Wow, I was absolutely blown away by this museum. From the staff at the front desk, to every person that I encountered within the museum, everyone was incredibly helpful and personable.
If you park on the visitor levels (P1 and P2) in the Duke Energy parking deck, you can get your parking fee reduced to $1 per 30 minutes when your purchase your entrance fee at the museum (I saved $7 off of the typical parking charge by doing this). As suggested in reviews and by the gentleman at the front desk, I started on the 4th floor and worked my way down.
Art is subjective, and I lean more towards traditional works, however I found many pieces that were beautiful. I visited in June 2013 and the Jennifer Steinkamp installation on the 4th floor is not to be missed - it's a computer animation that represents the changing of the seasons and it was amazing. My favorite section was the American Glass exhibit, it was beautiful. The F.O.O.D. exhibit had some interesting pieces in it, but in some instances I felt like I was walking through my Nanny's kitchen checking out her old stuff.
With the exception of the chattering mawmaw's clotting up the 4th floor talking about grandbabies and Pawn Stars at full blast, it was a lovely way to spend a morning. I cannot stress how helpful everyone I encountered was, they made the visit that much better since I had never been before. The collection of pieces was amazing and I could have easily spent another hour or so there. A must visit for visitors and Charlotteans alike.