We’ve heard it so many times before – exercise is good for you. Physical activity can help you lose weight, but there are many more reasons to get moving. Staying active fights stress, improves sleep, lowers the risk of heart disease, and even keeps us sharp as we age.
Local Opportunities
Davie County has so many resources to help you stay active, including facilities like:
- RISE Indoor Sports
- NC Fusion’s Truist Sports Park
- Golf Facilities
- Community Parks
- Gyms – with 24/7 access, athletic trainers, and top-tier fitness programs
- Campgrounds, trailheads, swimming holes, canoeing & kayaking, and more
Staying Active is Good For You!
Research has shown that regular physical activity is a powerful tool to prevent and control noncommunicable diseases like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and even cancer. Movement strengthens your heart and improves circulation, raising oxygen levels, lowering blood pressure, and reducing the risk of high cholesterol and events like heart attacks.
But we don’t have to be worried about fighting off heart attacks to find other good reasons to get moving! A good workout can have you feeling better today. Exercise is shown to help us manage stress levels and reduce the risk of depression. It promotes healthy growth and development in young people and helps keep us “old people” feeling young!
Premier Sports Complexes
As one of the largest sports complexes in the Southeastern United States, RISE Indoor Sports hosts an impressive range of tournaments, offering clinics, team training, and in-house adult recreation volleyball and soccer leagues. They also provide strength and conditioning training classes for wrestling and martial arts in partnership with Combat Athletics.
Just next door, you can find the fields of the NC Fusion’s Truist Sports Park, which hosts lacrosse, field hockey, and soccer teams for youth and adults. NC Fusion offers introductory recreation programs and junior academies, as well as highly-competitive ECNL (Elite Clubs National Leagues) and USL programs for aspiring college or semi-professional players.
Gym Facilities
For those looking to improve their fitness with a gym membership, Davie has several facilities to choose from.
Gym 365 in Bermuda Run boasts impressive 24/7 access to its gym, as does Redline Fitness and Workout Anytime in Mocksville. The Davie Family YMCA offers more holistic gym resources, including a walking track, swimming pool, pickleball, squash, and basketball courts.
Group Fitness Classes
Group fitness classes are an excellent way to get moving. Good for the mind, body, and soul – group classes can help foster a sense of community. Sign up with a friend to be your accountability partner and increase the fun!
Davie County Recreation and Parks offers several ongoing classes like Kettlebell AMPD, Yoga, and Zumba Fitness courses at the Davie County Community Park gym. Gym 365 has classes ranging from yoga to intense cardio.
If you like to get your heart rate up before a busy work day or just like an early start, Rise Indoor Sports offers HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) morning classes.
Rise also offers programming tailored to seniors, such as their Silver Sneakers Classic Class, along with Walking Wednesdays and Cardio Fitness groups.
If you’re looking for something more intense, check out the Cross Training Boot Camps the Davie Family YMCA offers. YMCA members have access to an array of exercise classes like Body Pump, Hot Yoga, and even online classes you can participate in at home!
Recreation Leagues
Recreation leagues don’t have to be just for your little ones learning to play t-ball or soccer. There are plenty of leagues in Davie County for adults to join, too! Like group fitness classes, being part of an adult league helps foster a sense of community and is a great way to meet new people.
Davie County Recreation and Parks offers church basketball and kickball leagues, while the Davie Family YMCA has an adult volleyball league. For those who enjoy a fast-paced, high-scoring game of soccer, RISE Indoor Sports has a co-ed indoor soccer league.
Staying Active Without Hurting Your Wallet
If you’re looking for ways to burn calories and not dollars, there are many ways you can stay active on your own.
Getting outside and spending time in nature is good for our mental health. In addition to boosting your vitamin D levels, exposure to sunlight impacts your body’s serotonin levels, helping raise your spirits and increase your focus.
If a new gym membership isn’t within your budget, Davie County has so many budget-friendly exercise options. Invite a friend on a short trail walk this weekend instead of catching up over food and drinks. Hit the trails at Rich Park and Farmington Nature Park, or meander down for a lake view at The Park at Lake Louise.
If you have a four-legged friend in your life, take your dog on a longer walk this week or run around as your pup lets out their energy at the Community Dog Park.
Pick up a jump rope or resistance bands in your backyard for at-home ways to stay fit. Plenty of free workout tutorials and programs are available to stream online.
If you need a little extra motivation, invite your family to step-count challenges on your smartwatch. If you love racking up on discounts and promotions, there are even online apps that pay you to walk!
Community Parks
Community parks are another fun, budget-conscious way to stay active and have something to offer everyone in the family.
Rich Park has an impressive playground for the little ones to climb on, as well as horseshoe, shuffleboard, and bocce ball courts for more active play. To facilitate an easy pick-up game or practice your shot, check out the Smith Grove, Farmington, and Jericho-Hardison Community Centers for access to public tennis, baseball, and basketball courts.
During the summer, pack the cooler, sunscreen, and floaties for a refreshing dip at “the Bullhole,” aka the RiverPark at Cooleemee Falls.
