I went here with my boyfriend and his extended family - our group of 13 (ages across 3 generations)…read moreeasily spent almost 2 hours here and we golfed pretty efficiently! This course was one of the most enjoyable and scenic courses I've ever had the pleasure of playing at. Many of these holes were creative and doable as well. And during one of the holes where there's a chance your putt putt ball can fall into the water, there's a grate to catch it. The prices are pretty great, at $14/person for the first round and only $6/person for the second round (for golf at least). The only thing we could really give feedback on was that the train was broken at the time, but they were communicative with us about it and it didn't affect how much we could play. We could still easily access the upper levels of the course just fine, and even our elderly players walked up the steps and slopes fine as well. Some of the "mineshaft" looking areas were pretty warm and stuffing (just a warning!), though. Overall, it's a really enjoyable and nice place to go to with groups. It's one of the larger activity-based attractions on the island, so depending on when you go, it can get quite busy. The ambiance was lively, though, and it drizzled a bit (I like a little rain). They also had go-kart raceways and water boats, too! We'll definitely be coming back to enjoy all the activities in its entirety :)

We were a group of nine that visited Professor Hacker's Lost Treasure Golf and Raceway. Although…read morethis spot is a bit outdated, it's a good place for some family fun. We tried their go-karts, bumper boats, and 18 hole mini golf course. We go-karted first. I couldn't hear any of the instructions and had to come back to get a back seat to be able to drive better (I highly recommend getting the extra back cushion if you're on the shorter side). It's a very short course, so the laps get repetitive, but we still had fun. We tried the bumper boats next. I didn't enjoy this one as much because my boat's motor was broken and I couldn't move, so I got stuck in corners if people didn't bump me. I did enjoy spraying my family friends though. The mini-golf here is harder than it looks! We had a great time trying all the different courses. Some things felt in need of love or an update, but this didn't take away from the mini-golf experience. Overall, we had a fun evening here.

This was a very nice race (I ran the half). It's not too big, so the most awesome thing is that I…read morewas able to leave my hotel and be in my corral in five minutes. Also, the race ended right at my hotel so that was great. Corrals were very orderly. Music along the course was good but not as much as other Rock N Roll events I've run. Volunteers everywhere were outstanding. They really did a good job there. Plenty of course support from spectators, policy and EMTs. Really pretty well organized. The weather was perfect the day I ran so I won't even bother to complain about the hills, although the one before mile 7 and the little one right before mile 12 I thought would kill me. Expo was small but efficient. On the not so great side, I don't like the company that did the timing for this race. It was hard to navigate on mobile and if you were a runner they made you sign up to get data (so just pretend you're a specator) and even then, the data was bare minimum. They need to look at how timing is done at other races to see it done correctly. Another thing I have to say is that Rock N Roll races make their websites overly complex and hard to navigate. To find info about the start corrals, I had to click a lot and then I just got a map. There were no instructions that said how you should enter the corrals, which would have been helpful since the bag check was in front of the start line across the course and the corrals went around the block. Make the logistics easy to find with one or two clicks. Especially on mobile. When people are traveling around they are more likely to have a phone or tablet than a full PC so optimize your website for mobile. Very poor mobile experience. I don't advocate traveling to NC due to their regressive and repressive governor but if they ever get their act together and decide to join the 21st century, this would be a fun race for everyone.

3/15 runs for the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame 2015!…read more WHERE IS RALEIGH? jk. If it weren't for this Rock n Roll thing, I would have never even considered Raleigh as a travel destination, running destination, or anything destination. I'm from sunny San Diego, and we have everything. lol. jk. THE EXPO If you've been to one RnR Expo, you've been to them all. There were a bunch of booths promoting some type of fitness food, gadget, destination, ect. Outside of the convention center, I loved how they dressed up the statue of Sir Walter Raleigh with racing gear. It was cute. I love the community spirit. THE SHIRT Also cute. Loved the squirrel! Wish the medal and the shirt would coordinate because they were two completely different designs. RnR should probably consider that for all its races. And you Raleigh folks, someone should have dressed up as a squirrel, or even Sir Walter Raleigh. Show your pride in your city. lol. THE ROUTE It was a little challenging, but doable. There were hills, and a lot of trees. Raleigh is known for being "The City of Oaks" thus a piece of bark flew into my mouth and it made me choke during the race. lol. Considering that this was a spring race, and with things starting to bloom... hello allergies! Pollen levels were HIGH. In addition to choking, I was sneezing a lot, and my eyes kept watering up. To my allergy-friendly friends -- start taking some allergy medicine prior to the race, and make sure it's the non-drowsy kind. You don't want to look drunk on the course. Despite the hills and the allergy attacks, I actually did fairly well. THE SOUTH You need to remember, you are in the South, home of the Chick-Fil-A. lol. jk. (They were everywhere though!) Sunday's in the South... prepare for closure! A lot of restaurants, grocery stores, sightseeing places were closed. Surprisingly, the half marathon was on a Sunday, as opposed to the typical South hosting races on Saturday's. The places I had in mind to check-out were all closed -- especially the restaurant I had plans to pig out at after the race, and unexpectedly, convenience stores for allergy medicine. I was hungry with a runny nose. Luckily Jimmy John's (gourmet sandwich joint like Quiznos) were handing out free sandwiches after the race, so half my problems were solved. It may not seem like I had a good time in Raleigh, but I did. A lot of funny stories came out from this mini vacation. (ie I ALMOST DIED VIA UBER. Well not really, but I had the potential to. And, weird people asking for my number... are Asians non-existent in the South or something? lol. jk.) Would I probably do it again? No, but you gotta do what you gotta do for the bling-age. lol. **If you run the 3 out of the 4 Rock n Roll marathon/half marathons in the same calendar year - New Orleans, Raleigh, St. Jude Country or Savannah you will earn the Southern Charm medal!

