As you know, we get to try some pretty cool stuff with this job.
And as past our prime, wannabe professional athletes, taking part in any athletic endeavor takes us back to the glory days when we thought competing at the highest level was a real possibility – even though looking back, we all know it was never really in the cards.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun, which is pretty much what being an Insider is all about. So over the years, we’ve been to all ends of Concord in search of the best places for “sports” – and even created a few of our own if you remember our winter and summer Olympic issues.
What we found is that if you want to feel like a small scale champion, build up your self-esteem (that is if you come out with a victory) or even get a little sweat going, you have many opportunities.
So without further ado, here are some of the places we’ve found around town, and if there’s something we missed, let us know because we’re always looking for a reason to get out of the office and get paid to do cool stuff.
Beaver Meadow Golf Simulators
It feels like forever since you’ve swung the old golf clubs, and if you haven’t vacationed in a warm climate recently, it likely has been.
But here’s the next best thing to paying a bunch of money on a plane ticket, hotel room and greens fees: Reserve some time on the two Beaver Meadow indoor golf simulators.
We checked them out last winter, just after they were opened, and they are pretty sweet.
You can play courses from all over the world, enjoy a cold adult beverage (if you’re of age) and just think, there’s very little walking involved. It takes a little time to adjust to how hard to hit the ball when it comes to chip shots and putting, but you’ll get the hang of it.
It takes about one hour per person to play 18 holes. Cost is $40 per hour, and you can just show up, but the simulators are quite popular so it might be a good idea to reserve a tee time by calling 228-8954.
Boutwell’s Bowling
Sliding down the lanes at Boutwell’s brings us back to our childhood when candlepin bowling was king. No flashy color balls with different size finger holes and weights.
At Boutwell’s, all the balls are the same size and you get three cracks at knocking down all 10.
During our Insider night out on the town issue, we stopped by Boutwell’s for a little bowling to kick off the night, and while the score didn’t reflect it, this is the perfect place for a little friendly competition.
Cost is $4.25 per game, with a $3 price tag for shoe rental. And on Saturday nights, they host glow bowling, which is an experience onto itself.
Everett Arena
If it’s too cold out to make your way to White Park or Beaver Meadow to practice your triple axels, why not enjoy a slightly lesser cold at Everett Arena.
We mean, the ice has to stay frozen indoors somehow. Iit’s not like the heat can be cranked up to 70.
Through March, public skating is held Monday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Sundays 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Admission is $5 (although kiddos 3 and under are free) and skate rentals are available in the pro shop for $5, if you don’t have your own.
Neither if us are all that agile on two tiny metal blades, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be.
Evo Rock
If you’re one of those people who are afraid of heights, you might just want to gloss over this section.
But if being up high doesn’t bother you and you like a challenge, Evo is a good work out as you try to climb a very big wall – just ask our former intern Sam.
Day passes are $16 for adults and $12 for students, children and seniors. If you like it, then you can look into a membership.
Concord Sports Center
Looking for a chance work on your swing before wiffle ball season? What about before you hit the links this spring? Well, you can do both at the Concord Sports Center.
The indoor baseball palace allows you to rent the batting cages for $20 for a half hour or $35 for an entire one hour time slot. You’ll just need a friend to come and throw you live batting practice, but that shouldn’t be too hard considering it’s winter and that’s when people don’t have much going on.
For $7 on Mondays, noon to 3 p.m., the 80-yard indoor driving range, complete with synthetic grass mats, is available to work on that slice you’ve been trying to get rid of since early last year.
You can also rent out the synthetic grass fields for $100 for an hour or $175 for two, but that’s more geared toward teams or groups.
For rental info, call 224-1655 or email concordsportscenter@comcast.net.
Other ideas
Are you more of a pool shark, dart thrower or little soccer player. Well, there’s lots of options for that.
Area 23 has a pool table that’s open whenever the pub is, and the same can be said about Penuche’s. Area 23 also hosts weekly dart tournaments on Thursdays beginning at 7 p.m. If you’re any good, you might just walk out of there with some cash, which unfortunately we didn’t the one time we played.
As for foosball, SubStyle Vapors has a pretty nice one to test your spin moves and crisp passing skills.
So get out there and enjoy an athletic endeavor, because as you can clearly see, Concord has lots to choose from.
