The Pines has many hometowns.

“You Can’t Go Home Again.”
– North Carolina Author Thomas Wolfe

“You Are Home.”
– Residents of The Pines

The Pines is at the heart of a patchwork quilt of charming Southern communities, and each makes a unique contribution to our easy-going, fun-filled way of life, making it the best retirement area near Charlotte, NC.

  • In neighboring Cornelius, on tranquil Lake Norman, you’ll find the Lake Norman YMCA, where our residents enjoy free membership.
  • Love a good old-fashioned baseball game? Head to Kannapolis to see the Intimidators—named after the town’s favorite son, NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt.
  • While we’re on that track, Race City, USA, is just north of Davidson: Mooresville, home to some of the country’s top auto racing teams, as well as wonderful shopping. Concord keeps the pace zooming at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It also features the 60,000 square-foot Sportscenter for recreation and fitness.
  • Look to the October sky and you may see it blooming with multi-colored hot-air balloon as Statesville hosts an annual Carolina Balloonfest.
  • Denver’s Strawberry Festival is an annual delight. 
  • Troutman invites you to a classic Piedmont town.
  • Five miles south of The Pines, Huntersville offers lively shopping at Birkdale Village and leisurely musical evenings on Birkdale’s green. Visit new Discovery Place-KIDS, the only children’s museum in greater Charlotte, themed around small-town life.
  • If you love Revolutionary and Civil War history, you’ll be in your glory in Lincolnton, the second-oldest incorporated city west of the Catawba River.
  • Of course, you’re just a short drive from the Queen City, Charlotte. Our residents love excursions to the Mint Museum of Craft + Design, the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art and the Public Art Walking Tour. They enjoy the outdoors at the U.S. National Whitewater Center. Basketball fans root for the Charlotte Hornets while football fanatics cheer the Carolina Panthers—and no visit is complete without a trip to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Charlotte has something to please everyone.

As you discover the world around The Pines, you’ll find all our neighbors have one thing in common: an open, friendly, giving spirit.