Top 10 Community Fitness and Wellness Centers

This year for my birthday, I asked my husband for a health club membership. Prior to then, I would come up with every excuse under the sun to avoid working out. I ran for a while and find running tough. For a chuckle, check out the guy in the background of this photo breathing in oxygen after a 5k race. Do I need to say more?

Baby Boomers, there are new possibilities, even at age 50, if you're not already a health guru. I never imagined it would be so much fun working out at a fitness center with my husband. I thought I’d be embarrassed by my lack of coordination and for not having a clue of how to use the equipment or what it's for. I was happy to find inspiring women and men of all ages at the club and in the same boat, like me.

I quickly became more comfortable and learned the benefits of a larger facility with lots of equipment and personal trainers verses an in home gym. As I sized up our health club, it made me think about all the outstanding fitness centers we've seen at the best master planned communities we’ve scored and how valuable these amenities are.

It inspired my list of the Top 10 Best Community Fitness Centers in the Southeast:

• Waterfall Club Athletic Center, 1105 Waterfall Drive, Clayton Georgia - Renovated in 2011, this Northern Georgia 52,000 square foot fitness center offers an indoor tennis court, basketball court, full service spa, health food at the Waterfall Grille and an indoor swimming pool with a ceiling to floor window peeking out onto the golf course. The fitness center is equipped with the latest fitness equipment and the center has an indoor walking track. Aerobics classes include Zumba, yoga and Pilates. Spa services include deep tissue massages, facials, peels and manicures. The club is adjacent to the Lake Burton Club Mountain Lodge. Membership to the Lake Burton Club Athletic Center is private and the cost per year is $2,750 for a club social membership. 

• Brunswick Forest Fitness and Wellness Center, 2701 Brunswick Forest Parkway, Leland, North Carolina 28451 - Built in 2008, the 18,000 square foot resort-style fitness center just south of downtown Wilmington North Carolina has an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, aerobics studio, a fully equipment work out room with resistance and cardiovascular equipment, ladies and mens lockers, steam showers, saunas and a juice bar. Fitness classes include spinning, Pilates, yoga and Zumba. Low impact classes include the Aqua Pump workout class in the swimming pool. The wellness center is staffed with personal trainers, swim instructors, a nutritionist and a massage therapist is available by appointment. Buyers searching for Wilmington NC real estate will find the Brunswick Forest Fitness and Wellness Center is private and only accessible to property owners. Annual HOA dues for Brunswick Forest which includes access to amenities is $2,160 per year and does not include the Cape Fear National golf course.

• Tellico Village Wellness Center, 201 Dohi Drive Loudon Tennessee - Built in 2007, the 26,000 square foot fitness center in Eastern Tennessee is seated up on hill and has expansive views of the Great Smoky Mountains. Two indoor swimming pools allow for aquatic training in the lap swimming pool and warm water therapy pool. The large exercise room has weight equipment, free weights and an indoor walking track. The two fitness class studios offer aerobics classes such as yoga, Zumba and Tai Chi. The facility has full service ladies and mens locker rooms and saunas. The Tellico Village Wellness Center is open to the public and the cost for a family membership is inexpensive at $485 a year.

• Fairfield Glade Community Center - 130 Stonehedge Drive, Crossville Tennessee - Built in 2008, the 25,000 square foot wellness center is adjacent to the Cumberland Medical Center Wellness Complex, a second wellness facility at Fairfield Glade. Two facilities in side by side. The Fairfield Glade Community Center has an indoor swimming pool, gymnasium, activities room and Starbucks cafe. The Cumberland Medical Center Wellness Complex has an indoor swimming pool and state of the art fitness equipment. The complex provides personal trainers, nutritionists, message and rehabilitative therapy. The cost to use the Fairfield Glade Community Center is $6 per visit for non-property owners. The Cumberland Medical Center Wellness Complex membership fees are approximately $50 a month. 

• The Landings Oakridge Fitness and Wellness Center, 71 Green Island Road, Savannah Georgia - Expanded in 2009, the 48,000 square foot facility is equipped with state of the art Cybex and Precor fitness equipment. The facility has two indoor swimming pools, one outdoor pool, a hot tub, steam rooms and an aerobics studios. Pools include the outdoor Franklin Creek Pool geared towards families and the adult Marshwood Pool offering cabana and pool service. Personal trainers, estheticians, massage therapists and physical therapy are available at the club. Membership is private and the cost for a social membership is $2,282 per year not including golf. 

