Many options exist for sports and physical activities | Guide

A wide variety of sports are available locally for athletes and spectators.

I-81 Motorsports Park, sponsored by Victory Sports, is an ATV, motocross, and trail park at 3507 W. Pines Road. It is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from 9:00 a.m. to dusk. Permanent restrooms with showers and overnight camping are available.

Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap hosts stock car racing. The 0.4 mile high grade oval dirt road is located near the intersection of US 11E and Interstate 81 at Exit 23 at 14095 West Andrew Johnson Highway, Bulls Gap, TN 37711.

Super Late Model, Crate Late Model and Hobby Stock are among the racing classes on the circuit. Overnight camping is available.

For more information, call 423-235-5020.

NASCAR fans’ need for speed is fueled by the “World’s Fastest Half Mile” nearby.

Greene County is located approximately one hour from NASCAR’s most popular track, Bristol Motor Speedway. Located on US 11E in Bristol, the historic site can be claimed by racing fans of this area as their home track.

Every spring and late summer, racing fans head to the legendary high-grade track.

With attendance figures that can exceed 150,000, Bristol Motor Speedway hosts some of the largest professional racing crowds.

The Night Race in August is one of the most popular race weeks on the NASCAR National Circuit.

The Bristol Motor Speedway Fan Zone, open year-round, features interactive exhibits, a theater and exhibits about the history of Bristol Motor Speedway and the Dragway.

The weekend ends with the Saturday night classic, the NASCAR Night Race.

Complementing Bristol Motor Speedway is the legendary Bristol Dragway, better known in the racing world as ‘Thunder Valley’.

The quarter-mile strip hosts the NHRA Full Throttle Series each summer in the form of the NHRA Thunder Valley National Championships.

Top Fuel Dragsters and nitro-burning Funny Cars cruise the quarter mile at speeds in excess of 320 mph, while Pro Stock cars deliver some of the closest racing in all of motorsport. In addition to the NHRA visit, a year-long calendar of events keeps the Dragway busy.

Bristol Dragway hosts many events throughout the summer.

From March to October, the dragway hosts Bracket Races, which see a large number of area runners compete for over $100,000 in cash and prizes.

The Greeneville Flyboys are an MLB-sanctioned high-level summer wooden-bat collegiate league.

The Flyboys are part of the new Appalachian League which is part of MLB’s new PDP or Prospect Development Pipeline.

Previously, the Flyboys were the Greeneville Reds, affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds. Prior to 2018, they were the Greeneville Astros in 2017 as Greeneville’s minor league entry which was a starting point for many Major League Baseball players including Houston Astros’ Jose Altuve, Jordan Lyles and JD Martinez.

9 other teams in the new league include: Johnson City, Kingsport, Bristol and Elizabethton in Tennessee; Burlington in North Carolina; Bluefield and Princeton in West Virginia; and Danville and Pulaski in Virginia. All teams from the previous Rookie League participate in the new PDP league.

Pioneer Park, a state-of-the-art 2,500-seat ballpark on the University of Tusculum campus, is home to the Flyboys.

The Appalachian League season runs from the first week of June through the first week of August each year. The new dates coincide with the return of players to their respective schools for the new school year.

Kat Foster is the general manager of the Flyboys.

Department of Parks and Recreation

The Greeneville Parks and Recreation Department offers various leagues in which young baseball players can learn the game and improve: Pee Wee League, Minor League, Farm League, Little League, Junior Little League and Senior League.

Greene County also has traveling teams that are not sponsored by the recreation department. For more information regarding these programs, contact the Parks Department at 638-3143 or 638-3144.

There is a strong tradition of competition between basketball teams of all age levels in this community. High school teams consistently earn berths in the state tournament and have repeatedly brought home state championship trophies.

The Greeneville Parks and Recreation Department sponsors teams for all ages. These games are played at the EastView Recreation Center.

Youth and adult, men and women, basketball leagues are an option at the YMCA. Games are played in the YMCA gymnasium.

Newly renovated Olympia Lanes at 110 Mason St., Greeneville has 12 bowling lanes and features a full pro shop and family arcade.

Birthdays and other holidays are scheduled on request.

Many leagues are available for bowlers of all ages throughout the year.

Call for schedules and lane availability at 525-5296, or check out the company’s Facebook page.

There are football programs in all five high schools as well as elementary and middle schools. Tusculum University is Greene County’s varsity football team.

In addition, a youth football league is offered through the Greene County Youth Football Association and the Boys & Girls Club Football League.

The association is supported by fundraising and donations.

Three leagues exist within the Youth Football Association and begin before August 1.

