Selwyn Avenue and Freedom Park Got Easier to Drop Into This Year

When Sora opened at 2907 Selwyn Ave. in May 2025, it was a tasting-menu restaurant that required prepayment. In October 2026 you can walk in for a glass of wine and a charcuterie plate, and the cheese comes from Orrman's Cheese Shop next door. Tasting menus still need a reservation, but you no longer pay up front.

That one change sums up the year in this corner of Myers Park. Selwyn Avenue near Queens University now runs more on walk-ins than reservations. A few minutes away, the fencing that blocked Freedom Park's pond and the greenway detour that rerouted walkers are mostly gone. Less of the neighborhood needs planning ahead than it did a year ago.

The two storefronts at the 2900 block

Orrman's is the anchor of the change. For 14 years the cut-to-order cheese shop ran a stall at The Market at 7th Street. Owners Rachel Klebaur and Jose Espinosa closed that stall this spring and held a grand opening at 2901 Selwyn Ave. on Monday, May 4, 2026. On their farewell post, they wrote: "This isn't goodbye, just a new chapter."

Sora, the restaurant next door, has changed twice since then. Owner Birdie Yang also runs YAMA in SouthPark. In May 2026 Sora added à la carte service. Diners could also choose a shorter four- to five-course tasting menu as well as the full eight to 10 courses. According to a Charlotte Observer report from Oct. 6, the restaurant has now become a wine bar open for lunch and dinner, Wednesday through Sunday.

Lunch prices give a sense of the new format. A kale yuzu Caesar is $18 before protein, and chicken karaage is $18. Dinner still runs up to an 8-ounce aged prime strip loin at $78 and Miyazaki A5 wagyu at market price. The tasting menu is still there. You just don't have to commit to it.

General manager Sara Reeves explained the reasoning to the Observer:

"It is a space where all are welcome. You can come in and you can grab a glass of wine and a snack, and it can be your spot after work on your way home."

Sora buying its charcuterie from Orrman's turns the two storefronts into one stop. You can buy a wedge to take home at one door and order a glass with a plate built from the same counter at the next.

Tranquil Court's churn, in order

Across the street and down the block, Tranquil Court has had more turnover. It adds up to the same trend toward casual, everyday stops.

The People's Market opened at Tranquil Court in summer 2025. It announced in November 2025 that both its Myers Park and Elizabeth locations were closing, so the Myers Park store lasted only a few months. Radish Kitchen, a Nashville concept, is part of what's filling that space. On Sept. 28, 2026, What Now Charlotte reported that its 3,691-square-foot space at 2820 Selwyn Ave. is under construction. The space takes in part of the former People's Market footprint. The restaurant is targeting early 2027, and that target could still move.

The anchors around all this haven't moved. Selwyn Avenue Pub is still at 2801 Selwyn Ave., taking online orders. Reid's Fine Foods still lists its Myers Park store at 2823 Selwyn Ave. The newer businesses have opened in the gaps around them.

For morning coffee, the closest recent addition is a short drive toward Eastover rather than on Selwyn. Maman opened its Eastover café at 523 Fenton Place on July 29, 2026. It serves coffee, pastries, breakfast and lunch, with indoor and outdoor seating.

Freedom Park got its pond back

Freedom Park spent much of 2026 behind construction fencing. In February, WSOC reported that the pond restoration would close trails and affect parking at Whittington Field. The work was expected to finish that summer.

It ran a little longer than that. By Sept. 15, Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation said the dredging was nearly complete and the fencing around the pond had come down. Bandshell Island was the only area still closed while crews repaired its wall. A Hoodline report from Sept. 16 also listed the island as closed. We haven't found a public update since then confirming it has reopened, so check the bandshell before planning around it.

The timing let the pond reopen for the park's biggest weekend. The 62nd Festival in the Park ran Sept. 25–27, 2026, with nearly 200 artists, live performances, and food and drink.

The greenway detour is gone

The other fix is smaller, and walkers and cyclists probably notice it more. In July, Axios Charlotte reported that a roughly 765-foot section of Little Sugar Creek Greenway had reopened near 1639 Princeton Ave. and the first pedestrian bridge. Greenway users no longer have to detour through the park to get past it.

Only 765 feet reopened, but that stretch was the gap. With it open, the greenway runs straight past Freedom Park again, and the pond loop is open once more for anyone looping back.

Fall dates within a short drive

The reopened park and the walk-in options on Selwyn come just ahead of a busy stretch of nearby events. The Mint Museum's Randolph location and Queens University have these on the calendar:

• Oct. 25, 1–5 p.m.: Party in the Park at Mint Museum Randolph marks the museum's 90th year. It's free, with live music, food trucks and hands-on activities.
• Oct. 27, 7 p.m.: Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks for the Queens University Learning Society at the Sarah Belk Gambrell Center for the Arts and Civic Engagement.
• Nov. 7, 10–11 a.m.: Yoga on the Lawn at Mint Museum Randolph.
• Nov. 18, 5–8 p.m.: Drop In Art at Mint Museum Randolph.

The Trudeau lecture is at Queens, close to the 2900 block of Selwyn, and Sora is open Wednesday through Sunday. The lecture falls on a Tuesday, when Sora is closed, so you'd have to find somewhere else for dinner beforehand.

Living near Selwyn and wondering whether the block's changes affect what your home is worth? Andy Nock can put together a valuation that looks at your street, not just a citywide average. Request a free home valuation and we'll go through the numbers with you.