LivingHereYour guide to playing, living, shopping, eating and working in and around Charlotte

www.livinghere.com

2014-2015

PLUS:What’s newwith the Hornets,the Panthersand the Knights?pages 112-117

16 reasonsCharlotte’s a

greatsports town

10 buzzworthynew restaurantspage 53

Discover

the hidden

treasuresin our

arts community

page 47Monster trucks to medical artifactsTry these extra-weird day trips from Charlotte page 106

The Charlotte Observer • 2014 - 2015 Living Here • 39

ballantyne « around the region

I wasn’t crazy about trading myquaint, close-in Elizabeth apartmentfor a suburban Ballantyne townhousewhen I got married in 2003 (my newhusband owned the townhouse so itmade sense to settle there), but Iquickly found lots to love about theplace.The fact that we just bought our

third house within a 4-mile radius saysit all.

And judging from the traffic androad construction across the area thatgrows seemingly by the day, lots of

other people are growing their rootsin the 28277, too. In May, Ballantynewas the second-most-moved-in zipcode in the country, according to At-lanta-based Welcomemat Services.And for good reason.The area’s public schools, while

crowded, are nationally recognized,boasting high test scores and activePTAs. Ardrey Kell High School hasaward-winning sports and musicteams and turns out National MeritFinalists each year. There are plenty ofgood charter and private school op-tions, too.Business is booming in Ballantyne.

The Ballantyne Corporate Park’s latestgiant coup, MetLife, has filled morethan 900 jobs since opening a newretail hub in 2013. Job growth hasmade the area so attractive to home-buyers that houses in many neigh-borhoods are getting full-price offerswithin hours of being listed.

But the area isn’t just about jobs andhomes. I can’t think of a community asrich in activities for young families asBallantyne.

Trying to get my three kids to agreeon a free-time activity is hard, becausethe choices are so ample.On bad-weather days, we head to

the Sports Connection, a giant bowl-ing alley/bounce house/laser tag/arcade/indoor ropes course with anextensive food menu and beer selec-tion.

For outdoor fun, we enjoy disc golf-ing at the Elon Park Recreation Cen-ter, picking berries or pumpkins atHall Family Farms, splashing in thewaterpark at the Morrison YMCA orchecking out the Big Rock NaturePreserve, nestled in the Thornhillneighborhood.

My kids love art, music and sports,so we’ve had a blast hosting learn-to-

Ballantyne: The ‘bubble’ is booming

SEE BALLANTYNE, 40

DIEDRA LAIRD - dlaird@charlotteobserver.com

Sew Fun! owner Wendy Orenstein-Berglass, center, offers Ballantyne birthday parties that teach skills, too.

By Cristina Bollingcbolling@charlotteobserver.com

40 • Living Here 2014 - 2015 • The Charlotte Observer

around the region » ballantyne

sew birthday parties at Sew Fun in theFountains, taking violin lessons atElon Park Recreation Center throughthe Community School of the Arts,and participating in sports teamsthrough the Morrison YMCA.My neighbors joke that they hate

leaving the “Ballantyne bubble” be-cause life is so convenient here.The area is awash in grocery stores

– 28277 alone boasts five Harris Tee-ters, Earth Fare, the city’s first Publixand Trader Joe’s. A Whole Foods willopen here next year.The Stonecrest and Blakeney shop-

ping centers hold a good mix of na-tional and local retailers (Targets inboth), and Ballantyne Village is a pop-ular gathering spot for the boutiqueshopping or date-night crowd.Our church, St. Matthew Catholic

Church, is one of the largest Catholicchurches in the country, at more than9,500 families. Other churches havecompleted big expansion projectsrecently and mega-church Elevation,which already has a large worshipcenter in Blakeney, is planning anoth-er worship center in Ballantyne.

While we make a point to explorenew restaurants across the city, thereare lots of good local spots rightaround the corner, from the amplesushi selection at Jade Asian Fusion inBallantyne Village to farm-to-tablecuisine at Vine on Johnston Road orTrue Crafted Pizza for one-of-a-kindpies in the Stonecrest shopping center.Bradshaw Social House is a fun spotfor an after-work beer or night out.Are there downsides? Of course.Homes are still springing up in

Ballantyne and farther south in IndianLand, adding to the traffic congestion.Roads in the area are having to expandto accommodate more cars, so goingeven short distances in Ballantyneduring rush-hour can seem to takeforever.

And Ballantyne residents who com-mute uptown every day face lengthycommutes of an hour or more somedays. (The I-485 widening project willhelp in the future, but is making amess in the meantime.)

The bubble is growing. But I stillcan’t picture a better place for ourgrowing family.

Bolling: @CristinaBolling on Twitter

- HALL FAMILY FARM

So big, in the corn maze at the Hall Family Farm.

BALLANTYNE[ from 39 ]

FAVORITE SPOTS

Greenways: The area is home to the Lower McAlpine Creek Greenway and the FourMile Creek Greenway, which are great places to run, bike, stroll or take Fido for awalk. www.charmeck.org.Hall Family Farm (10713 Providence Road West): In addition to pick-your-ownstrawberries in spring and pumpkins in fall, this farm has fun extras like hay rides,straw and corn mazes, play areas and funnel cakes, slushies and other goodies.www.hallfamilyfarm.com.Bradshaw Social House (8440 Rea Road): This fun, if often noisy, watering hole isa lively spot to watch NFL games or enjoy a beer while listening to live music.www.bradshawsocialhouse.com.

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