• Seabrook Island Lake House and Fitness Center, Seabrook Island Drive, Charleston, South Carolina - Built in 2009, the 26,000 square foot fitness center overlooks a tranquil lake. The zero-entry outdoor heated swimming pool and children’s playground are adjacent to the building. State of the art fitness equipment includes Precor, Matrix, Nautilus and Life Fitness. Group fitness classes offered include Pilates, yoga and aquatic aerobics. A beachside swimming pool and poolside cafe are located at the Seabrook Island Beach Club. The community also has one of the best racquet and tennis clubs in South Carolina. Membership is private and the cost for a social membership allowing access to the fitness club is $3,048 per year. 

• Big Canoe Fitness Center, 10591 Big Canoe, Jasper, Georgia - In the northern mountains of Georgia, the 16,000 fitness center has an indoor saline lap pool and outdoor swimming pool overlooking one of Big Canoe’s three beautiful lakes. The outdoor swimming pool is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The fitness center is equipped with strength training equipment, free weights and state of the art cardio equipment. Personal training, fitness classes and massage therapy are just a few of the wellness services offered at the Swim Club. Big Canoe also has a fantastic outdoor rock water slide. Membership to the fitness center is private and only accessible to property owners. Buyers searching for Dahlonega real estate will find Big Canoe close by and well worth exploring. Annual HOA dues for Big Canoe which includes access to the amenities is $2,724 per year, not including golf. 

• Westhaven Residents Club, 1001 Westhaven Boulevard, Franklin Tennessee - Built in the mid 2000’s, the 15,000 square foot plantation style clubhouse has two outdoor heated resort-style swimming pools, a 119 foot water slide and children’s splash playground. The facility is surrounded by flower gardens, a great lawn and has a poolside cafe, lounge chairs under the relaxing Pergola and changing rooms. Fitness equipment and aerobics instruction are available at the club. Access to the Residents Club at Westhaven is only available to property owners. Annual HOA dues for Westhaven which includes access to the amenities is $ 2,292 and does not include the Westhaven Golf Club. 

• Cheshire Fitness and Racquet Club, 25 Jane Jacobs Road, Black Mountain North Carolina - Built in 2009, the 18,000 square foot facility is walking distance from the community Village of Cheshire. The club has an indoor lap swimming pool, therapy pool, hot tub, saunas, men and women’s lockers. The fitness studios offer weight training, aerobics and physical therapy. Classes include Pilates, yoga and Tai Chi. The club also has a coffee/juice bar, nutritionist, personal trainers and offers child care. Membership is available to the public and the cost for a family membership is $1,320 per year. 

• Burlingame Country Club Fitness Center, 19387 Rosman Highway, Sapphire North Carolina - The most expensive fitness membership fees on my list, I still can’t ignore the 17,000 square foot fitness facility with some of the most beautiful views of the Appalachian Mountains in Western North Carolina from the center. The heated swimming pool also overlooks the golf course is located between the fitness center and golf clubhouse. Life Fitness equipment, free weights, aerobic instruction and spa treatment rooms are part of the fitness center. Buyers searching for Cashiers real estate will find membership is open to the public and the cost is $5,600 per year, not including golf. Membership does include access to the award winning dining facilities at Burlingame. 

You probably notice a common denominator here: large swimming pools, professional trainers, fun fitness classes and a large variety of equipment all are attributes of the best community fitness centers. Noticable bonuses are juice bars, spa services, rehab therapy, steam showers and saline swimming pools. Large best master planned communities have the distinct advantage of being able to build these high quality wellness amenities and buyers should take notice. Of course, we always have the option of joining a local health club but it would be rare to find the level of amenities offered above. Surround yourself with inspiring women and men who care about wellness.

We applaud and honor these best master planned communities for their contribution to wellness and for making working out fun. If you’ve found an excellent community fitness center we missed, we invite you to leave a comment, so we can check it out. Ask us to send you an information package about any of these places that interest you. Write us at info@communityfinder.com or call us toll free at 866.384.1799.

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