In true Leo form, I’ve always been a BIG birthday girl. Perhaps it’s a Nigerian thing? My family loves to celebrate these special moments and I’ve kept that same energy into adulthood! For the past 29 years of my life, I’ve typically been traveling during my birthday. It isn’t unheard of for me to celebrate another trip around the sun on the beaches of Belize, Anguilla, Costa Rica, and more.
Unfortunately for all of us, a luxurious 5-star vacation isn’t always feasible. After the pandemic, I was humbled to remember that celebrating birthdays is a privilege- one that I’m happy to have surrounded by my loved ones. So for 30 I wanted to spend time with college friends in my new hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. Depending on the day, we had 8-13 people traveling in from 5 different states to come party with me for a long weekend. As you can probably tell from the vacay roll call, I’m a bit bougie. So when it comes to “camping” it’s more on the aesthetic in name only. If you’d like to plan your own “Camp”- themed birthday party (or a Charlotte girl’s trip!), feel free to save a few of my tips!
Lake Norman, North Carolina
I debated between a cabin on the lake or an Airbnb in Charlotte. In the end, we settled on a 9 Bed, 3 Bathroom home on Lake Norman. It’s about a 45 minute drive from the Charlotte-Douglas airport, but provides all of the vibes you’re looking for! If I had to do it again, I’d either plan for the full weekend to be in Mooresville or stay in Charlotte with a drive to the lake for one day. The distance between bars and the house made it harder to coordinate travel, even if the views were gorgeous!
It may be my own birthday, but I LOVE to gift my friends! I put together the cutest totes with monogrammed initials with everything they’d need for the weekend. Inside they had bug spray, sunscreen, makeup, a tumbler, towel, custom hats, hair clips, snacks, and more! I wanted them to be a surprise, but I would give them a heads up next time. A lot of them came with carry-on suitcases and barely had enough room to take items back with them. Whoops! Regardless, I love how they turned out!
A 4 day vacation sounds like plenty of time but it can go by so quickly! I wanted to make sure my friends got the most out of their time in Charlotte. For some of them, it was their first visit and I knew I wanted to leave a good impression. How else will I convince them to move across the street from me?! (Jk Jk. Unless…?) We had a private yoga session on Friday morning to help me start off the new decade on the right foot. Our instructor held class on our patio and worked with people of all movement levels!
The lake day was probably our fave part of the trip and I’d highly recommend the company we went with! I mean who doesn’t to celebrate their birthday on a private yacht? The boat could accomodate a large group, had a bathroom on board, and came with a licensed captain for a stress-free day on the water. We shopped in South End, explored Uptown Charlotte, and visited the Museum of Illusions! It was like an adult’s “edutainment” center and was a lot more fun than I thought it’d be! I wouldn’t go back only because once you’ve gone there’s nothing new to see, but great if you’re looking for something to do. Sharing a few more recs for your next girl’s trip to Charlotte below!
If you were expecting smores and canned beans, sorry to disappoint! I wanted a mix of homestyle meals and restaurants so people could enjoy “Camp life” on a budget. My biggest tip for food with large groups of people is to plan ahead. You can’t just walk into a restaurant and expect to be seated with a party of 8+ people. Make reservations and if possible chat with the restaurant beforehand to set expectations for the event! For example, I emailed the restaurant manager for our Sunday brunch a month beforehand to discuss the meal. I got all 14 guests to share their food order in a google doc 2 weeks ahead of time so the kitchen would be well prepared! The manager was so thankful to have the info and it saves you time from sitting around waiting at the restaurant!
We kicked off the weekend with dinner at Rio 150, a mexican restaurant in Mooresville! My husband actually sent me this rec after coming across their viral tiktoks. Great drinks, solid mexican food, and very affordable! We did a grocery run before the trip so we could eat breakfast at the house and had snacks for our boat day. On Friday we created our own pasta bar for a DIY italian dinner- it was a big hit! I’ll definitely suggest this for future gatherings with large groups. Saturday we ate lunch at Optimist Hall, a food hall right outside of Uptown Charlotte. Again, it’s another great place to take a group of people because there are so many options to choose from! I ate the bao sliders from “Bao & Broth.” 10/10 would highly recommend! For dinner, we dined at Culinary Dropout in South End before heading out to dance. Our final meal was at Coquette in Uptown Charlotte. It was the perfect setting for a “girly” brunch with impeccable service!
I’ll be honest. I’m not the biggest partier so the bar scene in Charlotte isn’t my forte. A cozy romance and hot tea is how I prefer to spend my evenings. HOWEVER I knew with friends in town I had to rally! We ended up at Vinyl in South End for a night of dancing to 2000s throwbacks. If that’s not your vibe, you can check out a few of the other bars that were on our potential list!
Camp Tomi was a HUGE success. I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday party. I got to see my closest friends, eat great food, and dance to throwback Britney Spears. What could be better?! Camp helped me enter my 30th birthday in style and can’t wait to see what this new decade brings!
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