North Carolina Living, a discovery guide for people interested in moving to North Carolina a free resource and part of the BLP exclusive lifestyle redefined community.
Only the second terminal of its kind in the CSX network, the Carolina Connector is expected to bring high-paying jobs to the area. The project will initially create 250-300 short-term construction jobs during the development phase and another 300 long-term positions once the terminal becomes operational. About 150 of those terminal positions will be directly employed by CSX and pay an average annual salary of $60,000, company officials said.
Are you looking to add more physical activity to your life and improve your Active Summer Lifestyle? Maybe you’re trying to be more fit, lose some weight, or just lead a healthier life? If so, the perfect time to get started on that Active Summer Lifestyle is right now. While it can be intimidating watching all the oh-so-very-toned people go running, biking, and hiking, there’s no need to be reluctant about starting an outdoor exercise regimen yourself. For those of you who want the exercise but don’t like the gym, or love the fresh air but are made a bit nervous by exercising, here are some tips:
Incorporate Activity Into Your Daily Routine by Starting Small
Have you ever wanted to be one of those people who improve their Active Summer Lifestyle as they go for long runs on summer evenings? You absolutely can if you start slow and easy. Instead of running, start by going on walks in whatever natural spaces you have available to you. Set aside a few evenings a week, or early mornings, or a lazy afternoon. Grab a friend, a dog, or just go on your own and let your inner thoughts wander. You might be surprised how the fresh air and activity (even low-impact activity like leisurely walking) can improve your mood. Then, after you’ve got a taste for outdoor wandering, working up to running won’t seem so intimidating!
Reach for Your Bike Instead of the Car Keys
While not everyone lives in a place that’s conducive to improving Active Summer Lifestyle while doing errands, running your errands or commuting to work on a bike, many of us do and have just never tried it. Though it’s certainly helpful if there’s good infrastructure for biking where you live, it’s not absolutely necessary. Small errands like going to the post office can be a good way to ease into using your bike to get around. If possible, biking to work can be a wonderful way to experience the outdoors on a daily basis. It can be an amazing mood booster if you work inside an office all day. Biking more often is an all-around good thing, both for your body and the environment.
Go Camping!
Although camping itself might not seem a like a very physical activity, hanging out in the woods will inevitably lead to other activities, like hiking. All you really need for camping is a tent, a sleeping bag, water, food, and layers of clothing for inclement weather. After a night of hanging out around the fire and waking up breathing in the fresh air, all you need to add is a backpack and a map to go on your first hiking adventure. In fact, you might find you love the great outdoors so much that you start going on camping and hiking trips regularly. Hiking is great for developing our personal fitness.
It isn’t hard to start working on your fitness this summer. By slowly incorporating activity into your daily routine and by focusing on appreciating the outdoors, it’s way more fun to get your summer exercise when you’re not stuck in a hot, stinky gym. Bringing the outdoors into your life is an exciting way for you to get more fresh air, energy, and exercise. That’s way better than staring at the TV on the exercise bike.
You’re Never Too Far From… Being Active, at Belmont Lake Preserve. One of North Carolina’s top Active Lifestyle, master-planned communities.
World class music, the most exciting sporting events anywhere in the country, and also the best in the arts and culture are never to far away from your new home in Rocky Mount at the Belmont Lake Preserve NC golf community, and one such experience that you will not want miss is merely an hour from your front door, at Durham’s nationally acclaimed, North Carolina Museum of Science and Arts.
In the year’s cooler months of September- the end of March, the North Carolina Museum of Science and Arts offers a huge variety of exhibits that the entire family, both young and old can enjoy and be astounded by. Whether you have an interest for space travel and want to visit their “Aerospace” or “Soundspace” exhibits, are more interested in local animal and plant life, and stroll through the “Carolina Wildlife,” and the “Insectatarium,” even in the case that you are an aspiring scientist or mathematician and want some hands-on fun in the “Contraptions” “Flip It, Fold It,” or one of the several “Lab” areas, the fun-filled and educational opportunities at the North Carolina Museum of Science and Art are seemingly endless.
