This is such a great group! It was one of my favorite parts about living in Lowell. It's a…read morebeautiful 5k down by the water followed by an after party! Who does love that?!?! Best part are the PR medals. Each week you are judged against yourself and only yourself. If your time is a PERSONAL RECORD (PR) you get recognized at the after party and given a rubber Miely award. These awards mean so much to me because it's more than participation, it's pushing yourself and proof you're improving as a runner. These were such good inspiration when you're only half a mile out and feel the tank on empty, knowing you just need to shave off 5 secs from your previous best. I recommend this group to all ages and abilities. It won't disappoint.

On Tuesday evenings at 7pm from April through June, runners compete in 5k road races in downtown…read moreLowell. There are ten races in this Springtime running Series, and runners may sign up online or at the beginning of the race. The Good Times 5K Running Series runs every Tuesday night at 7:00 from at the Hookslide Kelly's located at 19 Merrimack Street, in downtown Lowell, MA. All races begin on French Street near Lowell High School (just 1/10th of a mile from the Hookslides) and ends near the beautiful Boarding House Park. The ten week series will feature a different "theme" each week. Runners compete for weekly prizes based on the theme that evening. Runners will also be competing for weekly points that will be counted towards overall series awards (see series scoring). An awards ceremony will be held each week starting at 8:00 PM at Hookslides.

Recently renovated huge workout room loaded with treadmills, ellipticals, freeweights, machines,…read moreetc. Area is well kept and clean. Four flat panel TVs to watch while working out, bring your own headphones. Lots of classes to take if you show up during scheduled hours. Pool too. Showers and locker rooms downstairs. Gets crowded around lunch time and early evening when people get off work. Other than that there's not much fighting over machines. p.s. Don't forget to wipe down the machine after you use it. Just because I always do and hate when others dont. Poor hygiene.. tsk.

I am a workout junky who craves access to everything from cardio classes to lap swim to boot camps…read more The YMCA Downtown Manchester branch provides access to these activities and more at affordable prices. Becoming a member was easy and enjoyable, with staff member Toi taking the time to give me a tour of the facility and respond to my numerous questions. She even let me take a look at an Aqua Zumba class in action, which left me with a very positive impression of the club atmosphere. I signed up for membership immediately after my tour. The workout rooms are spacious and well-appointed with a variety of cardio, strength, and stretching equipment. The attendants and staff on the floor are always pleasant and helpful. The large flat-screen TV's provide the opportunity to catch a tv show, a game, or the news while getting a great workout in. They also offer a wide range of classes, but they tend to start at odd times (12:05 pm, 3:40 pm, etc.). I am sure this is to accommodate their busy programming schedule, but it can be a bit more confusing than gym schedules that start on the half hour. On Zumba: I am a regular attendee, and the class quality here is pretty good. The three instructors cooperate in preparing routines, so they are consistent with each other. For lap swimmers: The pool is small and the summer lap swimming schedule is quite limited. There is not much this branch can do to rectify this, given their spacial constraints, but it might not be the right club for avid swimmers. The bottom line: The YMCA downtown is a nice club in a convenient downtown location. The facilities, offerings, schedules are not exceptional, but they will work well for those looking for a wide variety of activities in a friendly environment.

Amazing drop with interesting loop and cutback. Zero-g roll is very good. Worth the wait. I ride it…read moreevery single time i go to canobie lake park and the lift is surprisingly a fast lift hill. First drop is very intense but in a good way. Btw i am posting this on my mom's account. lol

Untamed is the biggest roller coaster at canobie lake it's a vertical drop and it feels like you…read moreare going to smash into the ground it's fun but don't undermine how intense that first drop is!!!it's a must ride for those who love a thrill

