Arts and culture in Fourth Ward
Three of Uptown's cultural institutions sit on the Fourth Ward side of Tryon Street, and two more are just across it. For the church that became the McColl Center and the neighborhood's other historic churches, see our houses of worship guide.
McColl Center
Address: 721 N. Tryon Street, at 11th, Charlotte, NC 28202. 704-332-5535. mccollcenter.org Gallery hours: Friday noon to 6 PM; Saturday 10 AM to 6 PM; Sunday through Thursday by appointment. Admission: Free; $10 suggested donation.
McColl Center is an artist residency with public galleries and studios, in the 1926 Gothic Revival building that was First Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. Friends of Fourth Ward's walking tour records that the church was destroyed by fire in 1985 and that the building was renovated in 1999; the center itself refers to its home as the "ruins of the church." The accessible entrance is on North Church Street.
See Stop 37 on the walking tour.
Charlotte Ballet, Center for Dance
Address: 701 N. Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28202. Box office 704-372-1000. charlotteballet.org
The Patricia McBride and Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux Center for Dance is home to the company and to Charlotte Ballet Academy, with a black box theater of about 200 seats. The ballet also offers free weekly community dance classes for all ages and skill levels. Its larger productions play the Belk and Knight theaters elsewhere in Uptown.
Parking for performances: 525 N. Tryon Street, $10 after 5 PM on weekdays and all day on weekends.
Discovery Place Science
Entrance: 168 W. 6th Street, between Tryon and Church. discoveryplace.org Hours: Monday through Friday 9 AM to 4 PM; Saturday and Sunday 10 AM to 4:30 PM. Admission: Online tickets start at $19.95 for adults, $15.95 for children 2 to 13 and $17.45 for seniors; walk-up prices are higher. Children under 2 are free. Prices vary by day.
The science museum shows IMAX documentaries and planetarium shows in its dome. "Mending the Wild," work by Charlotte artist Tina Alberni, is on view through January 3, 2027. Sensory-friendly hours run monthly.
Parking: The Discovery Place deck at 220 W. 6th Street, at Church, with a museum discount. The LYNX 7th Street Station is two blocks away.
Just across Tryon
- ImaginOn, the library's children's and teen center, 300 E. 7th Street.
- The new Main Library is under construction at 6th and Tryon, on the site of Charlotte's first free library, the 1903 Carnegie Library.
Sources: McColl Center, home and Plan Your Visit pages; Charlotte Ballet, home and Plan a Visit pages; Discovery Place, Plan Your Visit page; Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, ImaginOn and New Main Library pages. All read October 3, 2026.