3 April 2016 The…read moreboyfriend and I decided to run the All American Marathon this year as we cumulatively ran around 26 miles over the month of March and should be fit enough. I tried, but the boyfriend tried harder and was subsequently injured due to massive blisters developing at mile 3. I had my no-rub glide stick, and applied liberally every few miles to my feet and chicken wings. I was told there were food (banana, shot bloks) on the course but I ate all my shotbloks and starved from miles 19-26.2. Then I stuffed my face with muffins at the finish line. - Expo: The health and fitness expo was your typical runner's expo. Not really much to do expect make a loop around, check out the non-deals and head home. + Shuttles: I signed us up for the morning shuttles at 11pm the night before the race, but nobody took our names when we boarded on the All-American side. - Parking: Park on the Riley side of the hospital or in the neighborhoods around Iron Mike. The walk from the finish line to the All-American side parking lot of the hospital is, the boyfriend claims, really, really far. + Start: The shuttles dropped us off a short ways from the start with enough time to stand in line for the porta-johns and then head to the start. Apparently there are plenty of clean bathrooms at the stadium, but most people opted to wait for the porta-johns closer to the start line. - Temperature: Cold, terrible, but not raining. I brought a foil, others brought old sweaters to throw away during the course, boyfriend brought nothing and suffered. I didn't ditch my foil until maybe a mile out but then regretted it because it didn't get any warmer. - Wind: Head winds alert - Course: Start at Downtown Fayetteville's Festival Park to historic downtown Fayetteville to Veterans Park, the Airborne and Special Operations Museum, then hills and pavement until the All American highway. Halfers turn right onto Normandy once onto Ft Bragg and Marathoners turn left and prepare to zig zag through walkers on the scenic barracks route. We pass one Exchange on the way on Butner but otherwise for the hungry, you're SOL. I drank a U-can and a water at every water station, basically every mile cause I was desperate. + Finish: Nice neighborhood areas make for an enjoyable last mile. The finisher's medal was heavy and the duffel was great. I stuffed my face with granola bars, bananas and muffins. PDQ was on the scene, but it's not for the penniless. Overall the course is not hard if you're okay with a 5 hour marathon time. The scenery does get boring so bring a fun audiobook (I brought Harry Potter!) and if you get hungry during runs, bring money and look very hard around mile 10 for bananas. On to the next race!

My girlfriends and I decided to take our running on the road to attend the divas race in myrtle…read morebeach. The registration and packet pickup process was very organized to our surprise and they had many vendors on site selling cute running accessories. What we didn't find out until getting back to our room was that the manufacturer of the race shirts screwed up the sizing and they were all a size too small. They did offer replacement shirts once we returned home. The race itself was hype with lots of music, tiara's and the like......the course was another story all together, very confusing and no clear markings separating the half marathon from the 5k as the course blended the 2 at certain points which caused lots of confusion. I doubt I would return to the Myrtle Beach series, but perhaps another city next year.

