Recreation - Lincoln Economic Development Association

Recreation,
Attractions,
Activities
North Carolina and its people offer an abundance of events, celebrations,
attractions and recreation venues to meet any ones wish and liking.
Many attractions, activities and events will become a favorite of yours
and your family. You will find yourself visiting these time and time again.
&
Events
Health and Fitness
(There are twenty-two YMCA’s (branches) in the
Greater Charlotte area including Lincoln County)
• Two YMCA’s in Lincoln County
─ Sally’s YMCA
• 1601 Forney Creek Pkwy,
Denver, NC 28037,
(704) 716-7300
─ Lincoln County YMCA
• 1402 Gaston St,
Lincolnton, NC 28092,
(704) 748-9311
Other Gyms & Health Clubs in the Area
Lincoln County and the surrounding counties have a large number of gyms and spas to meet your local
commuting distance requirements. Lincoln County alone has seven gyms and spas spanning the entire
county.
This does not include privately owned gyms “i.e. company owned and operated, town, city or county offered
gym recreation services or country clubs.”
• Lincoln County: 13 Gyms and Health Clubs
• Catawba County: 19 Gyms and Health Clubs
• Gaston County: 20 Gyms and Health Clubs
• Iredell County: 11 Gyms and Health Clubs
• Mecklenburg County: 124 Gyms and Health Clubs (Number reflects the inclusion of County/City
Government Park and Recreation locations)
(Note: These are only estimates on county location numbers for gyms and health clubs)
Walk, Run or Bike — Trails
and Tracks
Marcia H. Cloninger Rail Trail
Lincolnton, NC 0.5 mile
Ace TrackMaiden, NC`4.5 mile loop
PEE Wee’s Mountain Bike Park
Lincolnton, NC
5.5 miles
Avon/Catawba Creeks Greenway
Gastonia, NC
2.88 miles
Greenway Mountain Bike Trail
Hickory, NC
2.4 miles
Lincoln County Challenge
Stanley, NC
41.0 miles
Kings Mountain Ramble
Kings Mountain, NC
7.0 miles
Lake Norman Challenge
Denver, NC
43.0 miles
Lake Norman State Park
Statesville, NC
8 trial loops (varying distances)
Itusi Trail Laurel LoopTroutman, NC4.7 miles
There are just a few of the parks and trails that have awesome biking and endurance trails and tracks.
Organizations
• Kiwanis Club of Lincoln County
•Rotary
─ Sunshine Rotary
─ Lincolnton Rotary
─ Denver Lake Norman Rotary
•VFW
•
American Legion Post
• Optimist Club
─ East Lincoln Optimist Club
─ East Lincoln Optimist Club
─ Optimist Club of Lincolnton
• Moose Club
• Shriners Club
• Knights of Columbus
• Lions Club
• Lincolnton Lions Club
• Civitan Club
• Habit for Humanity
• Lincolnton Toastmasters
•
The Lincoln Chapter of the Eastern Star
•
Lincoln Theater Guild
• Lincoln Arts Council
• Lincoln County Concert Association
Alder Trail where Park Lake
meets Hicks Creek.
Golf Courses and Country Clubs in Our Area
• Lincoln County Country Club
• Crowder’s Mountain Golf Course
• Westport Golf Course
• Linwood Springs Golf Club
• Verdict Ridge Golf and Country Club
• Henry River Golf Course
• Cowan’s Ford Country Club
• Rock Barn Golf and Spa
• Briar Creek Golf Course
• Seer Brook Golf Course
• Glen Oaks Country Club
• Kings Mountain Country Club
• Apple Oaks Executive Golf Course
• Cramer Mountain Country Club
• Pine Grove Golf Club
• Hampton Heights Golf Course
• Green Meadows Club
• Lake Hickory Town Course
• Catawba Lakes Golf Course
Local Community Parks — Lincoln County
• Beatty’s Ford Park (Denver)
• Highland Drive Park (Lincolnton)
• Betty G. Ross Park (Lincolnton)
• McBee Street Park (Lincolnton)
• East Lincoln Park (Denver)
• Vale Recreation Park (Vale)
• East Lincoln Rescue Park (Denver)
• West Lincoln Park (Vale)
– Phase 1 under development
State Parks
Listed below are nineteen North Carolina State Parks located in the western
region of North Carolina. Twenty-six more state parks can be found in the central and
eastern regions of the state.