The Grass Cutters League is for 5 to 7 year olds, the Pee Wee for 7 to 10 year olds and the Midget League for 10 to 13 year olds.

Games are played at Greeneville High School and area county high schools. The seasons of both leagues run from the last weekend of July to the first weekend of November.

The YMCA sponsors co-ed flag football leagues for K-8 youth during the summer.

Several golf courses in a wide range of sizes are available for golfers, from amateurs to pros, around Greene County. Individual stroke play and best four ball are just a few of the tournaments available at nearly every course in the county. There are four 18-hole public courses, one 27-hole public course and an 18-hole members-only country club course.

Graysburg Hills Golf Club, which offers 27 holes is located at 910 Graysburg Hills Road in Chuckey. For more information, call 234-8061 or visit their website at www.graysburghillsgolf.com.

The public 18-hole courses are:

• Andrew Johnson Golf Club located at 615 Lick Hollow Road in Greeneville — Telephone: 636-1476; website: www.andrewjohnsongolf.com.

• Twin Creeks Golf Club located at 90 Chuckey Highway in Chuckey — Phone: 257-5192.

The private 18-hole course is Link Hills Country Club, located at 1325 E. Allens Bridge Road in Greeneville — Phone: 638-3114; website: www.linkhills.com.

Kinser Park, located at 710 Kinser Park Lane in Greeneville, has an 18-hole miniature golf course located near the campground. Hours of operation are generally 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Call 639-5912 for more information.

Pioneer Mini Golf, located at 45 E. Andrew Johnson Highway, Tusculum, features an 18-hole miniature golf course. The opening hours are from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday.

The YMCA, located at 404 Y Street near East Church Street in Greeneville, provides racquetball courts for its members. Reservations are recommended. Phone: 639-6107.

A skate park is available at Hardin Park. The concrete park features ramps, rails, stairs, ledges and other structures where skateboarders are allowed to skate away from vehicular traffic. Skaters are required to sign a written form and wear a helmet.

Soccer programs for young children to adults are offered by the YMCA. Contact the Y for more information.

The Terry Bellamy Soccer Park is located on Bernard Avenue and is named after retired YMCA CEO Terry Bellamy. The main entrance is on Crum Street.

The Greeneville Galaxy Soccer Association is a youth soccer club with three full-size regulation pitches at its 814 Baileyton Road complex, one of which is floodlit for evening games. The club has eight teams, including two recent state champion teams. For more information, see www.greenevillegalaxy.com.

Sponsored by the Greeneville Parks and Recreation Department, adult teams compete in men’s, women’s and co-ed leagues.

Games are played weeknights and Saturdays at Hardin Park.

Legion Field County leagues are also available at the various community ball diamonds.

Public pools are open to area residents at Hardin Park and Kinser Park in southern Greene County and David Crockett Birthplace State Park near Limestone.

Private pools are located at Link Hills Country Club, Moose Lodge and YMCA for the benefit of their members. Many local campgrounds also have swimming pools.

The YMCA offers T-Ball to local youth ages 4 through second grade. The season is from August to October. The T-Ball program is non-competitive in design and primarily aimed at the development of those with little softball or baseball experience.

Public and private tennis courts are numerous.

North Greene, South Greene, and Chuckey-Doak High Schools, as well as Mosheim Elementary School, have tennis courts open to the public.

The Greeneville-Greene County Tennis Center is located on Hal Henard Road. For more information regarding the tennis center, call the Greeneville Parks and Recreation Department at 638-3143.

Link Hills Country Club and Moose Lodge both have private tennis courts.

Many tennis tournaments are played throughout the summer at various times and locations.

The Greeneville Parks and Recreation Department offers men’s and women’s volleyball league games and co-ed teams.

A 1-mile paved walking path at Greenville East Community Hospital, 1420 Tusculum Blvd., is open to the public daily and closes after dark.

Trails are also available for public use at Hardin Park, West Greene High School, Greeneville Middle School, Greene County YMCA, Terry Bellamy Soccer Park, Mosheim Elementary School, Tusculum City Park, and the Tusculum Linear Park Walking Path, which has a starting point at Tusculum City Park.

A walking time, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., is also reserved Monday through Friday at the EastView Recreation Center.

The Creation Health Nature Trail was opened by Greenville West Community Hospital in May 2014. It is a moderate 1.2 mile hike through a fully forested area.

The trail is maintained and offers eight stops with benches. Each stop represents a letter of CREATION (Choice, Rest, Environment, Activity, Trust, Interpersonal Relations, Perspectives, Nutrition). It has two entrances: one entrance is behind the hospital and the other entrance is in the Veterans Memorial Park, located on Forest Street.