After being bit by the running bug pretty recently and finishing my first half at the Disney…read morePrincess in February, I started hunting for fun, entertainment-forward races, keen on setting a PR. The Divas Half Marathon series had a stop in North Myrtle Beach... which I could drive to, and which I knew would be a flat and fast race. The expo was sort of sad. We were able to park nearby, but we went in what was apparently the exit. And when we wound around to where they were handing out the Myrtle Beach tourist bags, they tried to usher us out, not understanding that we had missed the entrance by going in the exit. Once we got that cleared up, it was quick to pick up our bib in one room and our tech tees in the next. I was disappointed by the small number of vendors, and we were in and out. I registered myself for a Small and my husband for a Medium tee (the registration said they were not providing men's shirts, so I figured I'd get two for myself -- and one of them would be bound to fit). I was amazed to find that the two were identical in size -- I lined them up and there's maybe a quarter-inch breadth difference in the shoulder, but not in the body. They're also cut oddly... so they practically show your midriff in front and then have a tail in the back. Apparently, Divas used a different manufacturer this year -- and the result was not too popular with the ladies! One of the things I liked best about this particular race is that you could stay in a nearby hotel and walk right to the start line. Since there weren't a ton of porta potties at the start (and about ~4,800 women), I was grateful I was able to stay in my hotel room until 30 minutes before the clock started. Divas negotiates discount rates with some partner hotels, however so many of those required a drive to the race. I'd recommend Avista -- affordable and one block away from the starting line, ocean-front, indoor and outdoor hot tub, and large bathtubs with jets. I thought the starting line was set up pretty clearly... there are pace marker signs to the side to help everyone line up, and there are pace captains with pink balloons (although, it was surprising to me that after seeing the 10min/mi pace captain, the only other one ahead appeared to be 7min/mi!). I lined up midway in the 9-10min/mi section. Announcements were made, the anthem was played, and we started off in one mass mob. Not having multiple starts created a little congestion at the get-go. We wove some for about 2 miles (nothing nearly as bad as Disney Princess though). And by mile 3, we were definitely thinned out. I ended up pacing faster than I'd planned, and ended up passing lots of people in the beginning, but gradually caught up to folks falling into a 9min/mi pace, and got settled. Not much spectator support on this, but the scenery wasn't bad (we never saw the beach though!). I especially liked miles 8-11 that took you through some pretty neighborhoods, with mansion-like houses. Thank you especially to the couple who tail-gated with their SUV and played music, moving to two different spots on the course. You put a spring in my step that I needed! Radio stations and DJs provided music at another 3 stops. There was a duo of goofy guys who reappeared with their signs and affro wigs and antics at three spots along the course. But most of the spectators were there for a specific person and not cheering for others. For most of the route, opposing traffic was allowed, but this didn't seem to be a safety issue. And the route never narrowed so much that I thought it was creating any kind of bottleneck. Watch closely for the signs indicating 5K course vs Half Marathon -- I almost missed the turn, and vice versa, saw a couple of 5Kers have to backtrack. Aid stations and water/Gatorade stations were well-spaced and pretty well-manned. Grabbed a tiara at 12.75 (was hugely disappointed to discover it's a dollar-store plastic version and not a nice metal one). Hubby tried to get a boa, but the volunteers were slow, and he didn't want to slow down for them. Leading up to the finish line, there was great support; we rounded the corner, saw the end, and sprinted it out. For a PR at just under 2 hours! As promised, sexy shirtless men crowned you with your medal, we were handed a bottle of water, followed by a rose, followed by a champagne flute. And then you could grab your choice of banana, apple, bagel (jam provided), or oatmeal cookie. The tour announcer/mascot Honey Loquacious was on stage with some great music playing. But no one was dancing. Boo! Overall, this race met expectations. Especially for the price. What I liked most: lots of encouragement and friendly runners; fun costumes and incorporated pink; substantial medals; ease of race access; completely flat course that's not over-crowded; low humidity (at least this time of year!).

Great race track. It's a paved race track too. It's located way out in the middle of no where also…read more I really enjoyed visiting the racing facilities here. Bathrooms have a place where you can wash your hands. They also concession stands that have great food. They also had no lines every time I wanted something to drink and eat. Race track view: all seats are good seats from what I see. But, I would recommend sitting up as high as possible to get an even better view. I could see the race cars driving around the whole race track. I met a friend beside me while here. I said he was a regular and used to have a race team and come to this race track in his younger days. He mentioned a few drivers that were racing today that used to drive for him. Prices for admission was very reasonable. They were charging $15 to get in. They also have senior citizens discount where it was only $12 for admission. In summary, I had a great time. I will definitely come back to this race track soon. Everyone was nice and friendly.

Been coming here since before I could walk and i don't regret it. It's so fun and interesting every…read moretime I come. Especially when my dad races but I can't wait to be able to race here!

We spent a very enjoyable hour here hitting balls in the batting cages and racing go karts. It is a…read morehuge campus that also has a driving range and an indoor area with bowling and an arcade that felt a bit like the inside of a casino. There were tons of people there when we went but it still didn't feel crowded. The batting cages were fun, but several did not work and it was very unclear if the helmets had ever been cleaned. It is located right over the bridge from Emerald Isle, so it is super convenient.

Took the grand kids here ( ages 2,5,11,12, and 18) on a recent Saturday…read more What a great place for kids (and adults)! Place is huge with ample parking. Staff was young but helpful. It was raining so we couldn't do the mini-golf or go-carts. There is also a huge jungle gym & driving range. Inside had an approx. 20 lane bowling alley and a large selection of modern day video games ( including VR types). I say "modern day" since you won't find any classics like Pac-Mac or Donkey Kong. I didn't see pinball either but there might have been. No coins or tokens here. Load up a player's card with $, and each game is $1-4. Gain points on your card as you play and cash them in for prizes at the counter. I see they do run specials depending on the day of the week. IMO a great place.