I have been an active member of Bridge Fitness for almost two years now…read more These people saved my life... or helped me save my own life. I am 5'6", and weighed in at a nice rotund 235 lb. I was out of shape, on a CPAP machine at night, on tons of meds for cholesterol, GERD, etc. At age 63 I was at high risk for a life ending medical event! Then Bridge Fitness offered a Foundations class for January 2019. I knew I had to try something so I went for it. The first class was intimidating, hard, and amazingly encouraging! The coaches are amazing. I left with a splitting headache, thinking I was lucky not to stroke out during that workout! But I was hooked. I attended every one of the 12 Foundations classes, then signed up for a regular membership. Achieving fitness is hard work... there are no shortcuts. But Lori & Ron, the owners, and all the other coaches are amazing at teaching you proper technique, modifying workouts to your current ability, and encouraging you! And... I would be remiss to not include the impact of the gym community. I've developed wonderful friendships with my gyn buddies. We look out for each other. It's wonderful to walk into the gym after a hard day and be greeted by everyone, enjoy the chitchat before and during the workouts... and push each other on to higher heights. Since playing team sports in high school, I haven't had that kind of camaraderie. I'm still 5'6"... but now 185 lbs, I turn 65 in a week, and I am in the best shape I've been in a long, long time. I feel healthy, I look healthy, I sleep awesomely, the CPAP is long gone, as are several medications! Hey, I may still stroke out one of these days... who knows... but at least I am totally enjoying these years. Thank you Bridge Fitness!!!

First time I've heard about the New England Challenge was in 2017, the inaugural series was held in…read more2016. What an insane way to pick up states for the half marathon or marathon goal in a minimal amount of time. I've been around the block, but 6 days in a row seems pretty nuts. I've been around long enough to know virtually everyone in the club who's done at least one round of the 50 states marathons. Race morning started at the Granite State marathon / half marathon here in Nashua, New Hampshire. The New England Challenge attracts veteran marathoners and half marathoners who wish to run a half marathon or a marathon up to all 6 states in the series. You decide on what states you want to do or need for your own personal goal(s). With that said, we arrived at Mine Falls Park in Nashua around 5:30am on a brisk Tuesday morning. It was interesting to be running a race on the weekday, even though I was just in Maine the day before! The New England Challenge / Granite State marathon & half marathon draws a small field, which is less than 100 individuals for both events. I ended up running the half marathon for New Hampshire this event, which was quite scenic trails within a large park. You never know you were in a city, since the trails seemed far outside the city. The event was small and felt like a training run, even though it's a race with a race number on your t-shirt. The overall experience here at The Granite State marathon / half marathon in Nashua, New Hampshire was quite nice, quite excellent, and casual. The main thing about the entire series and not just this event is that there is no time limit. Many others do have a one, ranging from 6 hours to 8 hours, depending on the race. It's not festive like many races out there, but you can say that it has its purpose for goal oriented people - like myself. The course is basically multiple loops around Mine Falls Park, which was 4.96 miles once around. We had a shorter out and back loop of 1.6 miles (for the half, 1.4 for the marathon) to do initially before we started the larger loop around the park. It was nice to see familiar faces each time I came across them. I did enjoy the scenery while I went around purposely and it help me motivate myself to keep moving and keep on smiling - since it was just day one and already a bit tired from doing the same thing in ME the day before. The trail itself was nice and we creeped around the river on the last 2 miles of the loop. It was nice and serene, especially during a week day morning. Registration is conducted online, but they do have race day registration. Just need to get there early to fill out an entry form and pay the fee. There was an electronic timing station that was basically next to the main parking area at Mine Falls Park. It recorded the time for every lap that we do, which is cool. The lone aid station was loaded with food and drinks - you probably could gain weight while doing a half marathon or marathon. The support staff was great, cheering us on lap after lap. It was inspiring to see friends out there to help me push forward, even though I had 4 more days of this - just different venues. It was a cozy race that was nice. Mine Falls Park was the ideal location for this race. Upon finishing my half marathon, I announced that I was done and got my finisher medal. I hung out at the finish line area to wait up for a friend of mine to finish. Once everything was in order, we gingerly walked back to the rental car and headed to Vermont day 3 in Springfield the next morning. The appeal for The New England Challenge and doing marathons or half marathons is the economic factor. Doing them all together brings travel costs down a lot, but you'd have to be physically and mentally prepared for such an adventure. For the most part though, I enjoyed my time here in Nashua, NH and at the Granite State marathon & half marathon. 5.0 stars for the overall experience. Consider this race or the series when you are running 50 states half marathon or marathons. Support local! Run More! A+

