Matthews Alive
Charlotte's Labor Day weekend tradition returns with three stages of live music, carnival rides, a kids' zone, food trucks, and a Labor Day parade through downtown Matthews.
📍 Downtown Matthews
🕒 Friday, September 4 - Monday, September 7, hours vary by day (Fri 4-10pm, Sat 10am-10pm, Sun 1-10pm, Mon 9am-5pm)
👶 Best For: all ages
💡 Parent Tip: single ride tickets run $2 each, but if your kid is going to want to ride more than a couple times, the $30 all-you-can-ride wristband on Friday night is the better deal.
Cost: Free admission, rides and games priced separately
Plan Your Visit
Whitewater Center Labor Day Celebration
A weekend of trail races, yoga, and live music at the U.S. National Whitewater Center, plus special Labor Day programming at Wildwoods with crafts, a scavenger hunt, and a water balloon toss.
📍 U.S. National Whitewater Center
🕒 Saturday, September 5 - Sunday, September 6, Saturday 8am-8pm, Sunday 9am-9pm
👶 Best For: all ages
💡 Parent Tip: the festival and yoga are free, but you'll need an $18 activity pass for Wildwoods and the balance bike trail, and parking runs $13.
Cost: Free to attend, $13 parking, $18 activity pass for Wildwoods
Check It Out
Bye Bye Butterfly Weekend
Daniel Stowe's Butterfly Bungalow closes out its 2026 season with workshops, hands-on butterfly experiences, and themed crafts before the butterflies flutter off until next year.
📍 Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden
🕒 Saturday, September 5 - Sunday, September 6, workshop times vary
👶 Best For: all ages
💡 Parent Tip: this is included with admission or membership, but individual workshops carry their own price on top, check the schedule before you go if there's a specific workshop your kid wants.
Cost: Admission or membership, plus workshop price
Worth A Try
Preschool Ballet Classes
Free ballet class for preschoolers at Mallard Creek Rec Center. It's imaginative games and simple steps, not a recital track. And it's free, so if your kid hates it, you're out nothing but 45 minutes.
📍 Mallard Creek Recreation Center, 2530 Johnston Oehler Rd
🕒 9:30 – 10:15 a.m.
👶 Best For: Preschoolers (ages 3–6)
💡 Parent Tip: "Twirl, leap, and dance" is the marketing version. The reality is more like controlled chaos with occasional graceful moments. Still fun!
Cost: Free
Worth A Try!
Toddler Time at Big Air
Open jump for the little ones with a calmer, slower-paced vibe than the regular sessions. If your toddler has energy to burn and you've already done every playground in a 10-mile radius, this works.
📍 Big Air Charlotte, 2408 Sardis Road North
🕒 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
👶 Best For: Toddlers (ages ~1–3)
💡 Parent Tip: Grip socks are required!
Cost: $23+
Get Tickets
Spanish Storytime with Señora Ellen
Stories, songs, and activities in English and Spanish built for early literacy and a first taste of a second language, whether your family speaks Spanish at home or you're just starting out.
📍 South County Regional Library
🕒 10-10:30am
👶 Best For: ages 0-5
💡 Parent Tip: no pre-registration, but tickets are handed out at the children's desk starting 15 minutes before it begins, so don't wander in right at 10.
Cost: Free
Register Here
Preschool Storytime: Just for Me
A storytime built specifically for kids to attend without a parent in the room, giving your preschooler a little independence while they build early reading skills.
📍 Mountain Island Library
🕒 10:30-11am
👶 Best For: ages 3-5
💡 Parent Tip: this one is intentionally caregiver-free, so if your kid isn't used to being dropped off yet, this might not be the storytime to start with.
Cost: Free
Learn More
Listen & Move Storytime
A high energy storytime mixing read-aloud stories with simple dancing, built for toddlers and preschoolers who need to move while they learn.
📍 Sugar Creek Library
🕒 10:30-11am
👶 Best For: ages 2-5
💡 Parent Tip: it's in the Community Room, not the main children's area, so ask staff where to go if it's your first time at this branch.
