Levine Museum of the New South, Charlotte (must see)

Post-Civil War life in Charlotte, North Carolina is on full display at the Levine Museum of the New South. Visitors will find permanent and revolving exhibits that detail the changes in the region from the US Civil War through present day. The museum was founded in 1991 and has been an important attraction since that time.

Exhibits at the Levine Museum are interactive in order to immerse visitors into life of the locals from days gone by. The permanent exhibit is called "Cotton Fields to Skyscrapers." This exhibit includes stories from Reconstruction, industrialization and the Civil Rights Era. This 8,000 square foot exhibit space includes music, video, oral histories and artifacts from throughout the years. It includes a rebuilt, one-room tenant farmer's house, Good Samaritans Hospital Chapel and reconstructions of main street Charlotte and lunch counters where sit-ins were staged.

Temporary exhibits often focus on specific areas in Charlotte. One of these is Brooklyn, the take of a historic black community in the city. This exhibit shows visitors the opportunity gaps created by urban renewal while also celebrating the rich culture of the neighborhood.

The Equal Justice Initiative has worked with the Levine Museum of the New South on an exhibit titles "It Happened Here: Lynching and Remembrance." The exhibit reminds museum patrons of lynchings throughout the country, with a strong focus on two that took place in Mecklenburg County.

The Levine Museum of the New South is located in Charlotte's Second Ward. It is about one block south from Discovery Place and a short distance from the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Why You Should Visit:
- To learn about the history of Charlotte residents
- To take a walk back through time, from Reconstruction through Civil Rights