Take a trip down memory lane by strolling or cycling the Charlotte Trolley Rail-with-Trail. This 2-mile trail follows the Charlotte Trolley as it tootles its way from E. 9th Street in Uptown to Clanton Road in the historic South End.
The original trolley line closed in 1938. Luckily, a University of North Carolina history professor was able to track down the last trolley—No. 85—and this piece of history is now back in service on the rail-with-trail, along with three replica trolleys.
As the trail traverses the city streets from Uptown, it passes the popular ImaginOn children's learning center and Charlotte Bobcats Arena before leading directly through the Charlotte Convention Center. If the center is closed, or you're biking the route, you must go around the block (right on East 2nd, left on South College, left on East Stonewall), then either climb the stairs or take the elevator in a parking garage across the street to rejoin the trail.
The South End (www.historicsouthend.com) hosts both the Charlotte Trolley barn and museum at Atherton Mill (www.charlottetrolley.org), as well as the popular South End Gallery Crawl, held the first Friday of each month and during which trailside art galleries open their doors for browsing, music and hors d'oeuvres.
The entire route is fairly well marked, and trash receptacles, benches, bike stands, and streetlights line the way. And once you've walked the trail in one direction, you can catch the trolley back.
The Charlotte Trolley Trail was featured as a Trail of the Month by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.
In downtown Charlotte, the trolley line runs south from E. 9th Street, between College and Brevard, to Clanton Road in the South End. Parking lots line the route. If you choose the lot at 9th Street, park toward the back and not in the spaces reserved for the fire department. For more information:
Charlotte Center City Partners
128 South Tryon Street, Suite 1960
Charlotte, NC 28202
888-424-2756
Flat, paved trail from downtown south through the South End. Nice on a fall or spring day. A little warm in the summer since there is little shade. The portion S of Remount is temporarily closed as of this writing due to residential construction.
Not at all well marked and major detour through the streets. Ride the trolley, skip the trail.
"The trolley trail is temporarily torn up so they can construct accomodations for the light rail, which shares the trolley tracks. It will be well into 2007 before you can use it again. "