Cost: Free
See Details
Storytime in the Park @ Squirrel Lake Park
Matthews Library staff bring storytime outside for stories, songs, and movement in the park instead of the branch.
📍 Squirrel Lake Park, 1631 Pleasant Plains Rd, Matthews
🕒 11-11:30am
👶 Best For: ages 0-5
💡 Parent Tip: bring something to sit on, and know it cancels for rain, call the branch at 704-416-5000 if the weather looks iffy that morning.
Cost: Free
Show Up
STEAM 101 Garden Sprouts: Preschool Garden Maintenance
Hands-on garden time for preschoolers, watering, weeding, and touching (and tasting, with supervision) a variety of vegetable and flower plants right on the library deck.
📍 North County Regional Library
🕒 11:30am-12pm
👶 Best For: ages 3-5, parent participation required
💡 Parent Tip: the deck doesn't unlock until 11:30 and locks again at noon sharp, this one runs right after the branch's preschool storytime if you want to make a morning of it.
Cost: Free
Worth A Try
KiddieCade Happy Hour
Two hours of supervised play for $35 while you sit in actual lounge seating with a real cup of coffee and catch up on emails. High-speed Wi-Fi, charging stations, open-concept layout so you can see your kid the whole time.
📍 The Kiddie Cade
🕒 1-3 PM
👶 Best For: Ages 2 and up
💡 Parent Tip: Book ahead. This is not a walk-in situation and Thursday slots fill fast.
Cost: $35 for a 2-hour visit
Reserve Your Spot
Pascuales Farm Night Market
A real working farm with a real market: fresh zucchinis, cucumbers, sweet peas, kale, eggs, goat and pork meat, handcraft vendors, food, and live music. Rain or shine.
📍 Pascuales Farm
🕒 5-8 PM
👶 Best For: All ages
💡 Parent Tip: Bring a bag for produce and cash if you have it. This is not a pop-up situation.
Cost: Free
Check It Out
Fresh Air Hour
Free evening access to the Greenway for non-members, with live music, food and drink specials at the Canteen, and the trails all lit up in early evening light.
📍 Anne Springs Close Greenway, Lake Haigler Entrance
🕒 5:30-8pm
👶 Best For: all ages
💡 Parent Tip: this month's live music is Cori Rose, non-members only get free access at the Lake Haigler entrance during these hours, not the whole property.
Cost: Free
Check It Out
Mom Walk
A meetup for moms, kids welcome, coffee and pastries at Amelie's first, then a group walk along Sugar Creek.
📍 Meet at Amelie's French Bakery, 4321 Park Rd, walk starts at Sugar Creek near Brandywine Rd
🕒 8:30-10:30am, walk starts at 8:45am
👶 Best For: all moms, kids welcome
💡 Parent Tip: get there right at 8:30 if you want a few minutes to grab coffee before the group heads out at 8:45.
Cost: Free
RSVP Here
Learning for Littles
A free outdoor nature-themed learning session with a read-aloud story, puppets, and an activity, built for toddlers and their caregivers.
📍 The Trailhead Store Picnic Area, Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden
🕒 9-9:45am
👶 Best For: ages 0-4
💡 Parent Tip: no registration needed, just show up, and if it rains this moves to the Trailhead Store porch instead of getting cancelled.
Cost: Free
Learn More
Betty Bookworms: Storytime + Coffee
Weekly storytime at Betty on Thomas Ave. Kids get books and songs, you get coffee. Honestly the coffee is the main draw.
📍 Betty by Moxie Mercantile, 1219 Thomas Ave
🕒 9:30 – 10:30 a.m.
👶 Best For: Babies, toddlers, and preschoolers
💡 Parent Tip: Get your coffee first, then settle in. It's a much better experience caffeinated.
Cost: Free
Check It Out
National Wildlife Day drop-in
A hands-on wildlife celebration with ambassador animals up close, a wildlife-themed craft, and interactive activities about native plants and animals.
📍 Stevens Creek Nature Preserve
🕒 9:30-11:30am
👶 Best For: all ages
💡 Parent Tip: no registration required, drop in anytime in the window, and you might get to feed one of the ambassador animals a snack.