In addition to these incredible exhibits that can be seen at the North Carolina Museum of Science and Art daily, there are also programs offered for limited periods of time or special one day events that add to the exciting experience. Upcoming and current programs at the North Carolina Museum of Science and Art include, “Process Revealed: Works from the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators,” which will run daily through April 30, and for the youngsters in the family, “Forts” will begin on March 1 and go through March 19. Daily events that range in interest depending on age that are coming up include, “Behind the Scenes with the Insects,” on February 19, the “Science of Wine,” on February 23, “A Girl Scout Adventure Activity: Home Scientist,” on March 4, “Tinkering and Drinkering,” on March 9, and “Behind the Scenes with Bears,” on March 12.
These are just some of the incredible items that you can have a chance to experience on a daily basis at the North Carolina Museum of Science and Art, not to mention, once April rolls around in addition to these awe-inspiring indoor exhibits, an array of outdoor programs, events, and exhibits run from April-August.
The North Carolina Museum of Science and Art is open during the months of September-March on Tuesday-Saturday from 10:00 am-5:00 pm and Sundays from 12:00 pm-5:00 pm. In the summer months, the hours remain the same, but the museum is also open on Monday’s as well. The museum is located at 433 West Murray Avenue in Durham and for all the wonderful stuff going on there, you can check out their website at lifeandscience.org.
With all of the recreational opportunities right here at Belmont Lake Preserve, why would you ever want to leave? Sometimes it can be nice to get away just for the afternoon and see a North Carolina State Park—and Medoc Mountain State Park is only 24 miles from Belmont Lake Preserve.
Don’t expect a lot of ‘mountain’ at North Carolina State Park, Medoc Mountain near Hollister in Halifax County. The highest point is only 325 feet above sea level, eroded peak formed by volcanic action some 300 million years ago. What you will find is a peaceful serenity among the park’s wooded slopes, hiking trails, open meadow, and Fishing Creek that meanders for a couple of miles through the park.
This North Carolina State Park has 10 miles of trails that are the best way to explore Medoc Mountain State Park, and most are an easy hike. Winding through the rolling terrain you’ll see an artesian well, miniature rapids, and granite outcroppings that are a remnant of the range of mountains that existed in eastern North Carolina long ago. There are bridle trails for equestrians with convenient trailhead parking. And twice each year (in May and October) there are trail races ranging from 5k to a marathon that wind through the park. (More information is available at medoctrailraces.com and medocspringrace.com.)
If you’d prefer a less strenuous outing at this North Carolina State Park, Medoc Mountain also offers fishing and picnicking. Little Fishing Creek is one of the cleanest streams in North Carolina and in its gently flowing waters you may hook a sunfish, bluegill, or largemouth bass. There’s a choice of picnic locations with 30 tables and 8 grills in shaded woods and the park’s open meadow. In addition to tables and grills, the picnic shelter features a fireplace with restrooms and a water fountain nearby.
Medoc Mountain State Park offers campsites (some with electrical hook-ups) and a variety of programs throughout the year. Educational opportunities include interpretive programs led by park rangers on topics including ecology, geology, astronomy (Medoc Mountain is one of the best locations in the state to observe the night sky), and our relationship with the natural world. You can pick up plant and animal checklists at the park office and discover the park’s varied wildlife on your own. You just may see flying squirrels, river otter, white-tailed deer, or even the rare Carolina mudpuppy (a large salamander) during your afternoon at Medoc Mountain. Bring your binoculars for excellent birdwatching in the forest canopy and along Fishing Creek.
Medoc Mountain State Park is open daily (except Christmas) from 8am to 5pm. Check the State Parks website (at ncparks.gov) for a schedule of programs and activities.
Directions: From Rocky Mount, take I-95 north to exit 160 (Halifax), then NC-561 west for 9 miles to Medoc Mountain State Park, entry sign on the left at SR-1322.
