The Oak-Canopy Loop
Myers Park through Queens Road's historic estates, gardens, and parkland
Myers Park unfolds beneath a cathedral of willow oaks planted in the 1920s, when the Olmsted Brothers laid out these curving drives for Charlotte's cotton and banking families. The Booty Loop — a two-mile residential circuit beloved by runners and the country-club set — traces Queens Road West and East through some of the South's finest pre-war residential architecture. This walk pairs that canopy with two of the neighborhood's anchors: Wing Haven's intimate walled gardens and the Mint Museum Randolph, then closes with a sweep through Freedom Park's meadows and lake.
Queens Road West & Selwyn Avenue
The Booty Loop begins here, where Selwyn meets Queens Road West beneath a canopy that thickens with every block south. Georgian Revival and Colonial Revival estates set back behind stone walls and boxwood hedges date to the 1920s and 1930s, when Myers Park was Charlotte's first automobile suburb. The asphalt is smooth, the sidewalks wide, and the oaks meet overhead.
Insider Tip
Walk the west side of Queens Road West going south — the shade is deeper and the setbacks give you better sight lines to the front elevations.
Copain
This corner bakery and café occupies a renovated 1940s corner grocery, all white subway tile and marble counters. The pastry case runs to pain au chocolat, almond croissants, and seasonal fruit tarts; the coffee is locally roasted by Undercurrent. A handful of marble-top tables fill by 8am on weekends.
Insider Tip
Order the ham-and-butter baguette to go — it travels well on the rest of the loop and the cultured butter is from a dairy in Mocksville.
Tue–Sun 7am–3pm, closed Mon
Wing Haven Gardens & Bird Sanctuary
Edwin and Elizabeth Clarkson built these walled gardens in 1927 and spent five decades planting camellias, azaleas, and magnolias to attract migrating songbirds. The three-acre sanctuary remains intimate and residential in scale, with brick paths, a small reflecting pool, and benches beneath the original plantings. Entry is by donation; it feels more like a private garden than a public park.
Insider Tip
Visit the small library room in the cottage — Elizabeth Clarkson's collection of ornithology books and hand-drawn bird journals are displayed in the original cabinets.
Tue–Wed & Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 1pm–5pm, closed Mon, Thu, Fri
Queens Road East Historic Homes
Queens Road East curves north past a parade of Georgian, Tudor Revival, and Colonial homes built between 1925 and 1940, many by Charlotte architects William H. Peeps and Louis Asbury. The streetscape is remarkably intact: slate roofs, leaded casement windows, and porte-cochères. Several estates retain their original iron fencing and carriage houses.
Insider Tip
Look for the white-brick Georgian at 1501 Queens Road East — its semi-circular fanlight and Flemish-bond brickwork are textbook 1930s craftsmanship.
Mint Museum Randolph
Housed in the 1936 neoclassical building that once served as the Charlotte Mint, this museum holds American and European decorative arts, pre-Columbian objects, and a notable collection of Southeastern pottery and ceramics. The galleries are compact, the lighting is excellent, and the permanent collection rotates quarterly. The building itself — designed by William Strickland in the Greek Revival style — anchors the eastern end of Randolph Road.
Insider Tip
The second-floor European gallery often has a single Flemish or Dutch still life on loan — check the current exhibition list before you go; it's worth the detour.
Wed–Sat 11am–6pm, Sun 1pm–5pm, closed Mon–Tue
Freedom Park
Ninety-eight acres of meadow, woods, and a seven-acre lake laid out in 1948. The park's western edge borders Dilworth, but the lake and the wide lawn on the eastern side belong to Myers Park's morning runners and afternoon dog walkers. Benches line the water; a paved loop circles the perimeter. The light is best in late afternoon when it rakes across the open grass.
Insider Tip
Enter from the east side parking lot off East Boulevard and walk counter-clockwise — you'll have the lake on your left and the sun behind you for photographs.
Daily dawn to dusk