Town of Chapel Hill offers parks, camps in summer

Local recreation offer residents and students who choose to stay in Chapel Hill over the summer multiple options to enjoy the beautiful outdoors and participate in physical activity.

With 15 parks , trails and a number of public facilities, the town of Chapel Hill offers a chance for immersion in community-hosted summer activities.

Town of Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation offers numerous summer camps and clinics in which undergraduates can participate including Adult Night , Sunday Nights 1/2 and 1/2 Basketball and an adult softball recreational league .

Registration information can be found on the town’s parks and recreation website .

The Carolina Tarwheels , a local nonprofit bike club, offers an alternative to playing a sport or getting a tan by the pool.

The group promotes cycling in the community by providing the opportunity for residents to ride in groups on designated trails throughout Chapel Hill.

Most rides take place on the weekend, but they also host Wednesday morning rides for retired citizens and UNC students without Wednesday classes , said John Rees, the president of Carolina Tarwheels .

During the summer, they increase to two to three rides on the weekends, up from the singular weekend ride during the school year .

Prospective participants must pay a yearly membership fee of $20 .

Rees said becoming a member is not necessary, but instead, encouraged because continued giving aids in helping the group sustain itself and grow its activities such as Bikefest in August.

Bikefest is held annually and all event proceeds go into the community for cycling grants and activities.

Rees said the nonprofit also provides bike racks in the community, pays for Port-a-Potties and sponsors trips for Durham youth.

UNC Campus Recreation also provides ways for students to get out during the summer.

Different sports camps are hosted during the summer, as well as intramural sports for enrolled Summer School students.

Between three and five intramural activities — ranging from three-on-three basketball, four-on-four flag football, softball, tennis and volleyball — are available to students over the summer .

Justin Ford, director of intramural sports at UNC Campus Recreation , said 176 students participated in the four intramural activities offered during the first summer session of last year. Second session saw a lower turnout of 139 participants.

Most of the recreational facilities on campus — Student Recreation Center, Rams Head Recreation Center and Woollen Gym — operate on shortened daily hours which are posted on the website , said Bill Goa, director of campus recreation .

For students looking to swim, Kessing Pool, located directly behind Woollen Gym, is open to the public and officially opens for the summer on May 13 .

Goa stressed that cost efficiency was an important issue when deciding what programs work best for students during the summer.

“We strive to keep student fees as low as possible,” he said. “We cut back on summer programming, not the resources offered.”

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