If you want to try some new adventures this year, keep it local and keep it cheap! Here are 10 cheap things to do in 2020 for under $20, all right here in Mecklenburg County. Whatever you do, tag us on social media so we can follow along!
Continue ReadingLooking to get fit in Mecklenburg County? We have you covered! With more than 50 miles of greenways, 20+ nature preserves with countless hiking trails and even an outdoor fitness area at First Ward Park, there are plenty of opportunities to get moving.
But what do you do when it’s cold, like today? Let’s face it, no one wants to go running, hiking or biking when it’s freezing outside. Luckily Park and Recreation offers plenty of indoor opportunities.
Continue ReadingUpdated September 2, 2022
Homeschool doesn’t just mean learning at home. One of the major benefits is flexibility about where and how your family can expand their minds! Mecklenburg County has a lot of resources for supplementing your child’s education. With 21 departments, there are endless ways to make Mecklenburg County a homeschool helper. Maybe you’ve seen our best kept secrets and that got your brain going. Well here are seven more options to get you started:
Continue ReadingWhat’s better than a Mecklenburg County park on a beautiful day? A Mecklenburg County golf course!
I love the game of golf. I’m not very good at it yet, but I enjoy it anyway. I have my strengths and weaknesses, but my skills are gradually improving thanks to Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation golf courses. Regardless of your skill level, these facilities are perfect for training or playing.
Continue ReadingPhotos by John Mackay
In spring 2019, with just about a week to go before the start of construction of the highly anticipated extension of McAlpine Creek Greenway (Sardis Road to Providence Road), Mecklenburg County staff and a contractor gathered on site for what should have been a final pre-construction walkthrough.
With all the boxes on their to-do list nearly checked off, there was nothing that could have delayed the start of construction – except for some amazing birds.
How could birds lead to the delay of greenway construction?
Well, to fully understand why, we need to go back even further, to the winter of 2018.
Continue ReadingIt’s no secret that Park and Rec operates a lot of different programs – there are swimming lessons, sports leagues, summer camps, fitness classes — we could take up an entire post just listing out all of the amazing things they have to offer! And while they’re all worth knowing about, there is one program in particular that we find a lot of people are unaware of – Urban Outdoor Connection (UOC).
Continue Reading“Have any good plans for the weekend?”
Chances are you’ve been asked that before, by a colleague, on a Friday afternoon, or maybe by a friend or family member who’s trying to figure out if you’re free. And while it is exciting to have things in store for yourself that you can share, if there’s one thing we know to be true, it’s this: after a while, weekends can get expensive.
So, what if you’re trying to stick to a budget? Lucky for you, Mecklenburg County is filled with low-cost activities. That means you can still enjoy your weekends while being financially responsible at the same time. Let’s look at a few examples.
Continue ReadingWhat’s summer fun if you have to leave your dog at home? Well, you don’t. There are a number of places throughout Mecklenburg County that would love to have you both for a visit. All you have to do is leash-up and BYOB – that’s Bring Your Own (Poop) Bag, of course! Let’s countdown the best of them so you can soak up the sun and get some steps in with your furry BFF this season.
Continue ReadingThere’s no denying it – we talk about our Park and Rec department a lot. And in doing so, we use terms like “parks” and “nature preserves” pretty often. What we’ve found, though, is that over time people have started to use these terms interchangeably. But they are NOT the same thing! They may (sort of) be similar in the way they look, but the truth is that parks and nature preserves have their own identities and serve their own purposes. Let’s compare.
Continue ReadingWhether you realize it or not, there are many things you probably know about Mecklenburg County government. For starters, you are probably aware that the County is governed by the nine-member Board of County Commissioners. You may also know that Mecklenburg’s day-to-day operations are managed by County Manager Dena R. Diorio. Chances are you are also familiar with a few County services such as Public Health, Department of Social Services or Park and Recreation.
That doesn’t come close to being everything about us, though. There’s so much more that we do and within all of our departments there are so many programs and initiatives that it can be hard to list them all out. But, we do have a few “best kept secrets” that we think you should know!
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