Date: Saturday, October 31, 2026
Hello fellow evaluators! I am MeMee Winston, a doctoral student and graduate assistant in Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and a board member of the North Carolina Evaluators Network (NCEN). Exploring our host city offers a great way to recharge and connect with colleagues. Whether you have a quick 45-minute break or an open evening, here is your curated guide to navigating the Queen City.
Uptown Charlotte is compact, highly walkable, and home to a concentrated cultural hub along South Tryon Street.
If you want to leave center city for dinner or drinks, two distinct neighborhood pockets sit just outside Uptown.
A short rideshare north of Uptown, this historic 76-acre depot is now an open-air creative campus with fire pits, Keswick Avenue food stalls, pour-overs and natural wine at HEX Coffee, Kitchen & Natural Wines, and indoor/outdoor courts at The Tipsy Pickle. You will also find distinctive independent shops across the grounds, including That’s Novel Books, Good Postage, Hardy Boys Records and Comics, and Thrift Pony.
Check out local community gatherings like the Gamer’s Social at The Market at 7th Street (Tuesday, Nov 17), Food Truck Friday in Wilmore at Hi-Wire Brewing and Noble Cider Taproom (Friday, Nov 20), a Beginner Pasta-Making Class at Pilot Brewing in Plaza Midwood (Friday, Nov 20), or the massive artisan market at The Southern Christmas Show at The Park Expo (running throughout the week, featuring a Friday appearance by Hallmark actor Marcus Rosner).
Welcome to North Carolina, and enjoy your time connecting, learning, and exploring in Charlotte!
The American Evaluation Association is hosting North Carolina (NC) Evaluators Affiliate Week. The contributions all this week to aea365 come from NC Affiliate members. Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this aea365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the aea365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an aea365 Tip? Please do so using the form on our website. aea365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators. The views and opinions expressed on the AEA365 blog are solely those of the original authors and other contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the American Evaluation Association, and/or any/all contributors to this site.