• Gorges State Park
• Mount Jefferson State Natural Park
• Chimney Rock State Park
• New River State Park
• Mount Mitchell State Park
• Stone Mountain State Park
• Lake James State Park
• Pilot Mountain State Park
• Crowder’s Mountain State Park
• Hanging Rock State Park
• Lake Norman State Park
• Mayo River State Park
• Grandfather Mountain
• Haw River State Park
• Elk Knob State Park
• Marrow River State Park
Regional Vineyards and Breweries
• Woodmill Winery
• Heist Brewery
• Amos Howards Brew Pub
• Vesuvius Vineyards
• Jones VonDrehle Vineyards
• Granite Falls Brewing Company
• Daveste Vineyard
• Laurel Gray Vineyards
• Blowing Rock Brewing Co.
• Dobbins Creek Vineyards
• NoDa Brewing Company
• The Appalachian Mountain Brewery
• Charlotte Wine Tours
• Queen City Brewers Festival
• Triple C Brewing Company
• Childress Vineyards
• Raffaldini Vineyards & Winery
• The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery
• E&J Gallo Winery
• RJ Rockers Brewing Company
• Four Friends Brewing
• Shelton Vineyards
• Free Range Brewing
• Sycamore Brewing
• Charlotte Brew Tours
• Treehouse Vineyards
• Charlotte Brews Cruise
• Triple C. Brewing Company
• Charlotte Wine Tours
• The Unknown Brewing Company
Events in the Area — Just to Name a Few
• Apple Festival (2 Day event) (Lincolnton, Wilkesboro, Morganton)
• Old Soldiers Reunion (parade) (Newton)
• Hog Happenin (regional biker fest and barbecue) (Lincolnton)
• Art Crawl (1 night event) (Lincolnton)
• Scottish Highland Games (Grandfather Mountain)
• Highland Celtic Festival (Asheville)
Apple Festival Lincolnton (vendor)
• Carolina Balloon Fest (Hot Air Balloon) (Statesville)
• Oktoberfest (Hickory, Charlotte, Asheville)
• Asian Festival and Dragon Boat Race (Cornelius)
• Drumstrong Rhythm and Arts Festival (Charlotte)
• Annual Festa Italiana (Charlotte)
• Coca Cola Speed Street presented by Chevrolet (Charlotte)
• Civil War Re-Enactment at Historic Latta Plantation (Huntersville)
• Taste of Charlotte (Charlotte)
• Harrisburg Art Walk (Harrisburg)
• Artisan Program (Charlotte)
• International Collectibles and Antiques Show (Charlotte)
Lincolnton’s Hog Happenin
• Color Festival (Charlotte)
• Queen City Bike Fest (Charlotte)
• Festival in the Park (Charlotte)
• Kwanzaa Celebration (Charlotte)
• Auto Fair (Charlotte Speedway — Spring & Fall)
• Good-guys Southeastern Nationals (Charlotte Speedway)
• Southern Rodeo Association Circuit (Statewide)
• Mint Hill Madness Festival (Mint Hill)
BalloonFest (Stateville)
Attractions and Tours
• Billy Graham Library
• Christian Tours/Burke International
• NASCAR Hall of Fame
• CPCC Performing Arts Events
• Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden
• The Fillmore Charlotte
• Bechtler Museum of Modern Art
• The Knight Theater
• Belk Theater at Blumenthal
Performing Arts Center
• Lazy 5 Ranch
• Biltmore Estate
• Majestic Tours
• Bird Brain Ostrich Ranch
• Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
• Booth Playhouse at Blumenthal
Performing Arts Center
• Carolina Actors Studio Theatre
• Carolina Raptors Center
• Carolinas Aviation Museum
• Catawba Queen—Queens Landing
• Charlotte Ballet
• Charlotte Museum of History
• Charlotte Nature Museum
• Charlotte Symphony
• Light Factory
• Mint Museum (uptown-Charlotte and Randolph)
• NC Music Factory
• Old Salem Museum and Gardens
• Ovens Auditorium
• PNC Music Pavilion (Formerly Verizon
Wireless Amphitheater)
• President James K. Polk State Historic Site
• Queen City Helicopters
• Spirit Square Center for the Arts and Education
• Time Warner Arena
• Memory Lane Museum in Mooresville
Amusements Parks, Zoo’s — Great Places to Go!
