Arts & Culture
Two museums, a downtown gallery scene, a town concert series and Charlotte's stages within an hour — the cultural life of the Waxhaw area.
Waxhaw's cultural life is rooted in its history: the Waxhaws settlement, the Catawba Nation, the Revolutionary War backcountry and Andrew Jackson's birthplace. Two museums tell that story, a small gallery scene lines the historic downtown, and the town's free summer concerts bring residents downtown every season.
Institutions
Waxhaw's history museum on Waxhaw Highway, with exhibits on the region's Catawba, colonial and Revolutionary War history and the Andrew Jackson story, plus a historic homestead. It also stages seasonal programs such as living-history weekends and an October haunted trail. Check current opening days before visiting.
On the JAARS mission-support campus just outside Waxhaw. Its two buildings interpret JAARS's aviation and mission-support history and the development of writing systems for the world's languages. Tours and visiting hours are published by JAARS.
A local nonprofit that supports arts education, local artists and community participation in the arts across western Union County, through displays, events and programs during the year.
A downtown Waxhaw gallery shop near Main Street showing handmade pottery, glass, jewelry, paintings and other work by regional artisans.
Based in Monroe and serving the whole county, the arts council supports exhibitions, programming and arts grants, including the Downtown Monroe Art Walk.
Much of the area's live theatre and choral music comes from its high schools. Cuthbertson High School's theatre and chorus programs, supported by a booster organization, stage productions and concerts during the school year, as do Marvin Ridge, Weddington and Parkwood.
Live Music
The Town of Waxhaw's free Jammin' by the Tracks series runs on Friday evenings from June through August, downtown under the water tower or at the Downtown Park amphitheater. Town festivals such as Kaleidoscope in May and Autumn Treasures in October add live music; the events calendar lists them by season.
For orchestral, touring and Broadway programs, residents drive to Charlotte. Plan on 40 to 60 minutes to Uptown depending on traffic; the commute finder has typical ranges.
Summer Fridays downtown are the town's most reliable cultural ritual.
Within an Hour
Just across the South Carolina line in Lancaster County, with a small museum about the Waxhaws settlement and the Jackson family's frontier years.
Near Rock Hill, South Carolina, the cultural center of the Catawba Indian Nation, whose homeland included the Waxhaws region. It hosts the annual Yap Ye Iswa festival.
In Gastonia, with a planetarium, natural history halls and an outdoor reconstruction of a Catawba village and backcountry farm.
Uptown Charlotte's Blumenthal Performing Arts theatres, the Mint Museum and the Charlotte Symphony's seasons — including its summer concerts in SouthPark — are typically a 40 to 60 minute drive from Waxhaw.
For the history behind these places, read the Waxhaw history guide and the downtown guide. For collectors furnishing a home around an art collection, Emerald & Oak Design works on interiors and Peters Audio Video on lighting and display control; both are owned by this guide's publishers.