For those who love healthy competition, check out the Farmington Disc Golf Course at the Farmington Community Center. This professionally designed, 20-hole disc golf course is free to the public, offering open greens to more challenging forested terrain that will test your accuracy.
The park also offers over two miles of mountain bike trails to get your heart pumping and adrenaline levels up.
For Seniors
There are so many compelling reasons to get moving, which become even more vital as we age! Regular exercise helps prevent bone loss and develops muscle strength, keeping seniors independent in their day-to-day activities. It’s no surprise exercise is also shown to fight dementia, not to mention the resulting social and emotional benefits of improved mood, concentration, and better social connections.
Davie County Senior Services offers ongoing dance classes at their Health and Fitness Center at the Brock Recreation Center and Gym. Dancing is an easy way to get moving and have a fun time doing it! There are several line dancing classes from which to choose, depending on your interests and skill level! All classes are open to adults aged 55 and older.
If you’re not one for dancing, check out other Senior Services exercise classes at the Brock, including group walking, Silverhealth, chair yoga, Zumba, and morning and afternoon programs. There are also several sports available to seniors as open play sessions. No teams or skill levels are necessary, with open play for basketball, badminton, and pickleball. Just come to the Brock gym to join in the fun!
Silverhealth courses use hand weights and resistance bands, focusing on basic strength and flexibility, while the Morning Wake Up class centers on cardio movement. For more information on these classes, contact the Senior Center.
For a little more competition, older adults can participate in the Senior Games and SilverArts program, a year-round health and wellness education program. The games offer events like horseshoes, cornhole, table tennis, and bowling, while the SilverArts include visual and performing arts. The games are held from mid-March through the end of May.
For Kids
For the young kiddos in your life, help foster healthy habits and a love for staying active early. Sports programming can help boost their self-confidence and develop necessary social skills while having fun.
The Advance Dance studio offers quality dance instruction to children and youth. Whether a beginner or experienced dancer, the team empowers their students with physical development and self-discipline.
If your kid loves to tumble or just has extra energy they need to burn off, check out Infinity Elite Athletics. Whether looking to improve flexibility or jumps and stunts, this cheerleading and tumbling gym offers introductory courses, summer camps, and competitive cheer team training.
Tru Taekwondo has classes for adults and children as young as four. Their martial arts practice is rooted in virtues that develop kindness and self-esteem in their students as they refine their punching and kicking techniques.
For high-energy family fun, check out Cedar Creek Airsoft on the weekends. The 25-acre field is perfect for practicing your shot and hosting birthday parties or church group outings.
Golfing
North Carolina has long been recognized as one of America’s favorite locations for year-round golfing. To improve your golf game, look no further than the clubs here in Davie and take advantage of one of our outstanding local courses.
Bermuda Run Country Club’s two 18-hole courses are consistently ranked among North Carolina’s top course layouts. Bermuda Run is home to the Wyndham Qualifier, the Carolina Women’s Amateur, and the Crosby Scholars Golf Tournaments.
Carved into rolling hills of old dairy farmland, the Oak Valley Golf Club was designed by Arnold Palmer himself! The course has been home to CGA tournaments and PGA Professional certification events.
Nestled among gently rolling hills and overlooking a beautiful lake, the Colin Creek Golf Club offers something for players of all levels. The Pudding Ridge Golf Club is also set among Davie’s rural countryside and rolling hills, offering an excellent course to beginners and low handicap players.
For something a little different, check out GripIt Golf in Bermuda Run. This virtual golf lounge has a rotating draught beer selection in-house. Their life-like simulators can help you improve your game on a rainy day or act as a fantastic introduction for first-time players.
Cars and Drag Racing
If you enjoy a blast from the past, car shows and cruise-ins are a fun way to connect with the community and our history. For vintage car fanatics, be sure to take advantage of the Mocksville Cruise-Ins. Historic downtown Mocksville comes to life on the first Monday of each month from March to October.
If you’re searching for a locals’ haunt, the Farmington Dragstrip is a fun hangout for car and racing enthusiasts and is full of rich history.
Camping and More
There’s nothing like the taste of food cooked over the campfire or, better yet, freshly toasted s’mores. Take the kids on the camping trip they’ve always begged for by heading to Lake Myers RV Resort, Sugar Valley Adventures, or other local campgrounds, which you can find here.
The Forest Lake Preserve campground offers so much fun for the family, with swimming pools, a “Blob” and central lake, miniature golf, shuffleboard, and more. Lake Myers offers guests canoe and paddle boats, while Sugar Valley Adventures invites visitors to canoe through a quiet lake.
For a longer canoe or kayaking adventure, the Yadkin Pee Dee River Trail offers a beautiful opportunity to meander through the heart of our countryside, with multiple access points throughout Davie County.
Davie County has many other annual races and events worth adding to your calendars, such as the Mainstreet 5k and Tour of Farmington.
Come Play!
Whether you’re looking for the perfect weekend outing or hoping to shape up your workout routine, Davie County has so much to offer. From top-tier golf facilities to dance academies and airsoft courses, our community is guaranteed to keep you busy and get you moving.
