Local Recreation and Activities

Recreation and Activities

A great attraction of the Green Bank area is the recreational opportunities. The area is renowned for mountain biking, hunting, fishing, camping, and snow skiing. Within easy driving distance, there are opportunities for canoeing and white-water rafting.

Many interesting natural attractions exist in Pocahontas County, including Beartown, with extraordinary rock formations, Gaundineer Knob with virgin spruce timber, Cranberry Glades, with flora not found anywhere south of the arctic tundra. Sites and attractions are described more fully in the Pocahontas County Outdoor Adventure Magazine.

Pocahontas County is the home of Snowshoe Ski Resort, one of the top snow skiing areas in the eastern United States. Children in the Green Bank School are able to ski at a reduced rate on Sundays through Thursdays, through agreement with the Snowshoe Resort. An NRAO ski club, sponsored by the Green Bank Recreation Association, can also ski at reduced rates.

Cass Scenic Railroad ,only 5 miles away, is also a popular attraction in the summer.

NRAO Recreation Area

The NRAO has its own summer recreation area, open to all employees and their families. The area has a swimming pool, open from Mid-June to Mid-August, a miniature gol f course, tennis courts, a basketball court, a picnic pavilion, and a couple childrens Playgrounds.

The site recreation association sponsors a number of activities during the year -typically one every 1-2 months --including the annual summer picnic, Halloween, Christmas, and Easter parties, summer pool parties, winter ski trips, etc.

The Green Bank Employee Recreation Association (GBERA) equips an Exercise Room in the basement of the Residence Hall. The Exercise Room has a treadmill, stationary bike, Nordic Trak ski machine, Universal weight machine, free weights, etc. The exercise facility also has a ping-pong table and several pool tables.

There are a large number of club and athletic activities for children. These include .

 

  • Little League Baseball (May/June; signup in February). Includes Tee-ball (ages 4-7), Minor League (7-12), Major League (9-12), and Junior League (13-14). The younger age groups tend to be co-ed, the older mostly boys. The program is affiliated with the national Little League Baseball Program.
  • Girls softball for older girls .
  • AYSO Soccer (September/October; signup in May) (U6-UI4).
  • Girl Scouts (Brownies through Girl Scouts) .
  • Cub Scouts (Tiger Cubs through Webelos, 6-10)
  • Boy Scouts ( 11 and up )
  • 4- H Club (girls and boys )
  • The school system sponsors basketball teams for girls and boys beginning at Grade 5. The county high school has soccer, football, baseball, golf, and basketball teams for boys, soccer, volleyball and basketball teams for girls, and track for both. Soccer , volleyball, golf and football seasons are in the autumn, basketball in the winter, and baseball and track in the spring.

Connect with NRAO

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory and Green Bank Observatory are facilities of the U.S. National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.

Founded in 1956, the NRAO provides state-of-the-art radio telescope facilities for use by the international scientific community. NRAO telescopes are open to all astronomers regardless of institutional or national affiliation. Observing time on NRAO telescopes is available on a competitive basis to qualified scientists after evaluation of research proposals on the basis of scientific merit, the capability of the instruments to do the work, and the availability of the telescope during the requested time. NRAO also provides both formal and informal programs in education and public outreach for teachers, students, the general public, and the media.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense..."

AUI collaborates with the scientific community and research sponsors to plan, build, and operate cutting-edge facilities. We cultivate excellence, deliver value, enhance education, and engage the public.