Cost: Free
Register Here
Toddler Time: Brown Bear, Brown Bear
This week's Two Little Acres storytime theme with the same crafts, water play, and baby animals as always.
📍 Two Little Acres Homestead
🕒 10:00 AM
👶 Best For: ages 1-4
💡 Parent Tip: same rule as Friday's session, spots are limited so register as soon as you see it.
Cost: $25
RSVP Here
Splash About and Explore
A free water playgroup with floating toys, gentle slides, and sensory bins built right into the pool, this is toddler bath time with way more square footage.
📍 Charlotte Aquatics, 7835 Little Avenue, Charlotte
🕒 10 to 10:30am
👶 Best For: 6 months to 5 years
💡 Parent Tip: It's free but space is limited and registration is required, sign up earlier in the week rather than the morning of.
Cost: Free
Learn More
Waxhaw Sk8 Night
An evening of skate tricks and good vibes at the Waxhaw Sk8 Park, with age and skill category competitions for titles like Best Trick and Best Style.
📍 Waxhaw Sk8 Park, 201 Caldwell Street, Waxhaw
🕒 5-7pm
👶 Best For: this one skews older, plan on spectating rather than participating with little ones
💡 Parent Tip: grab ice cream at Waxhaw Creamery after and make it a whole outing.
Cost: Free
See Details
First Fridays: Downtown Pineville
An evening of pop-up vendors, a food truck, and live music on Kit's Trackside Crafts patio as you stroll and shop downtown Pineville's social district.
📍 Downtown Pineville
🕒 6-9pm
👶 Best For: all ages, a stroll-and-shop kind of evening
💡 Parent Tip: live music from Ephraim Sommers plays on Kit's Trackside Crafts patio, worth timing your stroll around that.
Cost: Free
Plan Your Visit
Streetside Classics Caffeine and Classics
A casual monthly gathering of local car enthusiasts with free coffee and donuts while supplies last, cool cars, and zero pressure to know anything about cars to enjoy it.
📍 Streetside Classics, 800 Derita Road, Concord
🕒 9am-12pm
👶 Best For: all ages
💡 Parent Tip: this runs the first Saturday of the month through November, except July, worth a recurring stop if your kid is into anything with wheels.
Cost: Free
Show Up
Baby Storytime: Kindness
A gentle baby storytime built around brain stimulation through books, songs, and rhymes, this month focused on kindness and neighbors for WelcomeCLT's Welcoming Month.
📍 ImaginOn
🕒 9:30-10am
👶 Best For: ages 0-2
💡 Parent Tip: this is one of the gentler, slower-paced storytimes on the calendar, a good pick if your baby gets overstimulated by the bigger group ones.
Cost: Free
Check It Out
Carolina Raptor Center: International Vulture Awareness Day
A celebration of vultures and their role as nature's clean-up crew, with vulture-themed programs, activities, and games all day.
📍 Carolina Raptor Center, 6000 Sample Road, Huntersville
🕒 10am-3pm
👶 Best For: all ages
💡 Parent Tip: bald guests get in free in honor of vultures' bald appearance, otherwise admission runs $12-16 depending on age, kids under 3 are always free.
Cost: $12-16 by age, bald guests free, kids under 3 free
Worth A Try
Charlotte Soul Fest
A free daylong festival of music, dance workshops, an art walk, and a full Family Fun Zone with inflatables, face painting, and crafts.
📍 First Ward Park
🕒 10am-9pm
👶 Best For: all ages, Family Fun Zone geared toward kids
💡 Parent Tip: the Family Fun Zone has its own dedicated space with inflatables and crafts, easy to post up there for a while without missing the main stage entirely.
Cost: Free
Get Tickets
Bowl Street Pop-Up Market
A curated outdoor market with rotating Charlotte-area artisans and makers, on The Bowl's green space with easy access to nearby restaurants and Stream Park.
📍 The Bowl
🕒 10am-3pm
👶 Best For: all ages
💡 Parent Tip: this runs the first Saturday of the month through November, so if you miss it, there's another shot next month.
