Nearly A Dozen Mecklenburg County Restaurants Make A “C” Grade

I don't know about you but when I go to a restaurant in North Carolina or anywhere else I have a reasonable expectation of cleanliness. Nearly a dozen Mecklenburg County restaurants have made a C grade after health inspections last month.  Yeah, I don't want to eat there.

The North Carolina public health inspectors check restaurants every month to make sure the kitchen and dining room are clean, the employees are using sanitary practices and the food is stored and handled properly among other things. The Charlotte Business Journal keeps up with the reviews every month.

A total of 848 restaurants were spot checked by public health inspectors and 11 scored below 90.  So maybe you are thinking, this must be restaurants that featured very low-cost meals and maybe you don't go to those places.  Think again.  One "swanky steakhouse" in uptown Charlotte that has been on the list before is showing up again on the naughty list.  Another C-list grade restaurant includes a Mediterranean eatery and a seafood spot off Park Road.

I guess it pays to check the sanitary grade of a restaurant before you go.  That way you won't look forward to your fancy night out only to be disappointed in the sanitary grade when you get there.  To find out which places are on the B and C list, get details from Channel 9 right here.

I could use a staycation as I'm sure we all could. I could use a vacation too, but the same benefits without the travel time. That's several more hours of fun and relaxation ready to be had. And I'm here for it. And if you live in South Carolina then you are in luck. Travel publication Travel Lens recently ranked the best US cities to do just that. And it was a South Carolina city that topped the list of best places for a staycation. And another SC city was also named in the top 10.

To create this list they analyzed the most popular tourist destinations in The US to find the safest, most affordable, and best overall locations for a staycation. Locations were ranked on 6 metrics including the average cost of accommodations, the number of restaurants and attractions, weather, and crime. Then based on all this information they were given a "Staycation score". This allowed them to rank some of the most popular tourist destinations in the US, but instead of for tourists, for locals. Or almost locals. Live in one of these cities in South Carolina it's time to pack your bags and make reservations for that much-needed staycation.

You can read Travel Lens' full study here or keep reading to see the top 10!

Accommodation Cost: $131

Restaurants Per 1000 People: 60

Attractions Per 1000 People: 85

Average Temperature: 51.4

Total Crime Per 100,000 people: 1,028

Staycation Score: 6.26

Accommodation Cost: $196

Restaurants Per 1000 People: 418

Attractions Per 1000 People: 1,065

Average Temperature: 35.4

Total Crime Per 100,000 people: 969

Staycation Score: 6.31

Accommodation Cost: $207

Restaurants Per 1000 People: 44

Attractions Per 1000 People: 57

Average Temperature: 66.8

Total Crime Per 100,000 people: 260

Staycation Score: 6.72

Accommodation Cost: $331

Restaurants Per 1000 People: 67

Attractions Per 1000 People: 35

Average Temperature: 76.2

Total Crime Per 100,000 people: 2

Staycation Score: 6.92

Accommodation Cost: $230

Restaurants Per 1000 People: 45

Attractions Per 1000 People: 19

Average Temperature: 72.5

Total Crime Per 100,000 people: 2

Staycation Score: 6.97

Accommodation Cost: $116

Restaurants Per 1000 People: 115

Attractions Per 1000 People: 479

Average Temperature: 56.1

Total Crime Per 100,000 people: 1,144

Staycation Score: 7.18

Accommodation Cost: $74

Restaurants Per 1000 People: 52

Attractions Per 1000 People: 147

Average Temperature: 59.4

Total Crime Per 100,000 people: 634

Staycation Score: 7.49

Accommodation Cost: $541

Restaurants Per 1000 People: 107

Attractions Per 1000 People: 336

Average Temperature: 77.3

Total Crime Per 100,000 people: 2

Staycation Score: 7.26

Accommodation Cost: $224

Restaurants Per 1000 People: 111

Attractions Per 1000 People: 55

Average Temperature: 71.8

Total Crime Per 100,000 people: 2

Staycation Score: 7.74

Accommodation Cost: $145

Restaurants Per 1000 People: 194

Attractions Per 1000 People: 137

Average Temperature: 65.2

Total Crime Per 100,000 people: 260

Staycation Score: 8.15