Things to Do in Charlotte

With a 12-year basketball career spent in the NBA minor league and FIBA Europe, BeReady director Ben Ebong believes the academy's vision is bigger than basketball alone. The game has had a profound influence on his life. It’s taught him to be a leader, face challenges, deal with disappointment, and become a valuable member of a team. These are the same principles he instills in the players at each youth basketball camp. With the help of experienced coaches and professional speakers, the academy's program aims to build character in addition to athletic training. While learning fundamental basketball skills, students will begin to understand the discipline needed to compete at a high level and appreciate the importance of an active lifestyle. Much like team mascots who preemptively glue their heads on before doing backflips, they’ll learn to set goals and draw up plans of action for achieving them.

Charlotte Krav Maga's team of 13 instructors know that most people are fighting something. That something might be a vicious bully, persistent weight gain, or a less tangible entity such as fatigue or non-Euclidian geometry. No matter what it is, they're confident they can help. Their diverse knowledge of fighting techniques stretches around the world, from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to Krav Maga, a self-defense system developed for the Israeli armed forces. In addition to earning belts and certifications in numerous forms of martial arts, the teachers possess years of real-world experience that they use to help others cultivate strength, discipline, and confidence. These goals also inform the studio's Krav Maga classes, which reveal simple self-protection techniques that can be applied if a person is approached by a lone assailant or a nunchuck-wielding octopus.

In addition to imparting defense strategies to students aged 4 and older, the team teaches Fit to Fight, a training program that blends muay thai, boxing, and wrestling into a fun-and-functional workout. Classes and one-on-one training take place in a gym equipped with full-size heavy bags, Lifeline power jumpers, kettlebells, battling ropes, and monkey bars.

Haunted rides amble through picturesque stretches of the Latta Plantation Nature Preserve, surrounding guests in the season's spine-tingling chills and frightful sights on select October evenings. Rolling through the dark shadows of the haunted forest, the ride activates guests' latent scream sensors while it creeps past eerie haunts and awkward zombie family reunions. After hopping off the macabre vehicle, groups are free to peruse the premises' plethora of fall activities, such as a jaunt through the twists and turns of the straw maze ($3), a ride on the cow train ($2), or malicious marshmallow roastings over an open flame ($1) (additional activities are not included with this offer).

Greenville Glides' experienced guides shuttle bands of merry sightseers through Downtown and its surrounding neighborhoods. The fun-loving leaders' history lessons wash over group and private tours propelled by such trusty steeds as segways, vans, and mechanical bulls. Restaurant tours delight palates with local gourmand delights, and city tours explore the history, architecture, and quirky aspects of each locale.

Northcross Lanes at the Lake facilitates friendly competition for families, groups, and individuals with 40 bowling lanes, a laser-tag dome arena, and a full video arcade. Bright lights ricochet from skee-ball and air-hockey games, where players compete for tickets they can redeem for prizes at the game counter. Birthday party packages include food from the onsite kitchen, which serves cheeseburgers, hot sandwiches, and made-from-scratch pizzas. The 41st Lane Lounge hosts several pool tables along with regular karaoke and occasional sets from live bands.

Instructors at Charlotte Martial Arts Academy pride themselves on building confidence and self-discipline in their adult and youth students learning judo, jiujitsu, and other martial arts. These qualities are foregrounded in the Academy creed, which emphasizes "discipline, honor, peace, and respect." Not only does every class cover the proper way to kick, punch, and karate-chop a block of wood into two perfectly whittled black belts, but each also includes lessons on health and fitness. Safety, however, is always the top priority. Though a number of distinct martial arts styles are taught, instructors also combine techniques to equip pupils with the skills for real-life self-defense scenarios.

Senseis Michael Price and Mary Roberts don't merely call upon their years of experience when they're on the mat; they also train continuously to keep their self-defense and teaching skills sharp. In addition to their class curricula, they also also host private birthday parties where a karate lesson, cake, and decorations create a memorable occasion.