Cost: Free
Learn More
Brookhill Commons Market
A brand new South End market kicking off with 50+ small businesses, food trucks, live music, and a beer tent, courtesy of Handcrafted Market CLT teaming up with Carolina Commercial Kitchen.
📍 Brookhill Rd, South End Charlotte
🕒 10:30am-4:30pm
👶 Best For: all ages
💡 Parent Tip: free parking and free entry, so this is an easy last-minute add to a Saturday that's already full.
Cost: Free
Plan Your Visit
Belmont Bookshop's Literary Festival
A full day of author readings, storytimes, book signings, and panel discussions in downtown Belmont's Stowe Park.
📍 Stowe Park, 24 S Main Street, Belmont
🕒 11am-5pm
👶 Best For: all ages
💡 Parent Tip: with storytimes built into the lineup, this isn't just an adult book event, worth checking the schedule for kid-specific timing.
Cost: Free
Register Here
Front Porch Charlotte
A monthly market with 120+ small businesses, live music, food trucks, and this month a Charlotte FC Summer Takeover with a gaming van and bench soccer.
📍 FreeMoreWest, 2215 Thrift Road
🕒 11am-4pm
👶 Best For: all ages
💡 Parent Tip: Charlotte FC's Summer Takeover includes a bench soccer game and giveaways, worth seeking out if your kid's into soccer.
Cost: Free
Reserve Your Spot
Pickin' on the Porch
Mariah Van Kleef plays the Trailhead Store porch this week. Grab a coffee or beer and let the kids run the grounds.
📍 Daniel Stowe Conservancy
🕒 2:00-4:00 PM
👶 Best For: all ages
💡 Parent Tip: come before 2 if you want to walk the gardens first, the heat gets rough by 3.
Cost: Free
Show Up
Around the Crown 10K
A road race that closes I-277 to traffic and opens Charlotte's 3-mile inner loop to runners for a rare street-level view of the city.
📍 Uptown Charlotte, starts and ends on the inner loop
🕒 7:30am
👶 Best For: families cheering on a runner, or older kids who like watching a race up close
💡 Parent Tip: registration cost varies by when you sign up, so if someone in your crew wants to run it, don't wait to register.
Cost: Registration varies
More Info
Discovery Place Science: Sensory-Friendly Hours
A calmer, quieter version of the museum for guests with sensory sensitivities, with sensory-friendly IMAX shows and backpacks stocked with noise-canceling headphones and sensory toys.
📍 Discovery Place Science, 168 W 6th Street
🕒 10:30am-1:30pm
👶 Best For: all ages, especially kids with sensory sensitivities
💡 Parent Tip: sensory backpacks are first-come, first-served, so head to guest services as soon as you arrive if you want one.
Cost: $18-23 by age, advance pricing
Plan Your Visit
Discovery Place Kids: Sensory-Friendly Hours
The Huntersville museum's calmer, quieter window for kids with sensory sensitivities and special needs, with the same sensory backpack setup as the Uptown location.
📍 Discovery Place Kids, 105 Gilead Road, Huntersville
🕒 2-4:30pm
👶 Best For: all ages, especially kids with sensory sensitivities
💡 Parent Tip: admission is regular price here, $15 per person, so this is about the environment being calmer, not a discount.
Cost: $15 per person, under 1 free
Learn More
Animal Ambassador Meet n' Greet
You don't find out which animal you're meeting until you show up, which is half the fun. Free, no reservation, and a nice activity to stay for after the coloring activity.
📍 McDowell Nature Center, Exhibit Hall
🕒 4:00-4:30 PM
👶 Best For: all ages
💡 Parent Tip: no pre-registration needed so it's an easy last-minute plan, but this is not a drop-off, an adult has to stay and participate the whole time.
Cost: Free
More Details
Charlotte Labor Day Parade
A parade honoring organized labor with union floats, bands, car clubs, and community groups marching through Uptown.
