing Company and High Branch Brewing Co., the first craft breweries in Concord. Try your hand at axe throwing inside Iron Axe Society or break out of custom futuristic escape rooms at The Valcarol Missions.

Concord Mills

If shopping is on your mind, look no further than Concord Mills, North Carolina’s largest outlet and value retail shopping center.

Take your pick of more than 200 stores, including Primark, Coach, J. Crew Factory, Best Buy, Bass Pro Shops, Michael Kors, Polo Ralph Lauren, UGG and so many more. Also at Concord Mills is Dave & Buster’s, The Speedpark and SEA LIFE, an indoor aquarium featuring North Carolina’s only ocean tunnel filled with more than 800 sharks, rays, rescued sea turtles and more aquatic life.

Charlotte Motor Speedway

Race fans can get their thrills in Concord at Charlotte Motor Speedway, which hosts major annual NASCAR races and tons of high-speed entertainment year-round from car shows to cruise-ins.

You can even get behind the wheel yourself at with options like the NASCAR Racing Experience or Mario Andretti Racing Experience. On teh same campus of the legendary 1.5-mile oval track, watch hot rods zip by at zMAX Dragway, the first four-lane, all concrete drag strip in the world, take in even more action at The Dirt Track or snap a pic next to a collection of antique cars and muscle cars at the nearby Morrison Motor Car Museum.