CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On the south side of Charlotte lies a brand new park you probably didn’t know existed. 

Over 100 acres of green space in Ballantyne was once a popular golf course, but now it’s been transformed into a community park. 

What You Need To Know

  • The 130-acre golf course in Ballantyne officially closed in December 2020 

  • Northwood Office took over the property and later transformed it into a community park 

  • Once a month they host a "Market at 11" event filled with free live music, food and activities for the public 

It’s where you’ll find Deb Arbogast running her coffee business every second Saturday of the month.

“It’s so busy,” she said.

Before Arbogast got into the coffee business, she was leading a much different life. 

“So, I was a professional golfer for about seven years,” she said. “I use to race motocross, and it seems like you always need coffee for both of those.” 

Once she retired, she eventually launched her own coffee bar called Mud & McQueen.

But ironically enough, being out at Ballantyne’s former 130-acre golf course, she’s closer to the green than most realize.

At the end of December 2020, the golf course closed. It has since transformed into a community park. 

“We’re really trying to focus on making Ballantyne more urban, walkable (and) opening up the green space to make it more accessible to everyone, not just golfers,” said Hailey Rorie. 

Rorie is the director of Northwood Office, the company that took over the property. 

She says this is all part of a bigger plan called Ballantyne Reimagined.

“In a lot of ways, Ballantyne, especially this property, was viewed as a very corporate park, and we want to change that,” she said. “We want to become more of a 18-hour community.” 

From sun up to sun down people can come out and walk through the park. The park also hosts events with live music, food and vendors once a month.

“When you think about Charlotte…the south Charlotte community, it hasn’t really seen much of this…the entertainment.” Rorie said. “So I think that you also pull from Waxhaw, Matthews, Fort Mill, Indian Land and people don’t have to go uptown or to South End to enjoy live music and events like this.” 

This new park is not only redefining Ballantyne, but it’s also giving small businesses like Arbogast’s a chance to connect with more people. 

The park hosts its "Markets at 11" from 11 a.m to 5 p.m. every second Saturday of the month.

You can learn more about the park and other events here.