📍 Starts at North Tryon St and 9th St, ends on College St
🕒 11am
👶 Best For: all ages
💡 Parent Tip: staking out a curb spot near the start on North Tryon gets you the parade before the crowds build up further down the route.
Cost: Free
Show Up
Two Little Acres Toddler Time
Unlimited baby animal time for toddlers, with baby chicks, ducklings, and bunnies, sensory play, and a themed craft each week.
📍 15024 Thomas Rd, Charlotte
🕒 10-11am
👶 Best For: ages 1-4
💡 Parent Tip: park to the left of the driveway, entry opens 5 minutes before class starts, and this is a 14-week series running through December if your toddler loves it.
Cost: $25, sibling discounts available
RSVP Here
Family Storytime
Stories, songs, and movement built around early literacy at the Matthews branch, open to the whole family.
📍 Matthews Library
🕒 10:15-10:45am
👶 Best For: ages 0-5
💡 Parent Tip: registration opens 15 minutes before at the Train Desk, and space is limited, so get there early if you want a spot.
Cost: Free
Register Here
Preschool Storytime: Marvelous Math
A math-focused storytime with books, activities, and songs, each week building on a different mathematical concept.
📍 Matthews Library
🕒 2-2:30pm
👶 Best For: ages 3-5
💡 Parent Tip: check in at the Train Desk starting 15 minutes before it starts, this is a weekly series so you can catch a different math concept every visit.
Cost: Free
Register Here
VisArt Puppet Tuesdays
A free family-friendly puppet show and workshop series running every Tuesday in September, this week's show is Red Riding Hood.
📍 VisArt Video, 3104 Eastway Drive
🕒 4pm
👶 Best For: all ages
💡 Parent Tip: Cafe VisArt is open for snacks and drinks during the show, easy to grab a treat on your way in.
Cost: Free
Check It Out
Schiele Museum Free Day
Free admission to the Schiele Museum of Natural History's full collection, from the Hall of North American Wildlife to the Catawba Indian Village and Stone Age Heritage Site.
📍 Schiele Museum of Natural History, 1500 E. Garrison Blvd, Gastonia
🕒 4-8pm
👶 Best For: all ages
💡 Parent Tip: no tickets needed for the free admission, but planetarium shows are $6 per person and worth it if you've got time before close.
Cost: Free
Worth A Try
Little Learners
A short nature activity for little ones at the Wildwoods area of Whitewater Center. The class itself is solid, but the real win is using it as an excuse to explore Wildwoods after.
📍 Wildwoods at Whitewater Center
🕒 10:00 a.m.
👶 Best For: ages 1–5
💡 Parent Tip: Bring shoes they can get dirty. You'll end up in mud, guaranteed.
Cost: $5/child, adults free (included with some passes)
Register Here
Toddler Storytime
The weekly Wednesday storytime at Barnes & Noble SouthPark, stories, songs, and activities right by the stage in the Kids' Department.
📍 Barnes & Noble, Morrison Place, 4020 Sharon Road
🕒 11am
👶 Best For: ages 0-5
💡 Parent Tip: no RSVP needed, but get there a few minutes early if you want a spot up front, it's a small stage area and fills in fast once storytime starts.
Cost: Free
Worth A Try
Nature Crochet and Crafts
A crochet and craft session inspired by the wildlife at McDowell, walking through a pattern each session with related nature crafts and yarn provided.
📍 McDowell Nature Preserve
🕒 2:30-3:30pm
👶 Best For: ages 4+, adult participation required
💡 Parent Tip: yarn is provided but bring your own hooks if you have them, all experience levels are welcome so don't skip it if your kid's never crocheted.
Cost: Free
Register Here
Wednesday Night Live
Free admission and live programming across the Mint Museum, Bechtler, Gantt Center, and Knight Theater every Wednesday through the season. Programming rotates each week.
📍 Levine Center for the Arts
🕒 5-9 PM
👶 Best For: All ages
💡 Parent Tip: Takes five seconds to look up this week's specific programming. Some weeks lean kid-friendly, others do not. Worth knowing before you load everyone in the car.
Cost: Free
Learn More