As Mecklenburg County’s newest recreation center, the beautifully situated Northern Regional Recreation Center in Cornelius is a perfect destination to inspire wellness for all ages.
Established on 40 acres of lush forest, with an incredible 85,000 square feet of space inside, the center offers so many opportunities to kick-start a healthy new year – you won’t know where to start!
With four areas of concentration at the NRRC – family, sports, fitness and aquatics – there’s a healthy outlet for every member of your family.
“We will have a New Year’s countdown of our own to spring us into the new year,” said Senior Recreation Facility Manager Stephanie Frisbee.
With programs that offer family oriented health, nutrition and exercise guidance, the NRRC serves residents of Mecklenburg County and the Lake Norman area, nurturing individual goals for 2024 – and beyond! You’ll find the friendliest staff around as well as a super experienced team of coaches anxious to encourage you in finding the best workout for your lifestyle.
Inspiration for Every Age
From Preschool to Seniors, there are opportunities to improve overall wellness and have some treasured family fun along the way. The beautiful senior community center tempts the 55+ crowd with a variety of fitness classes designed for multiple ability levels, art classes to keep your creative side sharp and plenty of games and social interactions to keep your schedule lively.
Starting off 2024, Fitness Programs will consist of between 80 and 100 different group programs, all held on a weekly basis. Classes are a mix of strength training, cardio fitness, dance, pilates, yoga, kettlebell training, mobility and core training, line dancing, indoor cycle, barre, chair yoga, Silver Sneakers, aquatics fitness and Masters Swim – just to peak your curiosity! If you’re new to a regular exercise routine, sign up for a complimentary Wellness Orientation to see what you’ve been missing. Once-a-month Wellness Check-ups and Fitness Consultations will kick-off in January – along with other fun activities throughout the year – yes, including Pickleball! Pickleball Clinics 101 and 102 start again in January (the clinic is introductory, 101 is beginner level and 102 is experienced level).
For younger family members, NRRC offers opportunities for youth such as homeschool programs, after-school and preschool programs. Homeschool programs include yoga, PE, aquatics, art and STEM. NRRC offers Child Watch Monday through Saturday, as well as Youth Watch Monday through Thursday, so your kids have fun things to do while you work out! There are also regular preschool programs such as special “Fun Fridays” which offer preschoolers an engaging hour of stories, games and crafts. Family Game Night is also back in January, held once a month on Fridays from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., with everything from classic board games and card games to video games and pizza!
If sports just isn’t your vibe, the NRRC also taps into your inner creativity with “Let’s Get Crafty” – a program for ages 18 and up – that offers 12 weeks of winter-themed crafts and plenty of fun! Let kids ages five through 12 join “Crafty Kids,” where they will create and bring home a different art project each week.
Given its natural setting, it’s no surprise that NRRC also offers a collaborative garden space, where you can join in for garden free time Wednesdays from 2:00-3:30 p.m. and Thursdays from 1:00-2:30 p.m. Gardening free time is open to all ages and all abilities, and there are accessible garden beds available! Come learn, meet like-minded people and work together to plan, plant and cultivate raised garden beds. NRRC also offers Nature Story Walks for preschool children, as well as a Homeschool Nature Series. An extra special gardening class in January will teach the Top Five things to know as you get your own garden started for 2024.
The new Northern Regional Recreation Center is located at 18121 Old Statesville Road in Cornelius, 980.314.6772. Learn more about their full schedule of activities at Parkandrec.mecknc.gov. Hours are Monday through Thursday 5:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m., Friday 5:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m., Saturday 8:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. and Sunday 1:00 p.m.- 6:30 p.m.
