Historic Davidson / Photo By mystuart via Flirck
The quiet, lakeside Town of Davidson, NC is located in Mecklenburg County, and sits just 20 miles north of Charlotte, NC. A town of 12,000, Davidson is the perfect size to have numerous world class attractions all within walking distance from one another. We would love for you to come visit us at the Davidson Village Inn and get a taste for why we love this little town and its great mix of beautiful southeastern scenery and culture.
The Town of Davidson is geographically and historically centered around Davidson College, the reason for the town’s founding in 1837. This small presbyterian college was named for Brigadier General William Lee Davidson, a local hero of the Revolutionary War. Davidson College was built on land from his trust donated by his son for the school’s use.
Davidson College is a beautiful, tree-canopied campus with inspired classical architecture, which has established Davidson as a unique town both aesthetically and communally. This is a town devoted to both beauty and pedagogy. The arrival of the railroad in the mid 19th century meant that cash crops like cotton could be traded nationally, leading to the ever-expanding farming economy and town. Its full fledged farming community was eventually thwarted by both the automobile – which gave people the ease of shopping in large department stores in Charlotte – and the Great Depression.
The Town of Davidson is now a bustling extension of Charlotte’s metropolitan area. No longer a farming town, the downtown area is characterized by its wonderful restaurants and specialty shops. Davidson College is consistently ranked among the top ten liberal arts colleges in the country and has graduated dozens of Rhodes Scholars. The town’s intellectual community rooted in Davidson College has expended the professional class in our town.
The intellectual rigor of the town is met by a geography that is similarly stimulating. Lake Norman is the largest man made fresh body of water in North Carolina, offering 520 miles of beautiful shoreline and all varieties of recreation. The lake provides energy for a large region of the Carolinas, which was its reason for being established in the mid 19th Century by Duke Power. Now it is a favorite for locals and visitors alike. The Lake Norman State Park is a great day trip and swimming spot for the warmer months. There are annual fishing tournaments on the lake as well, where sportsmen form across the country compete in large mouth bass fishing.
We love the Town of Davidson and, if you have a soft spot for quaint, nestled towns, we think you will too. We are just a thirty minute drive from the bustle of the big city so you can easily experience Charlotte during your stay. We offer a variety of accommodations in a quiet setting, comfortable for families and business people alike. Located right downtown and just a walk away from the college, numerous world class restaurants, and close to our scenic Lake Norman, the Davidson Village Inn is, we feel, an important part of experiencing our small town.
