Travel Log: Charlotte

NASCAR's home stand is now in its second week after an exhibition at Lowe's Motor Speedway set the table for this weekend's Coca-Cola 600. Some fans come to one, but a select few stay the entire two weeks.

For those, it's time to get out of the camper.

North Carolina is one of the fastest-growing states, and Charlotte is full of diverse character and culture.

• Stay in the loop on the 600
• Get your tickets for all events

• On Dec. 17, 1903, brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright completed the first successful controlled, powered and sustained flights at Kill Devil Hills in North Carolina. Orville completed the first flight (120 feet) at 6.8 mph. Wilbur made the second flight and covered 175 feet. Orville flew third for 200 feet. Wilbur made the final flight of the day, and flew the machine 852 feet, according to Orville's account. The airplane never flew again, due to damage suffered when wind blew it over after the four flights.

• The 250-room Biltmore Estate sits on an 8,000-acre plot of land in Asheville as the largest home in the United States. The estate was built by George Washington Vanderbilt, member of the prominent Vanderbilt family that gained wealth through railroad and shipping in the 1800s. The home, designed by Richard Morris Hunt and Frederick Law Olmsted and built from 1888-1895, was meant to be a summer mountain escape for Vanderbilt.

• Grandfather Mountain sits at 5,946 feet above sea level, the highest point in the Blue Ridge Mountains that provides a unique trail on the NASCAR tour. The mountain is estimated at 730 million years old, while a U.S. geological survey reports that some rock formations on the mountain are as many as 1.1 billion years old.

• Charlotte Town was incorporated in 1768, being named after Queen Charlotte of Britain, wife of King George III. The city was named in her honor to win favor with the king.

• Gold was first discovered in Charlotte in 1782, and when a 17-pound nugget was found in 1799, the nation's first gold rush began in North Carolina. Less than 50 years later, the hope had dried on the East Coast and fortune seekers headed west to California.

Best Burger: Midtown Sundries
Best Barbecue: Bubba's Barbecue
Best Restaurant: Boardwalk Billy's

Admitted as a State: Nov. 21, 1789, as 12th state
Capital: Raleigh
Nickname: Tar Heel State
Population Rank: 10th
Largest City: Charlotte

An experienced Charlotte traveler has two options: 29 or 49. Highway 29 takes visitors directly in front of Lowe's Motor Speedway, and can get somewhat congested quicker than other paths. Highway 49 takes fans in the back way, through the camping and fields. Both get ticket-holders to the right destination.

Lowe's Motor Speedway provides maps, seating charts and an overload of information on at-track programs that help fans move around the 1.5-mile facility with greater ease.
• Lowe's Motor Speedway

Weekend Schedules: Cup Series | Nationwide Series | Truck Series