--- title: A First-Timer's Guide to Children's Theatre of Charlotte description: Experience the joy of A Year with Frog and Toad at Children's Theatre of Charlotte. Discover tips for attending with young kids and enjoy a delightful show. --- # [A First-Timer's Guide to Children's Theatre of Charlotte](https://www.thecharlottesprout.com/the-charlotte-sprout-blog/a-first-timers-guide-to-childrens-theatre-of-charlotte) Written by [Natalie](https://www.thecharlottesprout.com/the-charlotte-sprout-blog/author/natalie) | Sep 30, 2026, 10:37:39 PM   **Bring a jacket. I'm not joking. Bring a blanket too if you have one.** The email they send before the show tells you to pack light layers, and by the end of the show the theater was freezing, which was a nice treat in the summertime if we're being honest. I'd brought a sweater for Claire, thank goodness, because she was in a little light dress, and I ended up draping it over the front of her like a blanket. I saw other kids with sweaters and actual blankets too. Okay, back to the beginning. Claire (almost 3.5) and I went to the 2:00pm show on Sunday, September 20, for *A Year with Frog and Toad*, our first time at Children's Theatre of Charlotte. Spoiler alert: we loved it and we will definitely be back. Claire has already asked if we can go see Frog and Toad specifically again. ### Getting There The theater is at ImaginOn, 300 E 7th St in Uptown. They heavily suggest parking in the 7th Street garage, and you get an email with all the details before the show. We parked on the street instead, because street parking is free on Sundays. We got there around 1:30pm for the 2:00pm show, parked right next to First Ward Park, and sat for a second before we walked through the park to the theater. If you're going any other day, check the meters first, since the free parking is a Sunday thing. Snacks and drinks aren't allowed in the theater, so I gave Claire a quick snack in the car before we got out. ### What's There There's Frog and Toad stuff on the ground floor, including a massive book where you can flip the pages and a little kids' theater set up for playing before the show starts. If it's your first show, stop by the box office. There's a little gift for first-timers, and I'm not going to spoil it, because I think they like it as a surprise. A few minutes before showtime they start announcing that it's time to find your seats. The theater is on a nice slope so kids can see over the heads in front of them, and they have black cushions you can use as a booster seat, plenty of them, which I thought was such a good idea. ### The Show The performers were all adults, and it was a really high quality performance. The costumes were great and the singing and dancing were fantastic, and the whole thing felt like a professional production. Claire was a little nervous when we sat down, but I think she was mostly excited because she loves Frog and Toad so much. Then the lights went down and she had so much fun. It ran 70 minutes, which was just about perfect for her. Toward the end I was thinking maybe we needed to wrap it up, and then it was coming to a close anyway. I was so proud of her for being a phenomenal audience member. She paid attention, stayed quiet, and clapped at the right parts. No photos or videos are allowed during the show, which is normal, but I wanted to mention it. It was a treat for me too. It made me realize I need to see some shows here and there, because it was so much fun to watch. We got a little dressed up for it too, dress and church shoes vibes, which made it feel like a mommy and daughter date. ### Is My Kid Old Enough? I think almost 3.5 was probably just about the earliest we could have gone with Claire. We left our 16-month-old, Catherine, at home, and that was definitely the right decision. She would not have been able to sit still for a show. Of course they know it's a kids' theater, but there's still some decorum. People are pretty much staying in their seats and staying quiet the whole time. This show is listed as all ages, but the website has some shows labeled preschool age, so those might be better for younger kids. ### Tickets I bought ours a few weeks ahead and there was good availability. It was busy when we got there but not sold out. I picked seats F2 and F4, which are next to each other, in the most expensive tier, and they were fantastic. Honestly I don't think any seat in the auditorium would have been bad, so you don't need to stress about it. The tickets are maybe slightly pricey, but for a one-on-one parent-child date I thought it was reasonable. One more thing I heard at the show: if you buy tickets to three shows at the same time, you get 20% off. We'll definitely be taking advantage of that, since Claire loved this one so much. ### The Details - **Where:** Children's Theatre of Charlotte at ImaginOn, 300 E 7th St, Charlotte - **Show:** *A Year with Frog and Toad*, one act, about 70 minutes - **Shows left:** October 3 at 11:00am and 3:00pm (the 3:00pm is ASL-interpreted), October 4 at 11:00am and 2:00pm, October 10 at 11:00am and 3:00pm, October 11 at 11:00am (sensory-friendly) and 2:00pm - **Tickets:** start at $25 - **Box office:** 704-973-2828 or [boxoffice@ctcharlotte.org](mailto:boxoffice@ctcharlotte.org) - **Buy tickets:** [ctcharlotte.org](https://ctcharlotte.org/Online/article/year) [View full post](https://www.thecharlottesprout.com/the-charlotte-sprout-blog/a-first-timers-guide-to-childrens-theatre-of-charlotte) ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Natalie" }, "dateModified" : "2026-09-30T22:37:46.426Z", "datePublished" : "2026-09-30T22:37:39Z", "headline" : "A First-Timer's Guide to Children's Theatre of Charlotte", "image" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "height" : 4032, "url" : "https://50613261.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/50613261/IMG_2981.jpeg", "width" : 3024 }, "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://www.thecharlottesprout.com/the-charlotte-sprout-blog/a-first-timers-guide-to-childrens-theatre-of-charlotte", "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "height" : 60, "url" : "/hs/hsstatic/content_shared_assets/static-1.4092/img/default-amp-logo.png", "width" : 60 }, "name" : "The Charlotte Sprout blog" } } ```