If you're looking for a little sporting action, Valdese is blessed with a wide variety of facilities and sites close by. From snow skiing to water skiing, you can just about do it all and get home in time for dinner.
The Frances Garrou Community Center - Features eight bowling lanes, a game room, meeting rooms, basketball gymnasium, snack bar, two all-weather tennis courts, and a modern Olympic-sized swimming pool (see the Aquatic & Fitness Center, below.) Full-time staff are available and in the summer months many activities geared toward young children are held during normal business hours. The Valdese Recreation Department - Affords you the opportunity for new experiences through a variety of programs and classes. Programs and classes offered include: athletics for girls, boys, men, and women, competitive swimming, tennis, art, modern dance, and other programs that address specific needs of the community. Check the Calendar page for registration schedules for Recreation Department sponsored teams.  The Jimmy C. Draughn Aquatic & Fitness Center - This Center was established in the Fall of 2000 after a major renovation of the community center to provide a weight and fitness center, renovated locker rooms, and an enclosed (in the cooler months) and redesigned swimming pool that features more swimming lanes but retains the diving board and shallow end for younger swimmers. Handicapped access was also added with a ramp that leads into the shallow water.
 The Parks - McGalliard Falls Park, dedicated in October of 1982, is a twenty-seven acre site that contains one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Western North Carolina. The waterfall, a forty-five foot cascade, 200 feet in length, fills the park with its sound and beauty. Scenic overlooks provide breathtaking views of the falls. In addition, the park contains a three mile nature/hiking trail, four lighted tennis courts, and a play area for children. An originally designed group picnic shelter can accommodate 200 persons and has restroom facilities. There are seven family picnic shelters, two multi-purpose shelters, two lighted ball fields, and parking for 250 cars.
Children's Memorial Park is a six acre park, offering two streams for wading, a picnic shelter that can accommodate 125 persons and has restroom facilities, playground equipment, a baseball diamond, and a jogging trail. Golf - Though not a service of Valdese, the five quality golf courses within a short drive of Valdese are enjoyed by many citizens. - Mimosa Hills (private)
- Orchard Hills (semi-private)
- Pine Mountain (semi-private)
- Quaker Meadows (semi-private)
- Silver Creek Plantation (semi-private)
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