•Carowinds
• Tweetsie Railroad
• Great Wolf Lodge Concord
• GoPro Motorplex
• Discovery Place
• North Carolina Zoo
• Ghost Town in the Sky
• Charlotte-Concord SEA LIFE Aquarium
Sports Teams and Tracks
• Charlotte Motor Speedway
• Carolina Panthers (Professional Football )
•
• Charlotte Hornets (Professional Basketball)
zMAX Dragway
• Concord Speedway
• Charlotte Checkers Hockey (Hockey)
• NASCAR Hall of Fame
• Charlotte 49er’s (NCAA Women’s Baseball)
• Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway
• Charlotte Knights (Baseball)
• Dirt Track Racing School
• Hickory Crawdads (Baseball)
• Doug Foleys Drag Racing School
• Charlotte Hounds (Lacrosse)
•
• Hickory Motor Speedway
Richard Petty Driving Experience
• The Speed park
• Charlotte Soccer Academy (For all ages)
• Memory Lane Motor-sports and
Historical Automotive Museum
• North Carolina Racing Hall of Fame
• Queens Cup Steeplechase
Motorcycle Riding Clubs
• Piedmont Blue Ridge Adventures Riders
• Statesville & Mooresville Riders
• Seek GOD First FBCH
• Catawba Valley Scenic Riders
• Carolinas BMW Motorcycle
Owners Association
• Upstate SC Motorcycle Riders
• Winston-Salem Motorcycle Riders
• Charity Ride for CHNH
• The Greensboro Cruisers Group
• Triad Ducati Club
• Family Road Riders Club
• Independent Riders meet up group
• East Asheville Riders
• The ARC (Advanced Riders Club)
• Charlotte CBA
• CRC Charlotte Riders Club
• Diversity Riders
• Upstate Motorcyclist
• Asphalt Sisters Blue Ridge Chapter
• Holston Valley Riders
• NC Piedmont Triad Dual Sport/Adventure Riders
• Follow the Spirit Riders NC
• Diavel AMG Enthusiast
• Ebony and Ivory Charlotte
Car and Truck Clubs
• Catawba Valley British Motor Club
• Metrolina Corvettes
• Roush Owners & Enthusiast Association
• Native Street Machines
• Central Carolina Auto Enthusiast
• Cross Members
• Hillbilly Hot-rodders
• Mountain Gateway MOPAR Association
• Blueridge Thunder Group
• British Car Club of Western Carolina
• Cadillac LaSalle Club, Inc.
• Carolina Cougar Club
• Carolina Opel Club
• Carolina Region Cadillac LaSalle Club, Inc.
• Carolina Regional Mustang Club
• Carolina Chapter Buick GS Club of America’
• Carolina Falcon Club
• Classic Camaros of the Carolinas
• NC Stangs
• Rock Hill Classic Chevy
• Smokey and the Cruisers
• Carolina Jaguar Club
Biking Trails and Events
Many biking trials are available for beginning to experienced bikers in the Lincoln County area.
Whether you bike independently, as a couple, family or even ride in a group organized activity, there
are many trails locally available that you will enjoy. Charity and fund raising events involving bike runs
and marathons do take place throughout the year by different organizations. Local bike shops can
assist you with information on these events.
Below are some local trails and road routes to consider: Not all area trails and routes are depicted.
