Rail Trail Lights, presented by U.S. Bank
Discover Magic Around Every Corner.
Presented by U.S. Bank, Rail Trail Lights is back in 2025 from February 7-23! The Rail Trail will celebrate local art with never-before-seen interactive light installations. Attendees can stroll down the Rail Trail enjoying one-of-a-kind art, with opportunities to take the perfect photo, grab a bite to eat, explore the South End neighborhood, and do it all again the next day.
Learn more about the I Heart Rail Trail initiative.
Learn about more ways to explore the Rail Trail
Rail Trail Lights: Golden Threads
Rail Trail: Golden Threads explores South End Charlotte’s journey from an industrial and textile community to a center for art, design, and technology. This series of illuminated installations celebrates nature’s
intrinsic intelligence and the human ingenuity it inspires. Through an immersive, multi-sensory experience, the project invites visitors to reflect on how early innovators observed and applied patterns and principles from the natural world, especially in weaving, community building, and sustainable practices, to shape South End’s cultural and industrial heritage.
Rooted in the spirit of builders and pattern-makers, Rail Trail: Golden Threads celebrates the constant and adaptive power of nature as it winds through South End’s history and contemporary rhythm. Each installation honors the deep wisdom woven into natural designs: the way patterns, structures, and resilience in nature guide and inspire us, shaping everything from textile traditions to technological breakthroughs.
Nature has been here through it all, adapting daily, unfazed and fierce, its rhythms and structures grounding us. This concept highlights how processes like weaving, networking, and sustainable growth not only mirror nature but are nature, speaking through both ancient landscapes and human-made systems, urging us to honor its role as our guide and collaborator across time.
About the Artist
Meredith Connelly is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist, best known for her grand-scale installations that emphasize the interplay of light, science, and technology. Connelly’s illuminated, site-specific displays connect and submerge viewers into glowing, other worldly environments. Accoladed for its ingenuity, Connelly’s artwork has been exhibited in prestigious museums across the southeast— acquired into both private and corporate collections — and has received awards both regionally and nationally.
Born in Ohio and raised in Wilmington, North Carolina, Connelly’s affinity for art blossomed in childhood. Now a professional artist, Connelly is committed to expanding community and culture through the arts, is an advocate for gender equality in the arts, and places emphasis on supporting emerging and underrepresented femme, BIPOC, and LQBTQIA+ artists at all levels.
Connelly is based in Charlotte, NC, where she lives with her husband and daughters, and is active in her home studio.
Learn more about Meredith and her artist team here
About The Installations
Inspired by the writing spider’s intricate zig-zag webs, this installation honors nature’s resilient designs. Celebrating weaving as craft and structure, it reflects how patterns in nature inspire textile and tech innovation, showcasing their enduring influence on modern advancements.
Inspired by natural arcs of mushrooms, this installation reflects the myth and lore of fairy rings across cultures. Seen as portals, omens, or spaces for dancing, they evoke mystery and wonder. Step inside to create your own story.
Symbolizing community, wisdom, and abundance, honeycombs reflect the structure of a bee’s world and their vital role in pollination. Inspired by their beauty and efficiency, this installation celebrates how nature’s patterns influence sustainable design, robotics, and innovation, blending organic precision with modern creativity.
Inspired by native NC birds, this installation honors nature’s adaptability and artistry. Illuminated nests demonstrate how early weavers mirrored birds’ techniques, crafting hidden shelters from twigs and leaves. Look up and explore how organic patterns continue to shape art, technology, and design.
Symbolizing transformation and resilience, this installation invites contemplation of South End’s evolution from industrial beginnings to a flourishing creative community. It reflects the layers of history shaping our environment and serves as a reminder of the potential for renewal just below the surface.
This serpentine sculpture, embedded in the earth, honors nature’s intricate patterns and the transformative symbolism of serpents as agents of change and rebirth. Crafted from sustainable materials mimicking snakeskin, it merges organic design with eco-conscious technology, demonstrating how nature influences advancements in fashion and textiles.
This installation of rippling light captures the fluidity and vital essence of water. Gentle waves of illumination highlight its role in sustaining ecosystems, shaping natural landscapes, and inspiring creative processes, encouraging deeper awareness of its life-giving properties and cultural significance.
The snail’s geometric spiral, one of the world’s oldest symbols, reflects life’s rhythm, birth, and the soul’s evolution across cultures. This installation reimagines its transcendental connectivity through photogrammetry, blending ancient symbolism with nature’s forms in a contemporary context.
These illuminated sculptures, inspired by the tradition of stacked stones, symbolize exploration, connection, and a sense of place. Their warm glow honors the journeys of early settlers while reflecting on the impact of settlement on Indigenous communities and their deep connection to the land.
Getting to South End
There are lots of ways to get to South End, learn how:
- Travel by light rail. The LYNX Blue Line goes through South End, stop at Bland St. Station to be closest to the Pavilion starting point, or at East/West Blvd. Station to be closest to Atherton.
- Travel by bike. Rent a JoyRides e-assist bike and travel by Rail Trail.
- Travel by car. Atherton has limited free parking for customers. Street parking along Camden Road will be limited. Pay to park at the garages at 100 W Worthington, the Design Center, the Square, or 1616 Camden. See more parking options using the South End Parking Guide.
Grab Some Grub
Hungry while at Rail Trail Lights? See what bites & brews are within walking distance of Rail Trail Lights.
Make the Most of Rail Trail Lights
Craft your adventure with the help of these Rail Trail guides:
Foodie's Guide to rail trail lights
Parent's guide to rail trail lights
date night guide to rail trail lights