Cornelius, NC Outdoor Activities

Former professional driver and expert instructor Randy Baker and his team have been guiding drivers toward greatness for more than 20 years; past pupils include Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Jeff and Ward Burton, and the shadowy pit mechanic known only as Racer X. At SpeedTech Auto Racing School, Randy combines a fleet of super-speedy rides—authentic, metal-bodied vehicles boasting 650-horsepower V-8 engines—with a serious emphasis on safety to prepare drivers for any mishap on the track. Gearheads, speed junkies, and people who still sleep in a racecar bed despite their adult children's protestations soak up Randy's knowledge during one of SpeedTech's many race programs, varying in length from 3 laps to more than 100. With the school's built-in HD video feeds, drivers can commemorate their laps or prove to the family car it's been cheating on them with the hotel's valet.

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).

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.

The Tradition Golf Club’s 18-hole course takes golfers across 6,978 yards of emerald corridors cleaved into a rolling expanse of dense hardwoods. Players can prepare for the grassy monolith’s tree-lined fairways with lessons from one of the club’s resident aces, who imparts swinging wisdom on any aspect of the game, from the basics of the proper grip, stance, and alignment to more nuanced topics, such as how to prevent a hybrid club from having polarized alter egos.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Length of 6,978 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 72.9 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 140 from the farthest tees
• Four tee options available
• Scorecard

Designed by golf legend Arnold Palmer, Birkdale Golf Club’s course transforms natural beauty into challenging obstacles, with 200 acres of rolling hills intersected by streams and framed by mature pines. The course’s bermuda fairways lie beyond elevation changes that give way to greenscapes festooned with ponds and deep, stone-lined bunkers that test players to use every club in their bags before desperately reaching for the oversized soup ladle. Once approach shots find the green, golfers must putt precisely atop the firm and true crenshaw bentgrass greens.

Birkdale Golf Club pampers players before and after rounds with a practice range and onsite tavern trimmed with rich wood hues and green leather barstools. The club also staffs a team of PGA pro instructors who school pupils in the arts of swinging and scorecard penmanship with private lessons and group clinics.

Course at a Glance:

• Par 72
• Four sets of tees
• Length of 7,013 yards from back tees
• Course rating of 74.3 from back tees
• Slope rating of 138 from back tees

After 13 years as a golf instructor, Gary Sinquefield has boiled his teaching style down to a simple method that involves focusing on each player's swinging motions and eliminating extraneous movements. By simplifying the often convoluted and conflicting messages of swing improvement, Gary makes it possible for players of all skill levels to develop a consistent swing that stands up even during high winds or airport-security pat-downs. During private lessons, students take shots inside a golf simulator while Gary scrutinizes swing tendencies from every angle and shot type. A video camera records the process frame by frame for later analysis so that golfers can see swing tendencies such as poor alignment or signs of repeated sweaty-palm syndrome. At the end of the lesson, players leave with an action plan to develop their game.