Every year a cycle of life occurs on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore when female sea turtles return to the beaches where they were born to lay the next generation. The sea turtle emerges from the ocean to make her way ponderously up the beach where, after crawling to a place she deems appropriate, she digs a hole with her back flippers to lay her eggs. Once she covers the nest, this majestic reptile slowly makes her way back to the ocean using light cues. The nesting process can take between 1-3 hours to complete. A couple of months later, the nest seems to boil over as tiny turtles struggle out of their shells, out of their nest, and, out across a beach full of hazards by the light of the moon to their new home – the ocean.
Sea turtles, some of the largest living reptiles seen on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore are long-lived, cold-blooded, air breathing, migratory, and spend almost their entire lives in the sea. They range in size from the smallest species weighing 75-100 pounds to the largest species weighing almost 2,000 pounds. Visitors can tell the difference between a land or pond turtle and a sea turtle by their front limbs. Sea turtles have flippers, whereas land and pond turtles have feet with claws.
There are five species of sea turtles found along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore – the leatherback, hawksbill (rarely seen), Kemp’s ridley, loggerhead and green. While all five of these sea turtle species can be found in Seashore waters throughout the year, it is the female loggerhead and green turtles—and occasional leatherback and Kemp’s ridley turtles—that nest on these beaches, which are considered to be the extreme northern limits of their nesting grounds.
Opportunities
Every day, trained volunteers walk the beaches not only at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore on North Carolina’s 320-mile coastline with an eye to turtle activity. These citizen scientists takes steps to protect nests from predators, stand by to assist when the hatchlings emerge en masse and head to the sea, and scour the strand for turtles in distress. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission oversees their work through community programs with a combined membership of 1,200 to 1,500 volunteers.
Visitors can use encounters with turtle watchers as learning opportunities. Public “turtle talk” events are also offered by local organizations, including:
- Sunset Beach Turtle Watch Program: Sundays at 7 pm, Sunset Properties parking lot; Wednesdays at noon, Ingram Planetarium.
- Ocean Isle Beach Sea Turtle Protection Organization: Mondays at 7 pm, Museum of Coastal Carolina; Tuesdays at 7 pm, Ocean Isle Beach Community Center.
- Holden Beach Turtle Watch Program: Wednesdays at 7 pm, Holden Beach Town Hall.
- Pleasure Island Sea Turtle Project: Mondays at 7 pm, Kure Beach Ocean Front Park pavilion; Wednesdays at 7 pm, Carolina Beach State Park.
- Wrightsville Beach Sea Turtle Project: Tuesdays at 7 pm next to Johnny Mercer’s Pier.
Programs are also offered by:
- Cape Hatteras National Seashore: “Barrier Island Nature,” weekdays at the Visitor Center in Buxton.
- Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge: “Turtle Talk,” Tuesdays at the Visitor Center on Hatteras Island.
- Fort Macon State Park: “Turtle Talk,” various times at the Visitor Center, Atlantic Beach.
Beachgoers can help the cause with measures as simple as picking up trash and keeping light to a minimum. Learn more about protecting turtles on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and everywhere else at seaturtle.org.
The countless entertainment options that have become part of your “Lifestyle Redefined” at Belmont Lake Preserve include many professional and collegiate sports teams across the state of North Carolina that are with in a short driving distance. The “Tar Heel State” certainly get a little “Hoops Crazy” as this time of year rolls around, and the sports fanatic under your roof at our North Carolina golf and retirement community can rest assured that the run into the playoffs last season was one that the Charlotte Hornets Basketball team looks to build upon as they hope to take steps towards an NBA Championship in the 2016-17 season, which gets underway later this week.
The Hornets are set to unveil the awesome new scoreboard at the Spectrum Center
With a recent name change to their downtown home arena, the Charlotte Hornets Basketball franchise will look for bigger and better things than even the greatly successful 2015-16 season as they take the court at the freshly named, Spectrum Arena this year. Finishing with an impressive 48 wins against just 34 losses with an even more lofty 30-11 home record, the Charlotte Hornets Basketball will be favored as one of the NBA’s top teams in the Eastern Conference this year.
