Who Built the Queen City? Charlotte's Black History on Foot
A guided walk through uptown Charlotte that tells the Queen City's story through the Black residents who helped build it.
Uptown Charlotte reads like a skyline of glass towers. This walk reads it another way. The listing sets out to show how African Americans were critical in building the city and the wealth tied to it, beginning at the statue of the queen the city is named for. From there the group moves on to the sites of a once thriving Black neighborhood, with a guide doing the telling.
One option is on sale, a shared walk in English. The booking page prices it at USD 26 per adult and USD 20 for ages 1 to 17. Fees and taxes are included; bottled water is not. Every booking needs at least one adult, and one booking takes up to fifteen travelers.
Queen’s City Black Legacy Walking TourA two-hour guided walk in English through uptown Charlotte's Black history, starting at the Queen Charlotte statue on the corner of College St. and 5th St.www.viator.comA Plaque That Calls Her a German Princess
The meeting point is a bronze of Queen Charlotte titled Queen Charlotte Walks in Her Garden, by the sculptor Graham Weathers. Its plaque tells the city's founding in one line: settlers who were rebellious toward the King still named their town and county in her honor, in hopes of gaining royal favor.
The plaque describes her as a 17-year-old German princess from Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The tour's own description goes further and calls her a queen of African and mixed heritage. That second claim rests on a family tree traced through the Portuguese royal house, and historians still dispute it. The walk is where you hear the case for it.
From the statue the route turns to the old Black neighborhood. One of the operator's own photos shows a group gathered under a Historic Brooklyn street marker for the Alexander Funeral Home.
One Name Keeps Coming Up in the Reviews
When reviewers name their guide, the name is almost always Naomi, and the operator signs its replies to reviews as Naomi W. The booking page itself promises a licensed guide and names no one.
Reviewers single out the visual aids and photos carried along the route. Two mention that she points out Black-owned shops on the way, and one stopped at Lottie's Cafe for a drink mid-walk.
A July 2026 review found her voice hard to hear while the group was walking, and the operator replied that she would work on making sure everyone can hear at all times. Stay close when the group is on the move.
Mornings Only, and Never on a Monday
Walks leave at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday, and at 9:00 AM on Saturday. The calendar has no Monday departure.
The listing sets the length at two hours, and reviewers put the walking itself anywhere from about an hour and a half to the full two. One logged 5,990 steps on her phone and advised comfortable shoes. Another called it an easy walk, with stops to talk and to rest along the way.
Water, Weather and the Fine Print
Bottled water is not included. Bring your own.
Cancel at least 24 hours before the start for a full refund. Inside 24 hours there is no refund. The listing also flags that a departure can be called off for bad weather, and the operator's own tour guidelines draw that line at moderate to heavy rain.
On access, the booking page ticks wheelchair access, strollers and service animals, and it advises against the walk for travelers with spinal injuries or poor cardiovascular health. The operator's own tour pages say nothing about access. Its tour guidelines ask walkers to dress for the weather and wear shoes for a walk of about 1.5 to 2.5 miles, depending on the tour. The booking form carries a special-requirements field, the place to flag a chair, a stroller or a slower pace before the date.
📍 Meet at the Queen Charlotte statue on the corner of College St. and 5th St. in uptown Charlotte. Tickets work on a phone or on paper. Bring water, comfortable shoes and a question about the city's name. The plaque at the statue's feet gives the first answer, and the walk gives the second.