In the words of the city’s tourism campaign from the mid-2010s, “Charlotte’s Got A Lot!” We agree, and we hope that you enjoy your time in the Queen City. To help you prepare your itinerary for the Burns/Byrne wedding weekend, and also prove that Charlotte has more than just your favorite connecting airport and a couple bank headquarters, please see some suggestions from Thomas and Lauren below:

The Thomas & Lauren Tour of Myers Park

Spend some time touring the neighborhood where it all began. Apart from a couple brief interludes for college and law school, Lauren has lived in Myers Park for her entire life. And the Byrne family moved to the neighborhood from Greenwich, Connecticut in 2016. In fact, three of the four total Burns/Byrne households in Charlotte are all located within ten minutes of one another within Myers Park.

Bring a healthy appetite and your walking shoes on this tour of Thomas and Lauren’s favorite neighborhood of Charlotte!

Amelie’s French Bakery

43211 Park Rd., Charlotte, NC 28209 (Breakfast/Coffee)

Thomas and Lauren went on their first date at Amelie’s in the fall of 2023 (check out the “Their Story” tab of the wedding website for the details of that fateful night!). They had each been coming to Amelie’s separately for years. Amelie’s is a Charlotte staple that is known for its quirky and maximalist interior decor and its delicious French-inspired pastries, sandwiches, and salads. This is one of the first places in Charlotte that catered to gluten-free dietary restrictions. Lauren still remembers having her first salted caramel brownie at the Amelie’s location in NoDa when she was a newly gluten-free tween in middle school.

Amelie’s is an ideal first stop on the Thomas and Lauren Tour not only because you can start your day with a fantastic French treat, but it also lands you in the middle of the Park Road Shopping Center. Lauren has said many times that she could very happily live her entire life at the Park Road Shopping Center–it has everything you could possibly need from reliable chain stores (a la J.Crew Factory and Harris Teeter) to beloved local gems (like Park Road Books). And it has one of the best parking lots in all of Charlotte. Win win win!

Park Road Books

4139 Park Rd., Charlotte, NC 28209 (Bookstore)

After breakfast at Amelie’s, wander to the other side of the Park Road Shopping Center and take a stroll up to Park Road Books, which is a favorite date spot for Thomas and Lauren! They love to go here together and pick books out for each other. One of Thomas’s love languages is selecting the perfect book, and one of Lauren’s worst habits is hoarding novels in all the nooks and crannies of her home. A match made in heaven!

Park Road Books is a local bookstore that carries all sorts of genres, and its employees have great recommendations depending on what you may prefer. Thomas and Lauren have both read some great books in the past year from Park Road Books (honorable mentions go to The Wedding People and Demon Copperhead), and they would love to tell you all about their favorite picks at the reception.

Shopping Break

Various Stores in the Park Road Shopping Center

After their obligatory stop at Park Road Books, Thomas and Lauren have spent many a Saturday afternoon browsing the boutiques at the Park Road Shopping Center, including:

Julie’s Boutique

KLA Boutique

Onward Reserve

J.Crew Factory

Suarez Bakery

4245 Park Rd., Charlotte, NC 28209 (Bakery)

If you shopped til you dropped, pick yourself back up with some legendary sweets from Suarez Bakery, which has been a Charlotte classic since 1992. Suarez designed all of Lauren’s Barbie-themed cakes for her birthdays as a child, and as an adult, Lauren loves to surprise Thomas with one of their chocolate chip sandwich cookies whenever she makes a solo trip over to the Park Road Shopping Center. Everything Suarez makes is delicious, and they are very conscious of dietary restrictions and preferences. And a few of Suarez’s cookies would make the perfect nightcap back at the hotel once the reception has ended…

Suarez Bakery is your final recommended stop in the Park Road Shopping Center on the Thomas and Lauren Tour. Next up, let’s put those walking shoes to good use!

Stroll Through Queen’s University & Myers Park

1900 Selwyn Ave., Charlotte, NC 28274

Queen’s University is a small, private university located in the middle of Myers Park and is right around the corner from Lauren’s townhouse. Lauren grew up going on dog walks here with her parents, and she and Thomas now take walks on the beautiful campus whenever they can. Thomas proposed on New Year’s Day 2025 in front of the Queen’s University Hiram Powers Fountain while he and Lauren were on a walk together.

Thomas and Lauren recommend walking the grounds at Queen’s, which should only take twenty minutes or so. And then they suggest using Queen’s as a jumping off point to explore the rest of the residential part of Myers Park. Some streets to check out include the following:

Roswell Avenue - The location of the reception venue (Myers Park Country Club) and Lauren’s current street.

Beverly Drive - The street where Lauren grew up in the same house until she left for college.

The Booty Loop - (no creative license taken here–that’s the path’s real name) An iconic 3ish-mile loop that takes you through all of the most beautiful parts of Myers Park. A quick Google search for directions should set you on the right track, and it’s easy to pick up the path if you start at Queen’s.

Salted Melon

815 Providence Rd., Charlotte, NC 28207 (Lunch)

After all that strolling, you’re probably ready for your next bite to eat. Thomas and Lauren wholeheartedly recommend Salted Melon on Providence Road, which is a fast casual spot that offers a healthy spin on classics. Thomas and Lauren love the poke bowl, buffalo caesar wrap, salmon wrap, and baked potato salad. Salted Melon is the first place where Lauren had a matcha latte and actually liked it.

