Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business Concord is a city northeast of Charlotte in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, best known as a center of NASCAR racing. Charlotte Motor Speedway, the zMAX Dragway and dozens of race team shops sit in and around the city, and race weeks bring huge crowds every spring and fall.
Charlotte Motor Speedway
zMAX Dragway
Reed Gold Mine
Concord Mills
+1 more places
There is more to Concord than racing, though. Its historic downtown on Union Street, its old textile mill villages and the nearby Reed Gold Mine, site of the first documented gold find in the United States, make it a rewarding stop. This guide covers the best places to visit, along with food, where to stay and how to plan a trip.
Concord was founded in 1796 as the county seat of Cabarrus County. Its name, meaning harmony, was chosen to settle a dispute between German and Scots-Irish settlers over where the courthouse should go. In the late 1800s, the Cannon family built textile mills here and in nearby Kannapolis, which became one of the largest towel makers in the world.
Today, Concord's economy and reputation are tied to motorsports. Charlotte Motor Speedway hosts NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend, one of the longest and best-attended races of the season, and many teams are based nearby.
For visitors, Concord offers a mix of racing attractions, family entertainment such as Great Wolf Lodge and Sea Life Charlotte-Concord Aquarium, outlet shopping at Concord Mills, and a historic downtown that feels far removed from the roar of the track.
Motorsports are the main reason many people visit Concord.
Opened in 1960, Charlotte Motor Speedway is a 1.5-mile oval that hosts NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 in May and other major races, plus the giant Goodyear Auto Fair car shows. On non-race days, speedway tours take visitors onto pit road and the track, and the Richard Petty Driving Experience lets fans ride or drive a stock car.
Charlotte Motor Speedway hosts the Coca-Cola 600 every Memorial Day weekend. Photo: Nascar1996, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Across the road from the speedway, zMAX Dragway is a four-lane drag strip that hosts NHRA national events in spring and fall, where top fuel dragsters reach more than 300 miles per hour.
zMAX Dragway hosts NHRA drag racing events. Photo: tequilamike, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Several NASCAR teams have shops in and around Concord and nearby Mooresville. Some, such as Hendrick Motorsports, have museums and team stores that are open to the public on weekdays.
Away from the track, Concord has a charming historic core.
Union Street is lined with restored 19th- and early 20th-century buildings housing restaurants, shops and galleries. The North Union Street Historic District nearby has grand Victorian and Neoclassical homes built by mill owners and merchants.
The 1876 Cabarrus County Courthouse, a handsome Italianate building, now houses the Cabarrus Arts Council's galleries and the Davis Theatre, which hosts plays and concerts.
About 20 minutes east, Reed Gold Mine marks the site of the first documented discovery of gold in the United States, made by a boy named Conrad Reed in 1799. Visitors can tour restored underground tunnels, see mining equipment and pan for gold in season.
Reed Gold Mine was the site of the first documented gold discovery in the United States. Photo: Gus Jewell, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Neighborhoods built for mill workers, with rows of small houses near the old mill sites, show Concord's textile past.
Concord Mills and the surrounding district are packed with family attractions.
This indoor aquarium at Concord Mills has an ocean tunnel, touch pools and displays of sharks, rays and jellyfish.
Great Wolf Lodge is a resort with a large indoor water park that is open year round, popular with families.
Concord Mills is one of the largest shopping and outlet malls in the state, with more than 200 stores, restaurants and entertainment.
Concord Mills is one of the largest malls in North Carolina. Photo: Dough4872, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
This large county park has lakes, trails, sports fields and mini golf, and it is a good break from the busy shopping district.
Just north, Kannapolis is the former Cannon Mills town, with a revived downtown, Atrium Health Ballpark for minor league baseball and a statue of hometown racing legend Dale Earnhardt.
Kannapolis, next to Concord, was built around Cannon Mills. Photo: Eddie Maloney from North Las Vegas, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
If you have young kids along, a personalized storybook from Magic Story that makes your child the hero is an easy treat for the drive home, and you get 45% off the first book when you subscribe (affiliate link).
See Magic Story booksConcord sits in the Carolina Piedmont, where pulled pork barbecue, fried chicken, collard greens and banana pudding are staples. Race weekends bring tailgates and plenty of grilled food around the speedway.
Downtown Union Street has a growing number of independent restaurants and breweries, and the Piedmont region's own soft drink, Cheerwine, is made in nearby Salisbury. Many restaurants around Concord Mills serve the large crowds that come for shopping and races.
Popular dishes to try in Concord
Concord Mills and the speedway area have most of the hotels, including race-week favorites, and quick access to Interstate 85.
Downtown Concord has a few inns and bed and breakfasts near Union Street.
Kannapolis is a short drive north and often has lower prices on race weekends.
Charlotte, about 25 minutes away, has many more hotel choices.
Appalachian Air Ducts is an indoor air quality business serving Concord, NC, offering air duct cleaning, whole home air filtration, vapor barrier installation,...
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Integrity Central Vacuums is a central vacuum business serving the Carolina area. Integrity Central Vacuums provides central vacuum system sales and installatio...
Spring is mild and green, and May brings the Coca-Cola 600 and big crowds.
Summer is hot and humid, a good time for water parks and baseball.
Fall is pleasant, with NASCAR playoff racing and car shows.
Winter is mild and quiet, with the speedway's holiday light show.
By air: Charlotte Douglas International Airport is about 30 minutes southwest, and Concord-Padgett Regional Airport has limited flights.
By car: Interstate 85 runs through the city between Charlotte and Greensboro.
Getting around: A car is essential; expect heavy traffic and shuttle parking on race days.
Take a tour of Charlotte Motor Speedway in the morning, visit a race team shop, then spend the afternoon at Concord Mills or the aquarium.
Explore downtown Concord and Union Street, see the historic courthouse, then drive to Reed Gold Mine to tour the tunnels and pan for gold.
Visit Kannapolis for its downtown and a ballgame, or relax at Frank Liske Park.
Looking for barbecue, a race-day hotel or a local mechanic?
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