20 Charlotte Meet-Up Groups Exploring the Outdoors
Ready to get your hands dirty? Several clubs in Charlotte are looking for new members. Here’s a sampling, broken down by interest:
General Outdoor Interests
The Charlotte Outdoor Parents
This group holds family-friendly meetups, with slower walks and hikes for those bringing kids along. It’s one of several in the area that use Meetup to connect to potential members. meetup.com/CLTParents
Exercise and Excursion with Blue Blaze Brewing
This brewery-sponsored group hosts regular yoga sessions, hikes, backpacking workshops, and guest speakers. Oh, and they drink beer, too. blueblazebrewing.com
Explorer Chicks of Charlotte
Explorer Chick Adventure Co. is a national adventure travel company focused on empowering women. The Charlotte group connects locals to day trips, small group adventures, workshops, and more. explorerchick.com
Goombay-Charlotte
Founded in 1988 in Washington, D.C., this group connects Black communities to outdoor adventure and team sports. Over the past decade, it’s expanded to Charlotte, Baltimore, and Anderson, South Carolina, among other cities. goombaycharlotte.leagueapps.com
Lake Norman Adventures
With more than 8,000 members on Meetup, Lake Norman Adventures encompasses backpacking, hiking and walking, camping, kayaking, mountain biking, canoeing, and general social events. meetup.com/Lake-Norman-Adventures
Latta Outdoor Adventures
This Huntersville-based program centers on activities at Latta Nature Preserve: hiking, trail running, gardening, paddling, and more. meetup.com/Latta-Outdoor-Adventures
McDowell Outdoor Adventures
McDowell Nature Preserve, on the banks of Lake Wylie, hosts family-friendly events like “Astronomy Night Hike,” “Lake Wylie Sunrise Kayak Tour,” and “McDowell Campfire.” meetup.com/McDowell-Outdoor-Adventures
Outdoor Afro Charlotte
Billed as “Where Black People and Nature Meet,” this is another group with branches throughout the United States. Recent trips: South Mountains State Park, Crowders Mountain, and Hammock Beach. outdoorafro.com
Climbing
SheClimbs Charlotte
The group specifies that it’s “not an instructional group or a guide service.” It organizes meetups for independent female climbers and promotes environmental stewardship. meetup.com/SheClimbs-Charlotte
Fishing
Catawba Bass Club
Catawba Bass Club is one of several area fishing clubs that host ongoing tournaments. Yearly dues run $80, and tournament fees are $30. catawbabassclub.com
United Bassmasters
United Bassmasters is affiliated with Fishing League Worldwide and hosts regular tournaments. New members either pay $100 to join the N.C. Bass Federation or go nonfederation for $120. unitedbassmasters.org
Women on the Fly
This group, geared toward women interested in fly-fishing, is based in Davidson. Recent day trips took the group to Helton Creek in Ashe County and Watauga River in Banner Elk. meetup.com/WomenOnTheFly
Gems
The Charlotte Gem & Mineral Club
This group holds monthly public meetings where members discuss the hobby and one topic each session. It also hosts jewelry-making workshops and member field trips. charlottegem.org
Hiking
Charlotte Piedmont Hiking Club
This group says it welcomes anyone from “beginners to experienced trailblazers.” Members recently hiked at Looking Glass Rock near Asheville and Frank Liske Park in Concord. meetup.com/Hiking-Charlotte
GetHiking! Charlotte
With thousands of members on Meetup, this group works with Great Outdoor Provision Co., which gives them space for ongoing meetings and clinics. greatoutdoorprovision.com
Hike for Beer
Members of this national group’s Charlotte chapter bond over craft beers after group hikes and events. hikeforbeer.org
Kayaking/Paddling
Lake Norman Pre-Dawn Weekend Kayakers
This Cornelius meetup organizes pre-dawn kayaking trips. “Then you’ll have the rest of the day to do errands and all that land-lover stuff that weekends are made of,” its page says. meetup.com/Lake-Norman-PreDawn-Weekend-Kayakers/
Mecklenburg Regional Paddlers
This Facebook enthusiast group regularly plans meetups in North Carolina and on rivers and creeks in neighboring Tennessee, Georgia, and West Virginia. facebook.com/groups/251033568375337/
Other
Lake Norman Rod and Gun Club
Founded in 1994, this group focuses on hunting, sport-shooting, and fishing. Annual memberships run $425, which includes access to multiple fields in the Iredell County town of Harmony, guided
and unguided fishing trips, free or discounted access to local shooting facilities, and more. lnrgc.com
The Charlotte Ski & Snowboard Club
This year-round group, founded as the Charlotte Ski Bees in 1963, celebrates snow sports. Adult memberships start at $30 per year. charlotteskiandsnowboardclub.com
