Charlotte, NC

Y’ever wonder where the Queen City stands in relationship to other cities’ social structure? Okay … the results have just been published:

• First, you’ll be pleased to know that we’re the 29th Most Fun City in the United States
• Of the 50 most adventurous cities, we clock in at #9.
• Doin’ a lot of grilling this summer? We’re #49 in the Top 100 cities to do it.
• We’re considered #4 among the best-walking cities in the nation.
• For African-Americans, we’re the 7th of America’s top ten
• We’re among the top 50 as far as our variety of restaurants go.

Y’know, we have so many wonderful things to do around here that a simpleranking page doesn’t even begin to cover them all.

Hey … if ya want to give your kids something productive to do this month, why not enroll them in the Comedy Acting Daycames that are going on right now at the Theatre Charlotte (it’s for boys and girls ages 8-18. Monday-Friday, from 9 AM to 3:30 PM)? This isn’t only a place where kids can learn to get a laugh, though; they also learn how to work with the public, discipline and so many other things they’ll need to know as they grow. At the end of their classes, the kids get to show what they learned by putting on a show for their families and friends. It’s really a one-of-a-kind, fun (and educational) endeavor. Need more info? Dial 704-540-7781 to get the lowdown on it.

Or how about music? We’ve got Brad Paisley coming to the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on July 21 (with Taylor Swift, Kellie Pickler and Jack Ingram), The Vans Warped Tour on the 23rd (it’s a Monday) with some terrific new rock groups, including Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (seen recently on The Tonight Show) and the highly popular The Unseen. If you dig your rock-n-roll straight up and no lemons, you’ve got it served here, with 59 bands slated to perform (NOTE: the band list is subject to change. Check with Live Nation for updates.

All told, there’s still a lot of ground to cover this month, if you’re in the market for something to do. Keep an eye on your newspapers, Creative Loafing© and your fave Charlotte blog (ahem … this one, I hope!) … ’cause, here in Charlotte, there’s always something good right around the corner!