What to do at Charlotte airport for 2 hours?

[pantherlj]

We will have a 2 hour layover at the Charlotte, NC airport. What can I do to entertain my 4 and 7 year old girls for 2 hours? 1:30 - 3:30 so not lunch time .....

We will have 1 1/2 hours of fly time left after the lay over so I don't want to kill all the toys I have for that (coloring, leapsters, etc).

I am sure we can explore some but not for 2 hours. Is there a playground at the airport?

Thanks for any ideas.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

The Charlotte aiport is pretty spread out - you might have a fair walk from one gate to the next if you have to change concourses (or you might have the gates next to each other - hard to say). There are a few sit-down restaurants if you want to wait to have lunch there - I remember Chili's and California Pizza Kitchen. There are lots of rocking chairs in the atrium area to rock and watch the people go by - my kids (also 7 and 4 year old girls) love to do this (and go on the moving sidewalks and climb the stairs, etc). There is a cool toy shop off the atrium on the way to concourse C, I think - you could kill some time browsing there. If you don't want to eat lunch, have a snack (they used have Krispy Kreme doughnuts - not sure if they still do). Let them get their wiggles out, have a snack, go to the bathroom, wander around - it will be time to board before you know it!

I don't think there is a playground at CLT - at least I don't remember one. Sorry!

 

[pantherlj]

The Charlotte aiport is pretty spread out - you might have a fair walk from one gate to the next if you have to change concourses (or you might have the gates next to each other - hard to say). There are a few sit-down restaurants if you want to wait to have lunch there - I remember Chili's and California Pizza Kitchen. There are lots of rocking chairs in the atrium area to rock and watch the people go by - my kids (also 7 and 4 year old girls) love to do this (and go on the moving sidewalks and climb the stairs, etc). There is a cool toy shop off the atrium on the way to concourse C, I think - you could kill some time browsing there. If you don't want to eat lunch, have a snack (they used have Krispy Kreme doughnuts - not sure if they still do). Let them get their wiggles out, have a snack, go to the bathroom, wander around - it will be time to board before you know it!

I don't think there is a playground at CLT - at least I don't remember one. Sorry!

Wow, thanks for the quick response and details! The girls will love going on the moving sidewalks - it has been a long time since I have flown so I forgot about those LOL. They will keep them busy for a while

Now that I think about it, they might be too excited to eat much before the first leg of our trip so we will probably need to get something to eat.

Thanks!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Have a great trip!

 

[drivencrazy]

I would just have them eat light before you leave, that way you can eat when you get there and that will pass some time.... if they have already eatten, how about getting some ice cream (I would think that they would have some kind of treat at the airport) If we had an lay over, that is where I would want it to be, we have really good friends in that area!

 

[schmee33]

The three of the last four times we flew through Charlotte we were supposed to have a 2 hour and a 1.5 hour lay over .....but each time we had delays and ended up dashing through the entire airport!!! Of course because we were changing from a smaller plan to a larger plane, we had to run the entire length !! When we actually arrived with time to spare the last time the kids were dissapointed we didn't have to run!!!

So know that your time may not be as long as you think!!! It is a nice airport with lots of shops and those great moving sidewalks...so the kids will enjoy just watching the people and planes!!

There is a nice food court...I love the NC BBQ place!!!

Have fun!!!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

The three of the last four times we flew through Charlotte we were supposed to have a 2 hour and a 1.5 hour lay over .....but each time we had delays and ended up dashing through the entire airport!!! Of course because we were changing from a smaller plan to a larger plane, we had to run the entire length !! When we actually arrived with time to spare the last time the kids were dissapointed we didn't have to run!!!

So know that your time may not be as long as you think!!! It is a nice airport with lots of shops and those great moving sidewalks...so the kids will enjoy just watching the people and planes!!

There is a nice food court...I love the NC BBQ place!!!

Have fun!!!

Excellent point. Flights into Charlotte are notoriously late, and if you land at the end of B concourse and have to go to the end of C concourse, for example, it is a hike. Add in bathroom time and you don't have as much time as you think. If you are flying from a smaller airport (and it appears you are in NC already), you seem to be more likely to arrive on time. (But is it is a commuter flight, you'll probably go into Concourse E downstairs.) We are almost always early flying Wilmington to Charlotte (not much air traffic in Wilmington). We usually leave Charlotte late ("we are now 17th in line for takeoff" ), but there seems to be time built in and we usually get to Wilmington on time. My kids always want to eat in any airport even if they have just eaten - seems to be part of the experience for them. If you arrive on time, you can do a sit-down late lunch. If you come in later, you can hit the food court and eat in a rocking chair (or on the plane if you are really late!) Happy travels!

 

[pantherlj]

Excellent point. Flights into Charlotte are notoriously late, and if you land at the end of B concourse and have to go to the end of C concourse, for example, it is a hike. Add in bathroom time and you don't have as much time as you think. If you are flying from a smaller airport (and it appears you are in NC already), you seem to be more likely to arrive on time. (But is it is a commuter flight, you'll probably go into Concourse E downstairs.) We are almost always early flying Wilmington to Charlotte (not much air traffic in Wilmington). We usually leave Charlotte late ("we are now 17th in line for takeoff" ), but there seems to be time built in and we usually get to Wilmington on time. My kids always want to eat in any airport even if they have just eaten - seems to be part of the experience for them. If you arrive on time, you can do a sit-down late lunch. If you come in later, you can hit the food court and eat in a rocking chair (or on the plane if you are really late!) Happy travels!

What?! You mean my flight might not been on time?! Seriously, I hadn't factored that in LOL

We are leaving out of RDU and flying USAir going there (AirTran on the way back) ExpressJet is starting non stop to Kansas City for just $77 each way! Of course, they are starting this 3 weeks after my vacation. Oh well.

BTW, I use to live in Wilmington Went to UNCW for 3 years!

 

[PollyannaMom]

For OP or anyone subscribing in a similar situation -
A couple of years ago, I knew we were going to have a long layover, and found a book at the library called "Stuck at the Airport" by Harriet Baskas. It gave specifics on a bunch or airports - which had kids' play areas, what restaurants to look for, etc. (Our layover was in Chicago, and it actually had an entire branch of it's Children's Museum! - It was great!)

Another random idea - If there is anyone reading who works at or uses Charlotte a lot, maybe he/she could give you a list of things to spot there - to use a scavenger hunt?

Have a great trip!

 

[stacy6552]

bring a laptop w/dvd's. thats what we do.

 

[dis-happy]

Charlotte airport is always winning accolades for being a nice airport to hang around during layovers. Definitely check out the rocking chairs, oftentimes someone will be playing the piano in the atrium there. Usually there is some sort of exhibit going on as well---one time I enjoyed looking at oragami creations. You could also walk to the end of C concourse and watch the planes coming in. There are several shops and food places, even if you don't want lunch you could have a donut or ice cream. There used to be a wonderful Disney Store but sadly it's not there anymore. I agree with the others that your layover may not seem long at all, especially since planes usually start boarding 1/2 hour before takeoff time.

Bon voyage!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

What?! You mean my flight might not been on time?! Seriously, I hadn't factored that in LOL

We are leaving out of RDU and flying USAir going there (AirTran on the way back) ExpressJet is starting non stop to Kansas City for just $77 each way! Of course, they are starting this 3 weeks after my vacation. Oh well.

BTW, I use to live in Wilmington Went to UNCW for 3 years!

We usually fly out of RDU when we fly since our only choices in Wilmington are Delta and USAirways and it is so expensive.

We went geocaching at UNCW this weekend - it is especially beautiful in the spring. Gotta love Wilmington!