Charlotte Home + Garden

1 week ago | charlottemagazine.com | Matt Crossman

One of my kids likes fast roller coasters, and the other doesn’t (yet). Both have fun when we visit Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. My older daughter adds one, and only one, big coaster every time we go there. I think of our trips there as pencil lines on a door frame—only they represent chutzpah instead of vertical growth. She may be playing a long con and holding off on other rides just to force me to take her back, again and again.

1 week ago | charlottemagazine.com | Ely Portillo

Charlotte has struggled to develop affordable housing for more than a century. Despite a slew of efforts to ease the problem, it persists, even worsens, in the face of soaring land and home prices. A new book by Charlotte historian Tom Hanchett chronicles the tenure and depth of the issue and what might—might—be done to make it better. Walking through First Ward in uptown on a warm late-winter afternoon, Tom Hanchett sees layers of the city invisible to most people.

2 weeks ago | charlottemagazine.com | Kayleigh Ruller

“Authenticity” is an overused word in restaurants, but it still can make the difference between a food experience that excels and one that falls flat. Here’s what authenticity looks like at Thai Taste: The walls are adorned with gongs and paintings from a Thai flea market that shimmer with golden paint. Ruby-colored umbrellas hang from the ceilings. Beneath them, in heels, scurries Chiengthong Kongkham, who’s owned the restaurant on East Boulevard in Dilworth since 1988.

2 weeks ago | charlottemagazine.com | Tess Allen

The Many Faces Initiative fosters inclusivity in North Carolina craft beer In May 2020, police killed George Floyd outside a convenience store in Minneapolis. The murder of another Black man at the hands of police sparked nationwide protests that called for an end to systemic racism—not just in law enforcement but across society.

2 weeks ago | charlottemagazine.com | Taylor Bowler

Brooke Adler’s clients invited her to see their new Myers Park home the day they closed on the property. Adler remembers the first floor having no dimension, color, or lighting and describes the living room as “a cold, white box.” The 3,300-square-foot house also had a family room adjacent to the kitchen, so the homeowners wanted this space to be an adults-only area. “This was the husband’s room,” Adler says. “The dining room was her space to play, and the living room was his.