Live the pyrate life, learn tennis, lift your way to a 5K PR in Black Mountain … .

Coast

This weekend’s Beaufort Pyrate Invasion may not, at first blush, seem to be about being active. Not “The Hysterically Correct Pirate Show” Saturday at noon, not the pirate invasion at 1:30, not necessarily the trial and hanging at 3 p.m. and probably not the Party with the Pirates from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. featuring BBQ and grog. But, the events, which begin Friday at 4 p.m. when the pirates come ashore, are at different locations, which means you’ll end up doing a lot of walking, and as we all know, walking is good for you (provided you keep to a minimum the walks to and from the BBQ and grog table).

BPI is sponsored by the Beaufort Business Association. Learn more about the invasion here.

Piedmont

Have you ever thought, “I should have learned to play tennis when I was a kid. Oh, well.”

No, “Oh well,” not when MatchMaker Tennis is sponsoring a free “Taste of Tennis” clinic Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at Charlotte’s Freedom Park. At the hour-and-a-half class you’ll learn forehand, backhand, volleys, serves, leaping over the net in victory … . OK, maybe you need to sign up for an advanced class for that last one. But all you need to do is show up with a racquet and an accomplished tennis person will show you the strokes. (And if you don’t have a racquet, you can rent one at Ski Country Sports.)

Prepare to tick tennis off your lifelong shoulda-done list. More info here.

Mountains

How about a 5K — with a twist. Actually, a press. Saturday is the 23rd annual Sourwood 5K in Black Mountain (another good excuse to visit the town). But it’s not just a 5K: prior to the race is the Cheshire Pump & Run, which allows you to do bench presses against your 5K time. For each successful bench press (weight is determined based on your body weight), drop 20 seconds from your finishing time. A good equalizer for our musclebound friends.

The race starts at 8:30 a.m., the pumping beforehand. More info here.
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Those are GGNC’s thoughts for an active weekend. Find out other ways you can get out this weekend by browsing our super calendar, a collection of events calendars from throughout the state, below.

CapeFearCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar for the Cape Fear/Wilmington/southern N.C. coast searchable by date and event name.

Coastal Guide
Comprehensive calendar including nature programs from a variety of costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs. Covers the entire coast.

Crystal Cost Tourism Authority
Comprehensive calendar focusing on the Crystal Coast. Good source for programs offered by N.C. Coastal Federation, Cape Lookout National Park, N.C. National Estuarine Research Reserve and other costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs.

NCCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar including programs for the Outer Banks and Crystal Coast.

North Carolina Coast Host
Comprehensive calendar for the entire coast that lets you search for events by day, by region, by county, by city or by event (based on key word).

This Week Magazine
Primary focus is the Crystal Coast (North Carolina’s coastal midsection).

Mountains

Asheville Citizen-Times
From the main page, click on “Outdoors,” then WNC Outdoors calendar.

Blue Ridge Outdoors
Searchable calendar lets you extend your reach to events throughout the mid-Atlantic and Southeast (or you can just limit it to North Carolina). Also lets you search a boatload of categories, ranging from Hiking, Mountain Biking and Climbing to Trail Running, Triathlon and Road Walking.

The Mountain Times
From the main page, click on “Calendars,” then Main Events.

Todd’s Calendar

Piedmont

Charlotte

Charlotte Observer events calendar
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including Nature, Recreation, Recreation & Wellness, Running

Charlotte Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triad

GoTriad.com
Comprehensive calendar includes a Sports & Recreation category.

Piedmont Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Triangle

Triangle.com
Comprehensive calendar searchable by category, including: Birding, Boating, Cycling, Nature, Rec & Wellness, Recreation, Running, Swimming, Tennis, Yoga.

Carolina Parent
Comprehensive calendar concentrating on things the family can do together.

Statewide

Office of Environmental Education
One calendar for the numerous Environmental Education Centers statewide.

North Carolina State Parks
Lets you search for programs at the state’s parks, recreation areas and natural areas by location, by month, by topic. To reach the calendar from the home page, click on “Education,” then “Fun & Free Programs at Parks.”

National Forests in North Carolina
From the home page, click on Carolina Connections for news updates on the state’s four national forests as well as hints on recreational opportunities and a detailed rundown of recreation areas and the amenities at each.