3. Evening Musing | 9:30 p.m.

A few miles from Uptown lies a former textile mill community. Twenty-five years ago, with most of the jobs gone, turn-of-the-century homes were boarded up and the company store and mill buildings were shuttered. That began to change when a group of artists turned several buildings into galleries, and the term NoDa (North Davidson arts district) was born. In 2001, a local musician, Joe Kuhlmann, opened Evening Muse. This intimate space is a place to catch emerging acts like Shovels and Rope before they follow fellow Evening Muse alumni the Avett Brothers, Sugarland and the Civil Wars, and outgrow walls that can only hold 120 fans.

SATURDAY

4. Raw Breakfast | 9 a.m.

Grab a Lynx light rail train from Uptown ($2.20) to the East West station. You’re a short walk from Luna’s Living Kitchen, where Juliana Luna offers a creative menu chock full of raw foods. A raw bagel ($7) is a delicious concoction of hummus, almond pulp, rosemary, olives, zucchini, flaxseeds and olive oil served with sour cream, basil leaves and tomato. Her Living Burrito ($12) holds sunflower seeds, refried beans, cauliflower rice, pico de gallo and guacamole, all wrapped in a collard leaf.

5. Adventure on Two Wheels | 10:30 a.m.

The East-West station has a kiosk for one of the largest bike-share programs in the South. Grab a Charlotte B-cycle ($8 for your pass, first half-hour is free, $4 per half-hour afterward) and spin through Dilworth — created at the dawn of the 20th century as a streetcar neighborhood (the streetcar lines were ripped up in 1938). A three-mile route runs down East Boulevard to Dilworth Road, passing Queen Anne, colonial revival and Victorian homes, through Latta Park and back to the station. For more calorie burn, take East Boulevard to the Little Sugar Creek Greenway, where concrete and pipes have been yanked up to reveal a stream where soft-shell turtles, ducks and blue herons thrive.

6. French Indulgence | 12:30 p.m.

Return to NoDa by way of Amelie’s French Bakery. Lynn St. Laurent’s eclectic bistro never skimps on the butter or fresh ingredients that grace her quiches ($4.99) or her grandmother’s spinach, asparagus and leek soup (3.99). Save room for a salted caramel brownie ($2.29). Nearby Pura Vida Worldly Art sources toys, clothing and art, like a singing bowl cast by exiled Tibetan monks ($39 to $200), from fair trade vendors across the world. Ruby’s Gift carries works from over 100 local artisans, including Queen City streetscapes by the painter David French. Tucked down 36th street lies the Rat’s Nest, a vintage shop where a working Atari “Pong” video game ($45) was recently spotted.

7. Built for Speed | 3:30 p.m.

Race fan or not, you’ll find Uptown’s Nascar Hall of Fame fascinating. Opened in 2010, the museum traces Nascar’s roots from Appalachian moonshine running to competitions along the sands of Daytona Beach with cars that could be raced only if they were “stock” (sold exactly as they left the dealer’s lot) to the billion-dollar spectacle of today. Most fascinating are 1950s and ‘60s exhibits that showcase the dangerous rides of pioneer garage mechanic racers like Marshall Teague’s original 1952 Hudson Hornet, immortalized in the film “Cars.” The “Race Week” exhibition gives a hands-on understanding of how brakes, shocks and big block V-8 engines work, and a chance to see how quickly you can “pit stop” a car. (Entrance, $19.95)