Denver Trails
Located in the heart of Denver, NC. The Denver trail
developed by Blood Sweat Gears and cared for by
BSG and BSG supporters.
U.S. National Whitewater Center
Approximately 18 miles around the
U. S. National Whitewater Center is
is a great single track for all level of riders
North Meck Park
Approximately 3.5
miles of trail with little
to no elevation change
which makes it a nice
and easily ride.
Lake Norman
State Park
This trial is approximately
30.5 miles long. This is a
fast and flowing trail that is
sure to put a smile on your
face
Credits: Maps , trails and information is
credited to Blood Sweat Gears (BSG)
Lake Norman Activities
Created in 1963 by Duke Energy,
Lake Norman is 34 miles long
with 520 miles of shoreline.
• Boating, Ski and Jet Ski
•Fishing
• Chartered Cruises
• Boat Access and Marinas
• Sailing
• Rowing and Scooling
• Para Sailing
•Flyboarding
•Kayaking
• Paddle Boarding
• Walking, Hiking, Biking
Lake Norman Communities (Cities, Towns and Townships)
Eastern Lake Norman
South Western and Southern Lake Norman
Western Lake Norman
Counties: Catawba, Lincoln
Counties: Mecklenburg—(Charlotte)
Counties: Iredell
Catawba Springs Township
Cornelius, Davidson Townships and
Township 10 -- Lemley
Fallstown, Davidson &
Coddle Creek Townships
Sherrills Ford
Davidson
Davidson, Mooresville
DenverCornelius
WestportHuntersville
Lowesville
Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina — Activities
•Camping
• Walking, Hiking,
•Biking
• Cycling/Touring
• Boat Access and Marinas
• Sailing
• Boat and Jet Ski
•Fishing
• White Water Rafting & Canoeing
• Gem and Gold Mining
•Flying
• Shopping and Dining
• Scenic Drives
• Bird Watching — Ornithology
Events and Activities in the Blue Ridge Mountains
• Drive, cycle or bike the Blue Ridge Parkway
• Birding (over 200 species of birds call the North Carolina mountains home)
•Camping
— Otter Creek, Peaks of Otter, Rocky Knob, Doughton Park, Julian Price Park, Linville Falls, Mt Pisgah
to name a few areas.
• Western North Carolina Farmers Market near Asheville
•Fishing
— Fly Fishing, Still-water Fishing, Fishing in the Cherokee Waters
• Recreational Mining: Areas of Franklin, Mitchell, Burke, McDowell Counties
— Mining Museums in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge:
— Franklin Gem & Mineral Museum
— Colburn Earth Science Museum
— Museum of North Carolina
•Hiking
— Opportunities for great hikes in the mountains and foothills of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains are limited only by the imagination. From a gentle stroll over the grassy meadows of the New River State Park to the steep climbs of Mount Mitchell, hiking trails in the Blue Ridge National Heritage area offer intimate contact with an ancient and bio-diverse mountain landscape. Numerous hiking clubs and
other organizations sponsor guided hikes for those who like company and interpretation along the way.
• Areas of Hiking
— Hiking in State Parks and Forest
— Hiking in the City ― Asheville Urban Trail
— Hiking in Cherokee ― Mingo Falls
— Hiking in the Garden Park ― Pearson Falls
Events and Activities in the Blue Ridge Mountains (con’t)
• Winter Hiking in the Mountain(s)
There are some exhilarating treks that can be taken through areas of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Please
note that the State of North Carolina closes the Blue Ridge Parkway during the winter season, however,
snow hiking the Blue Ridge Parkway becomes a scenic and popular trek to take for those snow hikers, snowshoe and cross-country skiers.
• Mountain Biking
The Blue Ridge Mountains and foothills in North Carolina offer some of the finest mountain biking in the
country.
— Tsali Recreation Trail
— Brent Creek Research and Demonstration Forest
— Mills River Water Shed
— Davidson River Area
— Coleman Boundary
— DuPont State Park
— South Mountain State Park
— W. Kerr Scott Damn and Reservoir
This is just a sample of mountain biking
areas in the Blue Ridge.