Getting ready for the upcoming season, the Charlotte Hornets Basketball squad will take to the road for their two opening contests, when they travel on Wednesday, October 26 to play the Milwaukee Bucks. and then the Miami Heat on October 29. Finally, the hometown crowd will get to root for some 2016-17 Charlotte Hornets Basketball when the home opener takes place against the rival Boston Celtics on Saturday, October 29 at 7:00 p.m. at the newly christened Spectrum Center.
Hugo the Hornet, the team mascot and the Hornets are often seen involved with school and community events
Other Charlotte Hornets Basketball home games scheduled throughout the first full month of play at the Spectrum Center will see the Philadelphia 76ers in town on November 2, before a three game home stand against the Indiana Pacers (November 7), Utah Jazz (November 9), and Toronto Raptors (November 11). The Atlanta Hawks come in to do battle with the Charlotte Hornets Basketball team on November 18, before they bring in the Memphis Grizzlies (November 21), San Antonio Spurs (November 23), and the New York Knicks (November 26). Closing out a busy first month of Charlotte Hornets Basketball will be the always tough, Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, November 29.
Much like the championship-caliber golf you are used to playing right here in your backyard at Belmont Lake Preserve, the Charlotte Hornets Basketball franchise will be playing championship caliber basketball just a few short hours away from Belmont Lake Preserve. To “Embrace the roar of the crowd” at the Spectrum Center and for more information on the full 2016-17 schedule and tickets, visit nba.com/hornets.
With high praise and accolades from some of the most respected golf publications in the nation, and the name of one of the country’s most accredited course designers, David Johnson, attached to its beautiful 18 hole layout in Rocky Mount NC, the Belmont Lake Golf Club right here on site at Belmont Lake Preserve is truly a “masterpiece” among North Carolina golf communities just outside your front door.
The pro shop at the BLP Golf Clubhouse has all your needs to go out and hit 18
With a classic setup featuring a front-nine out and back-nine in routing, the spectacular course design of David Johnson was selected by the North Carolina Golf Panel as one of the state’s “Top 100 You Can Play” among North Carolina golf communities. In addition, with its great blend of variety and contrasts taking you from holes that play through scenic woodlands, as well as several that do not, where the wind and weather conditions will come into play, the Belmont Lake Golf Club was named in 2012 as one of the top ten North Carolina golf communities to play in Eastern NC.
Boasting an array of hole lengths, doglegs to either side, and greens which are both large and small, the course has drawn rave reviews for its overall balance from golfers of all skill sets. Making for an enjoyable round regardless of a players handicap, the strategic design of the course offers up the challenging demands of an advanced player from the back tees, which greatly lessen for the more inexperienced players that are teeing off from the front. Examples of this see many holes where when teeing off from the back tees, cross-bunkers or forced carries will come into play, where as many of these hazards are not a factor for those hitting from the front tee area.
Special events for golfers both young and old take place at Belmont Lake Golf Club regularly
Course designer, David Johnson’s website praises this gem among North Carolina golf communities saying, “The Belmont Lake Golf Club course is a masterpiece… the course takes full advantage of the gently rolling terrain in offering a unique golfing experience.” Speaking further to the playability of the course for those with any skill set, from beginner to pro, the site concluded, “Belmont Lake Golf Club is a challenging, fair test of golf that provides interest, variety and excitement for players of all abilities.”
To learn more about the spectacular 18-hole Belmont Lake Golf Club, including membership information, upcoming events, and so much more visit belmontlakegolfclub.com.
The second in our two part series on the incredible, world class talent that awaits you just over an hour from your new home at Belmont Lake Preserve at the Durham Performing Arts Center focuses on the live theater performances that are a part of the DPAC Broadway Season at the venue, boasting eight shows in which seven are current or recent smash hits in New York and the other is wildly successful in London’s West End.
The DPAC Broadway Series will see RENT on stage this week
Currently featuring Tony Award winning Best Musical, a Tony Award winning Best Play and a pair of Tony Award winning Best Revivals, the DPAC Broadway Season is the leading one-week Broadway series in the entire United States. The seats in the beautiful Durham Performing Arts Center are available in a season package for these great shows at a locked in low price and give you the same fantastic location you choose for every event, or also available for single shows too.
