Recreation

Award Winning Greenways

In 1991, as the Town of Cary was preparing to build the Swift Creek Greenway, Greenways Inc., a nationally-recognized greenway developer based in Cary, offered a suggestion. Why not build the greenway exclusively of recycled materials, and bring together a public-private partnership to pull it all together? It was a novel idea, and such a greenway would be the first of it's kind in the nation. The Cary Town Council agreed, and work began. Before it was even finished in October, 1993, the Swift Creek Greenway had received the statewide 1992 Take Pride in America Award. In 1995, it earned the Federal Highway Administration's award for Environmental Excellence. While the .8-mile greenway may be a first for the country, it is but one pearl in a string of over 33 miles of greenways and 14 public parks in Cary. And the strand is expected to grow in the next 10 years in the wake of a $9.425 million bond referendum approved by Cary voters in 1994.

Parks System

Cary's park system is simply outstanding - from small neighborhood parks to the Fred G. Bond Metro park, which provides an array of athletic facilities, and outdoor amphitheater and a lake for fishing and small boating. Cary also offers the Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve, which protects a stand of rare, ancient hemlock trees and provides hands-on environmental learning. The Cary Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department provides year-round programming in sports, arts, crafts, and park activites for all ages.

Lazy Daze

Each August, Cary is home to the long-running Lazy Daze arts and crafts festival, one of the biggest festivals of its kind in the Southeast. The juried festival brings well over 400 vendors from all over the country and a routine turn-out of upwards of 40,000. The smaller Spring Daze arts and crafts festival as well as the brand-new Page One Book Festival also draw thousands to Cary's downtown annually.

Other Opportunities

At the heart of the Triangle, Cary is readily accessible to a wealth of recreational opportunites and specatator sports within minutes. From minor league baseball to soccer to ice hockey, from the thrilling world of Atlantic Coast Conference athletics to the North Carolina State Fair, Cary residents have plenty of options. Jordan Lake, a popular lake for fishing, swimming and pleasure boating, is just down U.S. 64. Umstead State Park is literally at Cary's doorstep, and the North Carolina Botanical Gardens and Moorehead Planetarium are easily accessible off I-40 in Chapel Hill. Whatever the interest, chances are it's within reach from Cary.