<p>DH and I will be visiting Davidson later this month with DS. Any recommendations for a good restaurant in area for dinner? Also, DH and I will have some " downtime". Any recommendations on places outside of the town of Davidson to visit and/or go shopping? We are currently staying in the Hilton brand hotel in town. Is the Davidson Inn much nicer? I'm looking forward to the visit and excited for DS!</p>
<p>My daughter is graduating from Davidson in May and I think the best place to eat in Davidson might be The Brickhouse. It is within walking distance from campus and the students frequent it a lot. It has outdoor seating and a nice ambiance. It is pub food, pizzas and beer. Whenever we visit D’son, we always try to go to Birkdale Commons. I think it’s in Huntersville which is about 10 minutes from campus and is a great outdoor shopping area with nice restaurants, a movie theater, and nice stores. It is definitely upscale, but has many regular mall shops such as Banana Republic, Victoria Secret, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Etc. We love the atmostphere.</p>
<p>I’m sure the Davidson Inn is nice, but we’ve never stayed there since it is small and hard to get a reservation. We usually stay in Cornelius which is about 2 minutes away and use Hotwire to get a good price. </p>
<p>Good luck to your son. My daughter is sad to be leaving Davidson and considers it the best decision she has ever made. She has made great friends and received an amazing education. She applied to many many schools and also received great financial aid from Davidson. More than any of the other schools. We are from the north and the weather hasn’t hurt either.</p>
<p>I visited a couple of years ago with both of my Ds and there is a very nice mall close by but I don’t remember the name. It is an outdoor mall with a movie theater and several restaurants AND there is a campus transportation system that will take students to and from there- as well as lots of other places. I’m sure if you ask at the college they will know what I’m talking about. The free transportation for students at Davidson is really great (assuming it hasn’t changed since I got that info).</p>
<p>The Davidson Village Inn is right across the street from school and very cozy and nice; the Hilton Garden Inn is new since our time there so i don’t know how it compares, but it isn’t walking distance to town or campus–it is a mile or so out of town closer to I-77. That location is certainly a very short drive, and very convenient if you want to explore nearby attractions such as Birkdale. </p>
<p>Try the Soda Shop for lunch. (We used to stay at the Hampton Inn in Cornelius most of the time, but occasionally at the Davidson Village Inn.)</p>
<p>Try the Flat Iron Tap House which is a relatively new restaurant on Main Street. Also Toast of Davidson (also on Main is very nice). The Soda Shop (also on Main - see a pattern?) is a must stop for lunch. The Brickhouse is always reliable (with a great bar). Although not on campus, you might consider the North Harbor Club which is across the interstate right on Lake Norman - very pretty view and the food has always been good. For desert, hit Carolina Cones in Cornelius (also on Main…) just south of Davidson. For (fresh) Mexican try the Prickly Pear in Mooresville (also on Main :~)) just north of Davidson.</p>
<p>The Davidson Village Inn is very convenient - but hard to get into on any day or weekend when there’s something going on at Davidson that brings in parents or alums. I think the Hilton property that’s in Davidson is actually the Homewood Suites. Its a bit of a hike - but very convenient by car. We’ve stayed there once and it was very nice - all the rooms are suites.</p>
<p>My second Davidson graduation in 2 years this May. Both of my Southern California children (son and daughter) say it was the best decision they ever made to go to Davidson.</p>
<p>Have fun.</p>
<p>Birkdale Village in Huntersville is very nice (I-77 exit 25) for shopping esp. if the weather is good. If you’d like to eat in Birkdale, Red Rocks Cafe or eeZ (great fusion/sushi). There’s also Qdoba, Brixx Wood Fired Pizza,JD Rocker’s salads and subs. There’s something for everyone at Birkdale. Birkdale is usually very crowded on weekend nights so set out early to avoid long waits.</p>
<p>Not in Birkdale but just a couple of stoplights away in Huntersville is a restaurant called 131 Main. It is awesome (for want of a better word)…just so good! It’s right on Statesville Rd. Parking is in the back of the restaurant. </p>
<p>If it’s rainy and you’re looking for large mall shopping,then you would head on down the interstate to Northlake Mall at I-77 exit 18. </p>
<p>Toast for breakfast in Davidson. </p>
<p>If you need something to pass the time on Saturday a.m., the Davidson Farmers Mkt. is fun.</p>
<p>This is all so helpful! Thank you everyone for the great advice! I’m looking forward to it!</p>
<p>(Davidson resident here!) Don’t forget Summit coffee!</p>
<p>Summit is awesome!</p>
<p>Oh- I found Summit! Loved it! 99% sure son will be attending and I will frequenting there whenever I’m in town!</p>