The shows that are a part of the “Dream Big” DPAC Broadway Season are not the only performances scheduled, however, as some of the most popular shows to ever grace a Broadway stage are also currently slated to enthrall the audiences in the upcoming months. The week of October 11-16 the DPAC Broadway Season will feature one of the most popular shows ever, Rent. The following week will see the 2015 Tony winning Best Musical, Fun Home on October 25-October 30. For the holiday season, the DPAC Broadway Season brings the classic tale of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Musical to center stage from November 29- December 4.
The Grinch will take center stage at DPAC on Nov.29- Dec.4
Other shows featured as a part of the DPAC Broadway Series heading into 2017 will be some more of the most classic tales of all time retold with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Dec. 30- Jan.1), An American in Paris (Jan. 3- 8), Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Jan. 31-Feb. 5), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Feb.21- 26), and The Bodyguard, The Musical (March 14-19).
For the member of your household whom “Lifestyle Redefined” means the bright lights and the thrills and chills that can only be felt under the stage lamps and from the cheers that follow the final curtain call, they should continue to “Dream Big,” and know that just an hour from Rocky Mount, the stage that is life awaits them with the DPAC Broadway Season.For tickets, seating information, and more details on the DPAC Broadway Season, visit dpacnc.com.
At Belmont Lake Preserve, you are afforded some of the greatest on-site amenities here at the premier North Carolina golf community and locally with all the fantastic outdoor living and active lifestyle options that Rocky Mount has to offer. However, the central location of our community to the incredible entertainment options also puts with in a short drive to some of the finest theatres and concert venues in the country, including the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) which features the biggest names in all genres of music, an incredible “Broadway” lineup, comedians, children’s shows, and much more.
The legendary Bob Dylan comes to DPAC on November 4
In this, a two –part series focusing on all of the awesome national and world famous acts that perform at DPAC, we will look at just a sampling of the incredible live entertainment you can be on hand for in just over an hour on a straight shot up US-64 East. Starting this upcoming week as an example of the variety of world-class talent that graces the Durham Performing Arts Center stage, Grammy Award Winner, Anthony Hamilton will take center stage on Thursday, October 6, 3 Doors Down on Friday night (October 7), and an Evening of YES music with original members of the legendary classic rock band hitting DPAC on Sunday, October 9. Sandwiched between these great musical acts on Saturday, October 8, will be a night for the kids, as Disney Live! Mickey and Minnie’s Doorway to Magic comes to Durham Performing Arts Center for a night of family fun.
Other incredible talent just in the months of October and November scheduled to be at Durham Performing Arts Center include: Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and pioneer, Bob Dylan on Friday, November 4, Country Music Superstar, Vince Gill on November 9, Motown legends, The Temptations and The Four Tops on November 18, and guitar virtuoso, Joe Bonamassa on November 25.
The great music at Durham Performing Arts Center is only a portion of the talented upcoming schedule though, as if you are looking for a night of laughter, comedy acts to include the Trailer Park Boys (October 21), and Bill Engvall (November 6) will all be tickling your “funny bone” at Durham Performing Arts Center.
Great children’s shows, like Disney Live! are a staple of DPAC’s schedule
Much like the aforementioned “Disney Live” performance, Durham Performing Arts Center also has many great shows bringing the favorite, lovable characters that all children know and appreciate so much to life on the stage. PBS Kids favorites, The Odd Squad: Live (November 5), and Octonauts Live! will be at DPAC on Friday, November 11 in a pair of shows the children won’t want to miss.
Your location at Belmont Lake Preserve puts you in the perfect spot to see all the great things across the state of North Carolina. In making the choice of Lifestyle Redefined at Belmont Lake , you truly are “never too far from world class entertainment at Durham Performing Arts Center.” To see the full lineup of acts and performances Arts Center.” To see the full lineup of acts and performances and for tickets, visit dpac.com.
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