Cornelius, NC Outdoor Activities

After graduating from college, two North Carolina natives started Charity Chase as an entertaining way to give back to their community. Envisioning an activity that would draw all sorts of people together, they put their energies into cultivating an abundant natural resource: mud. After testing their physical and mental fortitude at dirt-carved racecourses throughout the area, runners sprint across the finish line to find lively after parties. Crowds swap battle stories to the rousing tunes of live musicians, and costume contests grade the creative garb of contestants, spectators, and mud beasts disturbed from their subterranean homes by the ruckus. Benefiting groups include an assortment of charities and school organizations, depending on the event.

The certified instructors at Fox Hollow Farm wield more than 25 years of equine experience and broadcast that hard-earned knowledge during riding lessons in hunt seat, jumping, and dressage. Each instructor aims to foster a supportive environment of structured learning, helping their students build confidence and skills not only when in the saddle but also when caring for a horse in the stable or dressing up as a centaur on Halloween. Beginning students start out with private instruction on the longe line to develop balance and correct position atop the farm's school horses, and may advance to group lessons after they've learned to walk, trot, and canter with control.

Travis Sloan has earned the right to call himself an expert wakeboarder. For more than eight years, he has competed in locations from North Carolina to California. His passion for the sport led him to become an instructor, and now he shares his expertise with boarders of all skill levels. On Lake Norman, Travis helps his pupils get up, jump waves, and flip through the air, and his classes also cover wake surfing, wake skating, and wake hopscotching.