Getting active around Lake Norman doesn’t always have to mean another workout, another trip to the gym or another walk on a greenway.
Sometimes the best way to get moving is to play.
This week, Active Around the Lake found three different ways to put a little purpose — and fun — behind the movement. Take aim at a target in Davidson, throw your way around a disc golf course in Cornelius, or gather some friends for a game in the sand.
Aim it. Throw it. Spike it. Let’s get moving.
You don’t have to travel far to discover something a little different. Fisher Farm Park in Davidson is home to a public archery range where beginners and experienced archers can test their skills.
Archery may look simple from a distance. Pick up the bow, pull back the string and hit the target.
Then you try it.
You’ll quickly discover that archery combines technique, coordination, concentration and controlled movement. Don’t worry if those first arrows don’t land anywhere near the bull’s-eye. Learning how to position your body, draw the bow and release consistently is all part of the experience.
During designated open-range sessions, equipment may be available to borrow, so you don’t necessarily need to invest in your own equipment before giving archery a try.
Archery gives you movement with a purpose.
Drawing a bow involves the upper body and core while challenging balance, coordination and concentration. It’s also an activity where you can actually see yourself improving.
That first arrow might miss badly. The next one gets closer.
And eventually, you hear that satisfying sound of an arrow hitting exactly where you wanted it.
This is not a show-up-anytime activity.
The Fisher Farm archery range operates during scheduled open-range sessions, programs and special events when qualified Town staff are present. Space can be limited, so check the current schedule and register before making the trip.
Fisher Farm is a public Davidson park and continues operating during the school year.
Fisher Farm Park
21215 Shearer Road
Davidson, NC
Check current Fisher Farm archery information and schedules
You’ve probably thrown a Frisbee.
You may have played golf.
Put the basic ideas together, add a walk through the park, and you’ve got disc golf.
Bailey Road Park offers a public disc golf course that provides an easy way to combine a game with plenty of movement.
The basic idea is remarkably simple.
Start at the designated tee and throw your disc toward a metal basket. Walk to wherever your disc lands and throw again. Keep going until the disc lands in the basket.
Then head to the next hole.
You don’t have to know all the rules or even keep score your first time out. Concentrate on learning how the disc flies, trying to make that next basket and enjoying the walk.
This may be the sneakiest exercise of the three.
You’re walking from hole to hole, bending, throwing and retrieving your disc — but you’re probably thinking more about your next shot than how many steps you’re accumulating.
It’s also easy to make it social. Bring a friend, the kids or someone who’s just as inexperienced as you are.
Nobody has to be good at it the first time.
Of our three activities, this is the easiest grab-your-equipment-and-go option.
Bailey Road Park is a Town of Cornelius public park, and we found no registration requirement for ordinary recreational disc golf play. Bring your own discs and allow yourself enough time to enjoy the course.
The park doesn’t close for the season when students return to school.
Bailey Road Park
11536 Bailey Road
Cornelius, NC
You don’t need an ocean — or even a trip to the beach — to play beach volleyball.
Blythe Landing, located along the shore of Lake Norman in Huntersville, has four outdoor sand volleyball courts, giving you plenty of room to gather some friends, get a game going and turn an afternoon at the lake into a workout that doesn’t feel much like exercise.
Bring a volleyball, comfortable clothes, water and a few people who are willing to play.
Then get ready to move.
Playing volleyball in sand adds a completely different dimension to the game. You’ll be serving, reaching, jumping, reacting and chasing the occasional ball that heads somewhere nobody intended.
Don’t worry if your group isn’t particularly good.
The point isn’t to play tournament volleyball. It’s to get moving, have some fun and see how long you can keep the ball in the air.
Volleyball gives us something our other two activities don’t:
TEAMWORK.
You’re moving your whole body, but you’re also talking, laughing, competing and working with other people.
And because you’re playing a game instead of doing repetitions, you may be surprised by just how much you’ve moved by the time you’re finished.
It’s exercise disguised as recreation.
Blythe Landing is a Mecklenburg County public park with four sand volleyball courts.
The courts are available for open play when they haven’t been reserved. If you’re simply looking for a casual game, an available court can be used for open play. If you’re organizing a group and want to make sure you’ll have a court at a particular time, Mecklenburg County allows the Blythe Landing volleyball courts to be reserved online.
Bring your own volleyball and plenty of water — especially during a Lake Norman summer.
Blythe Landing Park
15901 NC Highway 73
Huntersville, NC 28078
Check volleyball court information and reservations
Schedules, programs and facility availability can change. Check with the appropriate Parks & Recreation department before making a special trip.
