Over 40 million tourists visit North Carolina every year. Many flock to the beaches in the east or the mountains to the west, but your trip should include a Charlotte itinerary for the state’s largest city in between. The city and county are both named for Queen Charlotte of the House of Mecklenburg, and our experience with RV travel lets us provide you with a royally good plan for your trip.
Renting an RV in Charlotte and using local campgrounds gives you ultimate control and flexibility while you visit. Attach a towable to your equipped vehicle, or choose the opulence of a luxury motorhome complete with bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. Your home away from home spares you from constantly packing and unpacking when you change hotels, and you can have space outside around your RV to enjoy great Southern weather.
Search RV rentals in the Charlotte area.
Preparing for Your Charlotte RV Trip
Booking your RV rental through RVshare gives you access to towables and driveables. If you already have a truck or SUV with a high towing capacity, then a towable is your chance to save on gas mileage and travel with a different vehicle for day trips. Opting for a Class A, B, or C drivable motorhome means all your passengers can ride in the luxury and comfort of the RV, provided you have a driver to handle the large vehicle. If not, many of our listings will indicate if the owner offers delivery and setup. RVshare is the place to find and reserve your ideal travel accommodations in Charlotte and beyond.
Build your travel itinerary with confidence with help from RVshare:
• Pick the Best Size RV for Your Group
• Learn How to Properly Pack Your RV
• Get Ready for Your Rental Delivery
Consider the amenities you need when picking your ideal campground. Standard options include pull-thru campsites, fire rings, on-site activities, showers, restrooms, laundry, and hookups, but they vary from one campsite to the next. Camping World Racing Resort offers full-service RV parking all year, close to the Charlotte Motor Speedway in the city’s northeast. Carowinds Camp Wilderness Resort is to the southwest, close to the amusement park of the same name.
Find other campground options in our comprehensive list of top-rated campgrounds in Charlotte.
Day 1: Experience Southern History and Culture
Morning: Learn the History of an Entire Sport
The NASCAR Hall of Fame pays tribute to the experts of the sport, including drivers, crew chiefs, broadcasters, and owners. Prohibition in the 1930s gave rise to the sport when moonshiners outraced law enforcement and each other, and the local speedway is one of the premiere spots for national races each year.
Lunch: A (Dining) Room With a View
Reservations are required but worth it at the RH Rooftop Restaurant. Outdoor seating is available atop a multistory building where you can savor timeless brunch classics, cocktails, and wines from European and domestic vineyards.
Afternoon: Get a Taste of Revolutionary War History
The Alexander Rock House is the oldest home in the county. Its construction was finished in 1774, and it joined the National Register of Historic Places nearly two centuries later. Today, it serves as a testament to the era’s craftsmanship and an educational opportunity to learn about the enslaved people at that point in history.
Setting Up Camp
Your vacation will go more smoothly if you reserve your Charlotte campground in advance. Once you do, take notice of the office hours. Many campsites might have closing times you have to arrive before. Showing up early gives you more time to get directions to your spot. Once you park, level the vehicle for stability, unfurl the awning, and arrange any outdoor furnishings your RV comes with. If you want to skip all this work while on vacation, pick a rental where the owners deliver the RV to your location and set it up. Filter for these delivery options when searching our site, and then all you do is arrive with the RV waiting for you.
Dinner: Cook for Yourself or Take the Night Off
Many motorhomes have fully equipped kitchens you can stock with your family’s favorite foods and prepare them inside. However, consider making your meal over open flames if your campsite has a firepit or ring. If your travel party has diverse tastes or there’s no consensus on what to eat, head to Optimist Hall. Everyone can choose their preferred food while strolling through the dozen food stalls featuring burgers, sushi burritos, wood-fired pizza, gelato, fresh-baked treats, and more.
Day 2: Savor the Southern Climate
Morning: Take in Botanical Beauty
Belmont is a community in the Charlotte metro area and features the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden. Here, you can walk through nearly 400 acres of lakefront property, woodlands, and rolling meadows, including a 30-acre garden and conservatory displaying orchids and tropical plants. Spend time on walking trails while passing by sparkling fountains, enjoying displays of perennials and annuals, or exploring the Dry Piedmont Prairie.
Lunch: Let Your Lunch Take Off
The Charlotte Douglass International Airport has an overlook where you and your travel party can watch the planes taking off and landing on multiple runways. When you’re done eating, check out the informative exhibits about aviation history in the state where the Wright Brothers conducted their historical plane ride. Two aviation-themed playgrounds are here for kids of all ages.
Afternoon: Find Your Own Altitude
Just over 30 miles west of the city, Crowders Mountain State Park has a pair of mountain peaks with spectacular views. These two ancient peaks stand alone above the surrounding region and offer a scenic vista of Charlotte’s urban skyline across the spread of suburbs and into rural farmland.
Evening: Go for a Frighteningly Fun Walk
Take a ghost walking tour at night and learn some of the city’s darkest history. This 90-minute stroll covers haunted mansions and historical battles as your guide entertains and educates you about spots where locals have seen ghosts.
Day 3 and Beyond in Charlotte
Two days in Charlotte can be a lot of fun, but there is more to do that makes staying another day, or more, worthwhile:
• Head up to Spencer for the NC Transportation Museum for what was once the biggest locomotive repair site for the Southern Railway. In addition to railroading, exhibits focus on automobiles and aviation.
• Need to go shopping? Concord Mills is the biggest outlet and value center in North Carolina, featuring over 200 retailers, a movie theater, restaurants, entertainment, and a 26,000-square foot aquarium with over 5,000 creatures.
Summer Activities
Locals and visitors alike love Charlotte’s warm weather, where golfing is possible 12 months a year. However, the summer temperatures and humidity mean knowing where to cool down is paramount. Carowindsis both an amusement park and a water park. It has 14 roller coasters that will put wind in your face and dozens of other rides and attractions, including a splash pad, water slides, and wave pools. The U.S. National Whitewater Center also calls Charlotte home, with rafting, kayaking, and canoeing available.
Indoor Activities
Beat the heat by staying in the air conditioning. Bad Axe Throwing is the place to go for some rounds of strangely therapeutic axe throwing. Pins Mechanical lets you spend a whole day playing different pinball machines while enjoying cocktails.
Charlotte is a great place to visit in North Carolina with an RV rental. The Appalachian Mountains and Atlantic Coast are only a few hours away to the east or west. Still, the Queen City has plenty of indoor and outdoor activities worth spending two days here. Once you discover how much there is to do, you might decide to spend more time exploring the area.
