If you are looking for outdoor activites, Crowders Mountain State Park in nearby Gastonia offers the typical activities such as hiking. There are two major lakes in the immediate Charlotte vicinity, Lake Wylie and Lake Norman, with Lake Norman being the larger, and in my opinion preferred of the two, though it is on the North end of Charlotte, so a good bit farther from the Ballantyne area. There is also the US National Whitewater Center which offers a variety of outdoor activites. I know that none of those are really museums, but they might offer a bit of a retreat if you're looking to get away from the "City" side of Charlotte.

In terms of cuisine, Charlotte offers an excellent array of Latin American restaurants due to its large and vibrant Latino population. Machu Picchu Restaurant on East Independence Blvd has EXCELLENT Peruvian dishes. For Colombian themed dishes, I would suggest Los Paisas, which is actually quite near the Ballantyne area. I have also heard great things about A Piece of Havana if you are seeking Cuban cuisine, though I have not personally eaten there as I prefer Mambo Grille, 45 minutes North of Charlotte in Salisbury. Chima Brazilian Steakhouse in Uptown is an upscale and excellent Rodizio Style Brazilian Steakhouse, a fun experience if you have never been and love meat, though be forewarned it is a bit on the pricey side.

If you are a fan of fried seafood, then you must try one of the many Seafood Camps in the Charlotte area. My favourite is Riverview Inn on the Southwest Side adjacent to Gastonia.

For German food, there is the Waldhorn Restaurant in Pineville, a short drive from Ballantyne. The food there is pretty decent, though I much prefer Old German Schnitzel Haus in nearby Hickory. If you have a free evening and want the best German food outside of Germany, then I would highly recommend making the hour drive up one evening.

As food is one of my obsessions, I could go on and on about restaurants in Charlotte, so to spare the time, if you have any particular type of restaurant in mind, feel free to send me a PM.