If salads, wraps, and sandwiches just won’t hit the spot, try out Ace No. 3 right across the street, located at 829 Providence Rd. Charlotte, NC 28207. This is a Burns family favorite for burgers, fries, and sweet potato tater tots. Plus they have a great selection of sauces.

One note–parking isn’t great at Salted Melon, so you’ll probably end up parking in the lot for Ace. An elite meal combo would be starting at Salted Melon for your main meal and then ending with a milkshake from Ace!

Summit Coffee

343 Providence Rd., Charlotte, NC 28207 (Coffee/tea)

Need some more caffeine? Salted Melon has a great selection of beverages, but if you want to continue your tour of Thomas and Lauren’s favorite places in Myers Park, we suggest driving (or walking) a little farther up Providence Road to Summit Coffee. Thomas and Lauren have met up here many times, since it’s roughly the halfway point between their two townhomes. The coffee is wonderful, but the atmosphere is even better. Saturday afternoons can be a little busy, but Summit Coffee would be the perfect spot to re-caffeinate while starting your new novel from Park Road Books and enjoying some Myers Park people watching.

The Jimmy

2839 Selwyn Ave., Charlotte, NC 28209 (Cocktails)

At this point, the reception is just a few hours away, so you might be in the mood for something a little more festive. At the very least, it’s probably time to head back to the hotel, and if you’re staying in one of the hotel blocks, you’ll be going back to the South Park neighborhood. Thomas and Lauren’s next pick, The Jimmy, is the perfect spot to hit on your way out of Myers Park, since it’s on the way to South Park. The Jimmy is an Italian and French restaurant with a small but mighty menu and a bright venue.

Thomas and Lauren love enjoying an early dinner at The Jimmy on a Friday or Saturday night, complete with a few of the restaurant’s excellent cocktails and mocktails (neither of which are too sweet!). They also have a great wine and beer list. Thomas and Lauren recommend starting the night early with some olives and drinks. It’s never too soon to get in the wedding mood!

The Thomas and Lauren Tour of Myers Park has come to a close. Even if you don’t have a chance to hit all of the spots on their list, Thomas and Lauren are so excited to spend their wedding festivities with you in the heart of their favorite neighborhood. It means the world to them that you have come into town to celebrate their nuptials, and they cannot wait to dance the night away with you soon!

The Other Spots in Charlotte

The Burns family has famously maintained their thirty-plus year existence in Charlotte by rarely venturing outside of the 28207 bubble… But with Thomas’s help, they have discovered some new favorites outside of Myers Park. If you’re looking to explore even more areas in Charlotte, here’s Thomas and Lauren’s list of other great places in the city:

Optimist Hall

115 N. Brevard St., Charlotte, NC 28206

Optimist Hall is a fun food hall with all sorts of cuisine and some retailers sprinkled throughout. This is a great option if your group can’t decide what they want to eat for lunch.

Mac Tabby Cat Cafe

3204 N. Davidson St., Charlotte, NC 28205

Thomas and Lauren love cat cafes. They have gone to Mac Tabby together a few times and love interacting with all of the sweet cats looking to find their forever homes. Mac Tabby also serves coffee, tea, and smoothies, and it’s in the heart of the NoDa neighborhood, which is a great place to explore. Be warned–you may come home with a furry friend!

Inside scoop: on January 1, 2024, exactly one year before they became engaged, Thomas and Lauren visited a now-closed cat cafe near Thomas’ home, where Thomas met and eventually adopted his cat, Joannie.

Breweries - Various Locations

It wouldn’t be a list of Charlotte favorites without mentioning a few breweries! Here’s a list of a few hits in town:

Olde Mecklenburg Brewery - 4150 Yancey Rd, Charlotte, NC 28217

Wooden Robot Brewery - 1440 S Tryon St Unit 110, Charlotte, NC 28203

Sycamore Brewing (various locations)

Lenny Boy Brewing Co. - 3000 S Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28217 (also has amazing kombucha)

Suffolk Punch Brewing (various locations)

Vaulted Oak Brewing - 3726 Monroe Rd, Charlotte, NC 28205 (right across the street from Thomas’ townhome)

Burial Brewing - 1214 Thomas Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205 (Thomas took Lauren here on their second date!)

South Park

Another great neighborhood to explore, especially if you’re in the mood for some retail therapy! All of the hotel blocks are in South Park, and it’s a pretty walkable neighborhood. Some spots to check out include the South Park Mall and the Shops on the Park, which are right next to both the AC Hotel and the Marriott.

Whitewater Center

5000 Whitewater Center Parkway Charlotte, NC 28214

If you’re looking for some serious adventure, head on out to the Whitewater Center, where you can experience class II-IV whitewater with a guide leading the way. You can also take advantage of beautiful walking trails and other outdoor activities, like ziplines, ropes courses, mountain biking, and kayaking. The Whitewater Center is about half an hour away from the hotel blocks on a Saturday morning, and since it’s an all day affair, we would recommend starting your adventures as early as you can before the wedding festivities begin.

Ceremony

Reception