I used to think planning a date night was like buying someone a box of chocolates. That is to say: It’s needlessly expensive, fundamentally unpredictable and prone to cliché. It’s a strange stressor that not only marks how well I know the person I’m seeing but also how much I’ve explored the city I live in. And in a sprawling city like Charlotte — whose vibe shifts neighborhood to neighborhood, bar to bar, month to month — that stress can build.

Other amazing places worth trying near Charlotte

▪ North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, N.C.

▪ Watch planes land and take off at Charlotte Douglas International Airport Overlook.

▪ Cellar at Duckworth’s, a speakeasy in Uptown.

▪ Customshop in Elizabeth.

▪ The Bohemian, a wonderful wine bar in Plaza Midwood.

▪ The city of Kannapolis. Just venture downtown. Catch a Kannapolis Cannon Ballers baseball game. Grab a drink at a brewery. Do anything. (And try not to fall in love with the town and move there instantaneously.)

▪ Life is better when you go bowling. I attend Bowlero South Boulevard myself.

▪ Buy food at Sorellina Pasta Co. in Plaza Midwood and make your meals at home.

▪ Thrift shopping. Hidden Treasures. Thrift Pony. Community Thrift Store. For a full list of places, check out this list compiled by Charlotte’s Got A Lot.

▪ Charlotte Regional Farmers Market, open Wednesday to Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

▪ Catch a Charlotte Knights game (baseball), Hornets game (NBA), Panthers game (NFL), Checkers game (hockey).

▪ Carowinds Theme Park. Enough said.

▪ Axe throwing at BATL.

▪ Pick strawberries at Bush & Vine in York, Carrigan Farms in Mooresville and others listed in this handy Observer story here.

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