Looking for a way to get active this summer? Georgetown County Parks and Recreation is hosting a plethora of free events all summer long.
Recreation coordinator Jason Walters, and his team have planned both indoor and outdoor events for people of all ages. Some of the sporting events being offered include glow-in-the-dark pickleball in Pawleys Island, volleyball at the Andrews recreation center, and indoor soccer led by two college coaches in Andrews.
Glow-in-the-dark-pickleball will take place from 8-10 p.m. July 14 at the Waccamaw Regional Recreation Center. It’s open to all ages and the program is free.
“Pickleball is our most popular sport. We can barely keep up with how many people want to play pickleball,” said Walters. “However, this year we have had a great turnout for all our sports. We had a couple big groups turnout on Thursday (June 22) for volleyball.”
Volleyball will take place from noon to 2 p.om on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the summer at the Andrews Regional Recreation Center. It’s free and open to kids ages 8 and
up.
Indoor soccer is also being offered at the Andrews Recreation Center on July 19 at noon. This program is also free and open to kids ages 8 and up.
“I’m looking forward to the more outdoorsy stuff,” said Walters. “Stuff that people don’t have the opportunity to do on their own every day; that’s a real experience they’ll remember.”
Participants seem to also love the outdoors adventures. Many of the organized camping trips are forced to cut attendance to ensure participates can receive proper safety and the best possible experiences.
The County currently has an overnight family camping adventure scheduled for July 21-22 at Eight Oaks Park. Known as Take a Kid Camping, participants can set up camp inside the park gates from 6 p.m. that Friday until 8:30 a.m. Saturday. There is no cost to participate. Activities during the camping event will include campfire stories, fishing, s’mores making and more. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Space is limited to 50 campers.
The Parks and Recreation Department also has an Outdoor Adventure Challenge scheduled for July 18-21 at Northwest Regional Recreation Center in Choppee. The event will allow participants to try their hand at axe throwing, archery, fishing and fire starting. It’s open to anyone 12 and older and is limited to 12 participants, so sign up early. Registration is open until July 17 or until full.
For those interested in spending some time on the water, the Trident Challenge will allow participants to take part in any or all of three separate kayaking adventures around the county. Guided trips with staff member T.L. Staub are scheduled for July 13 in Georgetown, Aug. 3 at Choppee Creek and a date yet to be determined at Murrells Inlet. The inlet adventure was originally scheduled for June, but was postponed due to inclement weather. Cost to participate is $20 per trip. Bring your own kayak or the county has a limited number of kayaks available for use. Participants do not have to do all three trips to sign up.
For those looking to take it easy, Parks and Recreation has a free outdoor movie night planned for Friday, June 30 at Beck Recreation Center. Come watch the new Super Mario Bros. movie at 8:30 p.m. A screen will be set up beside the track.
The week of July 4th, the county’s Retreat Park in Pawleys Island will be the site of several activities hosted by VibeTime, including the inaugural Pawleys Island Liberty Kickball Classic on July 3. It's part of VibeTime’s Wave That Flag event, cosponsored by the county, the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce and others. It runs from 5-10 p.m. July 2 and 3 and includes live music, food, vendors, open field games and – to close each night of fun – a laser light show.
For more information visit our Parks and Rec. page or @gtcparks on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.