CLT Airport

The new Overlook at Charlotte Douglas International Airport

Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) has a new 600,000-square-foot Airport Overlook, or observation area.

We can’t wait to visit and check out the wide array of cool amenities and take advantage of the great views of the airfield, the skyline and the terminal.

This is the airport’s fifth official Overlook since 1937. The last one was closed to make way for a new taxiway and runway. And this one is a keeper.

Here’s a list of what visitors can do and see at the new Overlook at Charlotte Douglas International Airport:

The main attraction is an unobstructed view of takeoffs and landings on the airfield. But the Overlook also hosts exhibits about aviation history in the Carolinas and descriptions of planes and equipment visitors might see. Not sure what’s what? There are also explanations of how things work, such as what makes it possible for a 747 to fly and how runways are built and named.

Playgrounds, Aircraft Display and a Memorial

The Overlook has space for food trucks and includes two aviation-themed playgrounds with plane-shaped climbing structures, an air-traffic control tower with a slide, a mini fuel truck, a baggage cart and a runway. Additional amenities include covered picnic tables, plenty of parking and shaded areas, a pet relief area, bike racks and restrooms with baby changing tables.

But wait, there’s more.

The CLT Airport Overlook is home to a retired U.S. military fighter jet: an F4 Phantom II that flew during the Vietnam War and the Cold War. A memorial for the 37 people who died when USAir Flight 1016 crashed near the airport on July 2, 1994, is here too.

The new Airport Overlook at Charlotte Douglas International Airport is on airport property at 5130 Airport Overlook Drive. It is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Admission is free.

Here are some images CLT shared of the previous locations.

CLT: 5 Things We Love About Charlotte Douglas International Airport

We are missing traveling around the country and the world.

So Stuck at the Airport has kicked off its long-planned series celebrating the features and amenities at airports.

Here’s a link to the airports we’ve profiled in the “5 Things We Love At …” series so far.

Want to nominate an airport to be featured in the series and/or sponsor one of the episodes? Get in touch.

Today join us in celebrating 5 Things We Love About Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT).

As always, if we missed your favorite thing at CLT, please add a note in the comments section below. And keep in mind that some amenities mentioned may be temporarily unavailable due to health concerns, but we are sure they will be back.

5 Things We Love about Charlotte Douglas International Airport

1. The Rocking Chairs at CLT

CLT oozes charm with its signature rocking chairs.

The welcoming amenity first debuted at CLT in 1997 and since then hundreds of airports around the country have added rocking chairs of their own.

CLT also has towering Ficus trees in the terminal and a piano just waiting for volunteers to sit down and serenade passengers.

2. Selfie Stations at CLT

To add a bit of fun to layovers, CLT has several #TakeMySelfie stations in the terminal.

You will find giant CLT letters on the wall at Checkpoint E; a colorful vintage postcard on the Concourses A/B Connector; and a Queen Charlotte mural in the Concourse A Expansion. 

3. Shopping at CLT

Take a look at some of the fun gifts and souvenirs you can pick up at CLT.

4. CLT’s Airport Overlook

CLT’s Airport Overlook is a large area near the airport (7300 Old Dowd Road) with parking, picnic tables, and benches. It is a perfect spot for watching aircraft take off and land.

Inside the airport, the best place to get great views of the Charlotte skyline is from Concourses D and E.

5. Art at Charlotte Douglas International Airport

The work of at least 14 artists, many of them local, is featured at CLT airport. Here are just a few of our favorites.

Charlotte is known as the Queen City and there’s a statue of Queen Charlotte by Raymond Kaskey in the garden area between the East and West Daily Parking Decks.

On the Concourse A Expansion near Gates A21 and A22 is Refik Anadol’s “Interconnected.” The piece is a series of three massive LED screens with ever-changing digital artwork modeled on real-time airport operations data.

It looks abstract, but the work is translating particles representing flight arrivals, departures, baggage movements and airport parking into millions of pixels.

And there’s there’s Journey 1 and Journey 2, by Ráed Al-Rawi. Charming!