The Cure for Cabin Fever: Staycation at The Kimpton

Winter in Charlotte isn’t all that harsh, but it can show up, peaking from mid-January through February. Temperatures hover around freezing, and snow, if it comes, usually arrives during these months. And then the wind, she always seems to show up on the colder days, just to add her bite.

View of our block in NoDa after the most recent snowstorm

This has been one of those years where we’ve actually experienced a real winter, especially over the past couple of weeks. We work for ourselves and from home, so cabin fever set in quickly. It’s been too windy and cold to do much outside, aside from a couple of quick daily walks for Lottie Dottie, and the forecast didn’t show much improvement ahead.

Our view for the evening

With all that in mind, a staycation felt like the perfect answer, just one night away for a change of scenery and the chance to enjoy Uptown without worrying about getting home. We don’t drink, so driving isn’t an issue, but parking can be a pain. Plus, having a little “home base” makes it easier to enjoy a full night out without logistics creeping in.

Merchant & Trade at the top of The Kimpton Tryon Park Hotel

We booked a room at the Kimpton Tryon Park Hotel. The location is ideal: across from Romare Bearden Park, one block from the museums, and surrounded by great dining and nightlife. Everything we wanted to do was walkable. Park the car and forget about it. Even better, the hotel has an excellent restaurant, Angeline’s, and a rooftop bar with city views, Merchant & Trade.

As we finalized plans, which included calling Quay, Lottie’s sugar mama and best friend, who watched her when we were away, we wondered—could we bring our lil’ chica with us? A quick search got us excited. Not only could we bring her, Kimpton openly embraces pets.

As Google’s AI puts it:

“Yes, Kimpton hotels are famous for being exceptionally pet-friendly, allowing dogs and other pets of any size, weight, or breed to stay for no extra charge…making it a truly pet-inclusive experience.”

Even better. We’d get a night out, and so would she.

As our date approached, the forecast turned even more wintery, with snow expected that evening. The hotel views are fantastic, either down Tryon Street or west across the park and surrounding neighborhoods. Snow would only make it more magical.

The drive from our house is just over three miles, but the high-rises and bustle make Uptown feel worlds apart from our neighborhood.

After checking in, we walked around the park, past the museums and historic Latta Arcade, down Tryon by the restaurants, and back again. It was the perfect promenade to settle into Uptown mode.

A bit of room service for a mid-afternoon snack with a view

Lottie and Joey taking in the view

Back in the room, we relaxed for a couple of hours before dinner. We ordered a mushroom pizza and Caesar salad from room service and watched the sunset. The three of us settled into the space, letting time pass easily, nearly dozing off.

The Bee's Knees

This night would also double as a test run for Lottie Dottie, who’ll be joining us on a summer road trip across the U.S. She’s great in the car & goes everywhere with us, but she's never stayed in a hotel. Hallway noise? Being alone while we went out? No reason to worry, we just hadn’t done it yet.

Spoiler alert: she passed with flying colors.

Dinner at Angeline’s was outstanding, from the apps and entrées to the mocktails. Non-alcoholic drinks are often an afterthought on many menus, but not here. These were complex, balanced, and clearly intentional. We had the Bee's Knees, their N/A take on a classic gin cocktail. Exceptional!

The appetizers set the tone. The meatballs, local beef and pork in rustic tomato sauce, were easily among the best we’ve had. Maybe the best we’ve had.  We also had their other signature app, whipped ricotta topped with lavender honey, pistachios, lemon oil, and toasted bread. Amazing. Plus the bread dipped into the tomato sauce…another beautiful combo.

While the menu had a number of options, Angeline’s is known for their pasta, so dinner, for us, stayed right in that lane. Joey immediately noted the casio e pepe, and when we asked our server what she recommended it was one of her top choices. For him, this one was personal. It’s the refined version of a dish his mom made him and taught him to make, something he’d grown up with and loved. It’s essentially pasta with parmesan or pecorino and black pepper. A simple dish but packed with flavor, and nostalgia. 

I opted for the duck ragu and gnocchi. The gnocchi was pan seared and perfectly crisp on the outside, and pillowy and soft inside. The duck was rich and delicious, the perfect accompaniment.

Lastly we shared the chefs special Shrimp Scampi. Plump perfectly cooked shrimp over fresh made pasta. These were great, but the sauce! Butter lightened and perfectly balanced & brightened with the acid from the lemon and white wine. Both of the other pasta dishes were great, but this was the star of the night.

We skipped dessert—already full and planning drinks upstairs at Merchant & Trade.

Back in the room, we dressed Lottie in a sleek little black coat we’d packed for her, and took her for a stroll toward Trade & Tryon, passing the Blumenthal and Carolina Theatres and the nightlife near 5th Street.

Afterward, we dropped her back at the room and headed to the rooftop. The streets below were quiet thanks to the weather, but the bar was lively. The DJ played a relaxed, danceable mix, and once again, the mocktails impressed.

I keep saying everything was great because it really was. The drinks reminded me of nights out when we did drink alcohol. My last drink, the N/A Violet Skies, tasted so convincingly like it had rum that I had to ask to make sure. One sip took me straight to the tropics, a welcome mental escape. Exactly what we came here for.

Conversation easily moved us from one hour to two

We planned to stay an hour and ended up staying two without noticing. Great atmosphere, seeing a couple friends, great drinks, and conversation can do that.

Joey and Lottie relaxing after a great night out

Back in the room, we slipped into robes and let the night wind down, Lottie nestled happily between us. Snow had been forecast for earlier, but it hadn’t arrived yet. At some point we fell asleep.

By morning, the city was transformed. Snow had fallen overnight and was still coming down hard, blanketing the park and streets below. We walked Lottie, grabbed coffee in the lobby, packed slowly, and headed home.

The drive back was quiet and magical, the streets empty as snow fell around us. The stay was exactly what we needed: the hotel, the food and drinks, and the night away, plus the peaceful snowstorm lifting our spirits.

The snow showed up sometime between cocktails and coffee

We already spend plenty of time Uptown, Charlotte FC and Panther games, shows & concerts, museum events, but this convinced us to add overnight stays into the mix occasionally, turning quick trips into relaxed days and nights.