• Rafting, Canoing or Kayaking
Rivers in the North Carolina Mountains provide some of the most popular whitewater rafting in the country. Some claim the sport was pioneered on the Nantahala River, which tumbles through the nine-mile scenic Nantahala Gorge.
— Nantahala River
—
French Broad River
— Davidson River
—
Nolichucky River
— Green River
• Swimming
Mountain streams can take your breath away, no matter how warm the air. However, it’s is hard to resist when you take off your hot hiking boots an not stick both feet into the cold icy water. This is more than one way to enjoy the wonderful waters of the North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains. Perhaps you will even
plunge altogether, and come up gasping from the jolt of cold water.
Favorite Places:
— Sliding Rock
— Lake Lure
Word of Caution:
When playing or swimming in an area where a waterfall is present, do not climb the wet rocks, wade in the running water at the cresting point of the waterfall or attempt to dive and or jump off the waterfall. Doing so can result in serious injury or even death.
Events and Activities in the Blue Ridge Mountains (con’t)
• Winter Sports along the Blue Ridge Mountain in North Carolina
Winter in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina has its own special beauty. With the lush leaves of summer gone, the scenic views become starkly beautiful. What kind of activities can be done in the
mountains during winter? Lots! Skiing is a long time favorite, but there is so much more, such as snow tubing, snow boarding, sledding, snow hiking, snowshoe and
cross-country skiing.
— Great Southern Ski Slopes
• Appalachian Ski Mountain
• Beech Mountain
• Cataloochee Ski Area
• Sapphire Valley Ski Area
• Sugar Mountain Resort
• Wolf Ridge Ski Resort
The Blue Ridge Mountains provide the most spectacular snapshots that can be found no where else. Here the
culture is warm and inviting; visit and enjoy the best of what the North Carolina Mountains and our foothills can
offer. As you can see, there are an abundance attractions and places to see and enjoy. Western North
Carolina is jam-packed with so much for you, your family and friends.
Coastal North Carolina and the Beaches
With more than 300 miles of barrier island beaches, two national
seashores and dozens of charming small towns, the pristine landscape of the North Carolina coast is just what the doctor ordered.
Explore lighthouses, beaches, tee-off on world class golf courses,
and dine on the catch of the day. North Carolina’s Coastal communities will surprise you; relax you, slowing you down to an enjoyable pace.
Visit the Carolina Maritime Museum and see the Queen Anne’s Revenge on display or go to the Pine Knoll
Shores Aquarium and meet the sea otters at play or visit with
incredible sea turtles. See Fort Macon State Park and experience its history. Travel to the Shackleford Banks and see
even today the wild horses running along the beach area.
Let’s not forget the Cape Lookout Lighthouse; you can climb
the 207 steps to its top. Experience a piece of history, the
lighthouse is open for climbing from the second week in May
to the third weekend in September.
Wilmington’s Historic River District and Island
Not familiar with North Carolina Beaches offers great dining, unique shops
Beaches? Here is a list to get
and nightlife. Downtown, tour local film sites
you started:
or board the Battleship North Carolina. May-
• Visit the renowned
outer-banks
— Northern Beaches
• Duck
• Southern Shores
• Kitty Hawk
• Kill Devil Hills
• Nags Head
— Roanoke Island
• Manteo
• Wanchese
— Dare Mainland
— Hatteras Island
• Rodan
• Waves
• Salvo
• Avon
• Buxton
• Frisco
• Hatteras
be visit one or all three colorful beaches in
the Wilmington area -- Carolina Beach, Kure
Beach and Wrightsville Beach. Wilmington is
active all-year-round, with events like a Greek
Festival, Street ArtFest, Annual Seaside Soccer Classic or the RIMS on the River classic
car show.
Whether it is hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains, attending a NASCAR race, riding a roller
coaster at Carowinds or enjoying one of many
North Carolina beach communities, there is
always something for everyone to enjoy.
Experience North Carolina!