10 things to do on Black Friday besides shopping

Whether you want to skip the insanity of Black Friday shopping, or you plan to be part of the insanity but finish early, let’s talk about what else to do on Friday, November 23rd. The kids are off school, if you’re lucky you’re off work and maybe you have relatives in town. At the time of this post, the forecast for Friday is perfect. 64 degrees and sunny. (Don’t blame me if it changes!) Here are ten non-shopping things to do around the Charlotte area on Black Friday. None of them are too pricey.  Do you have other ideas? Leave a comment to the post.

1. A Plantation Christmas: Experience an 1860’s Christmas at Historic Latta Plantion.
2. Carolina Raptor Center: Take a self-guided tour through the trails and get to know the eagles, hawks, owls and other birds of prey. 10am to 5pm. Combine this with A Plantation Christmas. Both are within Latta Plantation in Huntersville. Show that you visited Historic Latta Plantation and get $2 off your ticket to Carolina Raptor Center.
3. “Walk off the Turkey” Hike: Reedy Creek Nature Center is leading two hikes through the nature preserve, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
4. Holiday Festival of Lights in Waxhaw: In the evening, enjoy Waxhaw’s small town holiday celebration, including lights, free carriage rides, live music and snow.
5. Holiday on Ice: Outdoor skating at NASCAR Hall of Fame Plaza.
6. Give blood: Community Blood Center of the Carolinas is holding several blood drives. Scroll down the schedule and you’ll see three at movie theaters. Bonus: donate blood and you’ll get a free movie ticket.
7. Zootastic Christmas Wonderland of Lights: Drive a two mile trail of over 2 million lights. Santa Claus joins guests every evening, and there are also pony rides, petting zoos, concessions, roasting pits for marshmallows, and more.
8. Charlotte Liberty Walk: Download the free iPhone app and take the new interactive walking tour. 15 sites highlight the city’s Revolutionary period spanning from 1771-1781 and at each stop the app offers up a video vignette about the event that occurred at the site. The tour takes you up part of Tryon Street, Trade and Fifth Street. Combine the walk with a visit to one of the Center City museums. If you don’t have an iPhone, read up on the website before you go, print out the map and look for the granite markers.
9. Speedway Christmas: Go to Charlotte Motor Speedway’s huge Christmas display in the evening. See over 800 Christmas light displays, enjoy a petting zoo, Bethlehem-themed village, Santa’s workshop and more. It’s just $20 a car, but you can win a FREE car pass.  The winner will be announced Friday morning.
10. Mecklenburg County Greenway System: Explore our Greenway system. If you’re familiar with your own stretch of it, check out another spot. A couple of  highlights are Little Sugar Creek Greenway near the Metropolitan, with its stunning view of the Charlotte skyline, and the relatively new The Ruth G. Shaw Trail on Toby Creek Greenway, which connects the Mallard/Clark’s Creek Greenway with UNCC. Take a walk or ride a bike and enjoy this natural treasure.