This is one of my favorite places in Gloucester. I've been coming here since I was a kid; back…read morethen, we only walked the main trail and didn't do very much hiking. When I rediscovered it, I was surprised how many little trails there are! If you're directionally challenged, like me, you'll probably want to pick up a map before you start walking. The parking lot is pretty small and fills up quickly. Even when it's full, though, I rarely run into other people walking the trails. I love coming here to just pretend I'm in the middle of nowhere, away from all traces of human life... this is the one place I'm happy to be alone, with no music, no kind of stimulation besides the woods. Is there anything better than listening to leaves/branches crunch under your feet, the wind through the trees, the faint sounds of squirrels running on the ground? I think not. Best of all, the trails are easy enough for most people. There are many short trails that connect to longer ones, so if you find it too easy, you can just keep going. I tend to walk longer than I should and end up sore the next day-- but it's always worth it.

What a great park for the north shore!!!…read more We struggle to find places our dog is allowed off leash- so this place is a saving grace!!!! Love that you can spend just an hour or a whole day, since there are so many trails. Not a ton of hills or anything, but the occasionally slight ascent / descent. Followed the yellow and blue trails last time (can't remember the names) and there were a few very unavoidable muddy patches, so make sure you have some footwear you don't mind getting dirty. If you plug it into google maps you may get routed to some awkward non-entrance (we had this problem). Make sure you check Yelp or the Maps app (on iPhone) for the actual entrance. As others mentioned, small parking lot with plenty of street parking. Can't wait to go back!

This 5k race (about 3 miles) starts on Merrimack Street downtown and goes through Kerouac Park and…read moretwo other parks. It's another way to celebrate the life and works of Lowell's Jack Kerouac.

A MUST DO! Hampton Beach New Hampshire provides a One,Two Punch of Activities. First you can take a…read moredip in the ocean although sometimes the water can be a bit chilly or lay out in the sun or take a stroll along the seashore. Cross the street & there is a plethora of activities including shopping for T Shirts, Clothing, Souvenirs, Beach & Gift items. Mrs. Mitchell's has been a Gift Shop Staple since 1966. There are lots of eateries & restaurants with an ocean view too. There are also Arcade Games at Playland & Funarama with Vintage Machines from the 60s & 70s with get this .25 & .50 prices per machine. There's also a Throwback Dugstore here - a Rexall Drugs with Vintage Signs. There is also a Ballroom & Casino that brings in top name bands & concerts. They also have Special Events like The Masters Sand Sculpting Classic, The Sea Food Festival & others that brings in a ton of people. Check out their website for more details. You can park at the meters & have a whole day & night of Fun! It used to be, you had to have Mega Bucks & be really Rich to have the Good Life, not anymore. The Game has changed. You've been Upgraded. Now You Can Live Like a King on a Limited Budget!

We booked three nights of dry camping and arrived Friday excited to start our weekend…read more Unfortunately, we barely made it 24 hours before deciding to leave because of the way we were treated. We were told by another man at the campground that we were permitted to run our quiet generator overnight. The posted cutoff time was 9:00 AM, and we fully intended to shut it off by then. At approximately 8:50 AM the following morning, a woman who lives on-site who is named Karen (no pun intended)- and appeared to run the facility came pounding on our RV door, yelling at us about running the QUIET generator all night. We tried to explain that we had been told we were allowed to do so and that we were going to shut it off at the required time. Instead of having a reasonable conversation, we felt that we were essentially pushed out and harassed during the short time we were there. We also had our baby with us, and it was a hot summer night. Being told that we should have simply opened the windows was incredibly frustrating and felt completely dismissive of our situation. We came to enjoy a three-night camping weekend and instead left after barely 24 hours because of how uncomfortable and unwelcome we were made to feel. We have never experienced this kind of treatment at a campground before. Unfortunately, based on this experience, we will never be returning to Hampton State Park RV Camping. The way we were treated was completely unacceptable and left us extremely disappointed and disgusted with the experience. She told us and I quote "this is a campground, not a prison" But clearly it wasn't.