Thousands of people swarmed uptown Charlotte for CarolinaFest. Many of them were visitors to Charlotte for the first time.

An article by Reuters published last week called Charlotte a "second-tier host city" for the Democratic National Convention that has "few cultural attractions," but delegates visiting for the DNC disagreed.

Leathia West, a delegate from Maryland, took several photos at the firebird statue in front of the Bechtler Museum.

"I have not been to Charlotte and it's just amazing how Charlotte has welcomed us with open arms," West said.

Eyewitness News asked her what she thought of the Reuters article and its sentiments.

"Holy cow, that couldn't be further from the truth," she said. "Look at these museums. There's theater. There's dance."

The article also fired up blogger and consultant Jenifer Daniels, who tweeted to her followers, "Residents and visitors, listen up: Snap those snazzy/fun/quirky/awesome pics to show Reuters that Charlotte's got a lot."

Even city councilman David Howard tweeted, "I promise we will."

It also fired up Michael Smith, CEO of Charlotte's Center City Partners, who said things like CarolinaFest are a chance to prove Reuters wrong.

"There are some misconceptions out there about Charlotte, and that's the value of being able to host this convention," he said.

Smith said one of Charlotte's greatest strengths is its people and their hospitality-- something that Charlotte needs to showcase during the DNC to bring visitors back.

Tom Barrett, mayor of Milwaukee, Wis. and a delegate, said he can't wait to see the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

The article had singled out the Hall, saying that going to it wasn't "reason enough to be in Charlotte."

"There's nothing second-class about Charlotte," Barrett said.