Things to Do in Mount Holly

Spread out among four locations, Sports Connection combines the abundant attractions of a family fun indoor park with athletic activities and leagues geared to adults and youngsters alike. The Jump-N-Play Inflatable Zone hosts hopping whippersnappers in its bouncers, and a laser-tag arena surrounds phaser-wielding opponents in fluorescent-painted walls and the foggy air of epic competition. Additional attractions such as spinning bumper cars, a 25-foot indoor rock wall, and a laser-beam maze await visitors at the Ballantyne and Northlake locations.

Along with group outings and birthday parties, Sports Connection invites budding or freakishly good athletes into its plentitude of sports leagues for rounds of volleyball, soccer, and more. Indoor and air-conditioned camps and clinics held throughout the year enrich beyond physical skill with training in camp counseling and sports fundamentals.

As the sun melts into the horizon, the opening chords of an ebullient country song rip through the evening air, coaxing stomps from even the most stoic of feet. Energetic audience members dust off their dance moves and sing along with the music between sipping lagers. The third-annual North Carolina Brewers and Music Festival is coming to an end, and its guests are determined to celebrate under the unfurling night sky until the notes of the last encore fade away.

Presented by Rural Hill, the rollicking festival takes over the historic farmlands of Huntersville, delighting guests with live music, eats, and brew-centric activities. Throughout the day, festival booths bustle as more than 20 of North Carolina’s top brewers showcase their libations via tastings and educational sessions, and chefs flood the air with the aromas of sizzling fare including vegetarian options. Young festival-goers enjoy family-friendly music and keep busy by wishing they were old enough to sample the festival's sudsy wares. As the clock strikes noon, the festival stage comes alive with a lineup of bands and musicians performing all manner of music, from country to prog-rock to bluegrass.

Guests are also welcome to continue the celebrations into Sunday morning by spending the night at the festival campsite in tents, RVs, or the branches of surrounding trees. All festival proceeds go toward Historic Rural Hill, a nonprofit historical site that presents educational field trips and cultural events throughout the year.

During childhood, the sloped handlebars of kids’ bikes often made a perfect seat for riding a friend around town. Fast-forward to today and the grown-up Party Pedaler, a large bike craft that seats up to 14 people, eschews handlebars for a flat bar top that holds elbows, drinks, and listens to you boast about how much faster you’re going than everyone else. This rolling, people-powered bike rolls through custom routes or a choice of four pre-planned treks through the Queen City. In the South End, crawlers cruise along mills and warehouses and into eclectic pubs and restaurants. North Davidson’s art district boasts funky galleries and theaters, and in Uptown, wheels push past cultural institutions such as the Fillmore and the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Designed and built in Oregon, the party bike saddles up to 10 pedalers and cradles up to four more on a back bench. Speakers and iPod hookups fuel the cycling, as do BYO beverages and snacks. Most of the bar-crawl routes make four stops, giving riders ample opportunity to sample what local bartenders are mixing up.

After listening to professional instruction from Local Paddler's guides, total novices can paddle their standup paddleboards through the crystalline waters of North Carolina's lakes and rivers. Instructors teach newbies to stand upright on their boards, showcase J-strokes, sweep strokes, and other fundamentals, and also impart water-safety lessons, such as never drink the entire lake in one sitting. Local Paddler's shop furnishes all equipment for aquatic adventures, which unfold along the scenic shorelines of Falls Lake, Wake Forest Reservoir, Lake Norman, Lake Wylie, Tailrace Marina, Mountain Island Lake, or the Catawba River.

As a former ATP Tour professional and the first junior player to ever make the Davis Cup team for his home country of Nigeria, Surma passes on his wealth of international tennis experience to new generations of players through his namesake company. Since 1989, he has overseen a team of certified tennis professionals that imparts the principles of hard work, proper technique, and competitive spirit to their students, all within an environment that promotes sportsmanship and fun. Players of all skill levels can improve their play, from beginners working on fundamentals to advanced players looking for skilled hitting partners. Likewise, intermediate players can take their skills to the next level as they learn strategies that are far more effective than grunting incessantly before the match begins.

Travels in Wine Tours' co-founders, Kimberlee Young and Derek Schuler, share their love of wine, food, and travel with curious tourists through tours designed and led by certified sommeliers. Epicurean scenic tours of boutique wineries, personalized luxury Napa vacations, and custom weekend getaways marry viticultural education with flavorful indulgence as guests take in picturesque panoramas of vineyards that stretch to the horizon before curving upward and forming bridges to the moon.