Free Concerts at River Jam
A free riverside concert series, a James Beard–nominated cafe with a mission, a giant makerspace, and a Charlotte singer-songwriter playing rooms across the city.
New here? Skip the hundred recommendations. Start with these four.
CHARLOTTE FAVORITE
River Jam brings free live music to the Whitewater Center Thu–Sat nights through September. Bring a chair; parking's $13.
OVERLOOKED
Community Matters Cafe is a James Beard–nominated kitchen staffed by the Charlotte Rescue Mission's recovery program. Weekday breakfast and lunch only.
GET MOVING
MakerSpace Charlotte is one of the country's largest community-run makerspaces, and a good way to beat the heat. Free tours Wednesdays; classes for non-members.
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
Val Merza left the day job to make music full-time and has been playing rooms across Charlotte ever since, frank pop with real songwriting under the hooks. Follow @valmerza for show dates and new releases.
A Free Monthly Folk Jam
A 40-year-old folk society with a free monthly jam, a Depression-era sailing club on Lake Wylie, a trapeze school taking beginners, and a nonprofit keeping Charlotte musicians paid and playing.
Learn to Row on the Catawba
A rockhound club that meets at a senior center, the city's oldest disc golf course, a learn-to-row program on the Catawba, and a hiking club that'll get you outside with company.
Monday Night Contra Dancing
A fiber guild older than most of the neighborhood, a Matthews board-game cafe, a Monday-night contra dance with a live caller, and a Charlotte fiber artist turning felt into wall-sized sculpture.