Memorial weekend has just come and gone and local temperatures are holding steady with summer warmth, which can only mean one thing: POOLS ARE OPEN!

​Few things are quite as quintessentially summer as a dip in cool, crystalline water on a hot, sunny day. So, to help you get your summer on, we're sharing some of our favorite hot spots to cool down!

Greensboro's Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe - the largest waterpark in the Carolinas - has all the rides water-loving adventurers crave: seventy-six foot drop down a water chute to give the impression of free-falling? Got it. You want a ride of constant surprises that will have you slipping, sliding, banking, and spinning in the darkness? They have that too! Maybe you prefer hurtling down a winding flume on a raft? You're in luck. 

With thrilling rides, wave pools, Lazee River, wading and swimming areas, and their Soak Zone - 7,000 square feet of interactive spray features - Wet 'n Wild has something for everyone. Right now, you can still purchase a season passes that cover admission every day the park is open. Season passes start as low as $49.99 - a steal, considering a one-day admission is $30.99 - and you have the option to pay for season passes in three monthly installments. 

​Levin JCC in Durham offers a variety of memberships - to people of all faiths - that give members access to both of their outdoor pools. One of the pools is a short course, five lane pool, complete with a diving board; it also has an accessible entrance ramp. This pool is hosts Levin's summer swim team, swimming lessons, and family swim time. The other pool features spray features, a water slide, and beach entry. With a maximum depth of 3.5 feet, this pool is ideal for little ones and for those of us who are kids at heart!

Registration for swim lessons, as well as for the Water Dragons swim team, are still open and are available to Levin JCC members and non-members alike!

Hollow Rock Racquet & Swim Club has plenty of summer fun to offer with its three beautifully maintained pools and tons of aquatic programs for all skill levels. The facility includes a wading pool for the little ones and a recreation pool - complete with slide, 9 foot diving well, and wade-in entry, which are both open during the summer months. It also boasts an eight-lane, short course, heated lap pool that is open year-round. 

The facility offers private swim lessons, swimming classes, and community get-togethers, in addition to youth and adult swim teams. While access to the pools and swim programming is limited to members, Hollow Rock offers a variety of membership levels, including a summer membership.

Parkwood Swim Club is an outdoor, not-for-profit, swimming club that is open to the general public for an annual membership fee. The facility includes a 4-lane, short course lap pool with a deep end area - complete with 2 diving boards and a swimming pool basketball hoop. Parkwood also has a shaded baby pool area, in addition to shaded picnic/cabana areas.

Though the registration period for the Parkwood swim team has ended, registration is still open for swimming lessons which are provided through Pool Professionals' AquaVentures Swim Academy.

Umstead Pines Golf & Swim Club offers members access to a family-friendly pool and a variety of accompanying amenities to enjoy in the summer months. Boasting lap lanes, a diving board, poolside dining, showers and changing areas, planned activities, social engagements and outings, the club is a great spot to cool down and stay entertained. Umstead Pines also offers comprehensive swim programming for youth ages 4 to 18 and hosts the Willowhaven Wave swim team.

Park Valley Pool, a family-friendly, member-owned swim club, offers a relaxing atmosphere while still ensuring the safety of members and their guests. Boasting a large, main pool with a diving area and diving board, a separate kiddie pool, shower facilities, and “The Shack” snack bar, Park Valley is a great place to spend a summer afternoon. Park Valley is currently accepting new members and membership fees are flat: with a membership covering all of the immediate family members living in the same household, Park Valley is particularly affordable for larger families. The facility also welcomes babysitters: once registered and approved by the board, babysitters are counted as a member of the immediate family for membership purposes.

Though the member-owned club’s most robust offerings are in the summer, Heritage Hills has something going on year-round. Members of Heritage Hills enjoy access to tennis clinics and camps, the swim and diving teams, water aerobics, and swimming lessons, in addition to regularly scheduled social events. The main pool at the club is a short course, eight-lane lap pool with a roped off section for beginning swimmers and a section for diving—complete with “one of the only high diving boards in Chapel Hill.” There is also a zero-depth entry kiddie pool, picnic areas, and Mr. Cool’s Snack Bar, which boasts a pretty extensive menu for a snack bar! Heritage Hills Recreation Club is currently accepting new members and provide flat-rate memberships for individuals, couples, and families.

​A member-owned cooperative, the Exchange Pool is a welcoming, family space with convenient operating hours, perfect for summertime play. Equipped with foosball, ping pong, basketball, and a play structure, plus regular social events, the Exchange is a lively gathering space. There are two pools—the main pool and the kiddie/wading pool—surrounded by shaded lounging areas. While the main pool does have lanes for lap swimming, it is also equipped with a diving board, a basketball hoop, and a water slide! The Exchange also offers eight-session swim lessons for kids with certified instructors and hosts the Cyclone swim team. New members can join under an individual or a family membership and must purchase a membership certificate and members can earn a refund on some of their dues by volunteering. 

Five Oaks Recreation Club maintains a long swimming season: the pool is open to members from early May to late September. Newly resurfaced, the short course pool has 6 swimming lanes with diving blocks, an 8 foot diving well, and a 2-3 foot shallow end for splashing around with friends and family. It's even equipped with an AquaClimb® climbing wall!
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The entire pool facility - including a 1 foot wading pool for the littlest members of your entourage, lounge chairs, and umbrella-shaded tables - is surrounded by forest and provides a view of the lake, providing shade and a sense of retreat from the hustle and bustle. The pool is open exclusively to Five Oaks Club members and their guests, but membership does also grant access to the expansive club house, tennis courts, 24 hour fitness center, dog park, walking trails, fishing on the lake, and events year-round. And they are currently running a membership special that is definitely worth checking out! 
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Croasdaile Country Club's recently restored, family-friendly pool is a fantastic place to cool down this summer, complete with changing areas, showers, and poolside dining. In addition to lap lanes that serve as home court to the Croasdaile Crocs swim team, the pool features a shoreline entry with water spouts, a diving board and well, and a poolside basketball goal. With comprehensive swim lessons and programs for all age groups, members of all ages can swim and splash their way through these hot summer days. As it is a club, access to the pool and related amenities are reserved for members, but Croasdaile is currently running two specials that make it an even more attractive option: a two-month membership preview and, because they are currently undergoing a remodel, a "pardon our dust" membership special.
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With three separate pools and a summer pool grill, Governors Country Club in Chapel Hill has plenty of options to keep you and yours cool and entertained. The zero-entry outdoor pool - featuring lap lanes and a slide - and the kid-friendly splash pool are surrounded by shady cabanas, lounge chairs, and umbrella-covered tables. Meanwhile, the club also boasts a year-round indoor pool. Though Governors Country Club is a part of the Governors Club community, membership to the country club is open to everyone.

Boasting three pools, each with ten lap lanes, Seven Oaks Swim & Racquet Club has all you need to get your fill of summertime swimming. In addition to a total of thirty lap lanes, Seven Oaks has a waterslide, diving board, fenced-in baby pool, and a pool-side snack bar. And one of the three pools is designated adults-only. With changing areas, WiFi, ping pong tables, and a wide variety of social events like movie nights, live musical performances, and age-specific parties, there's bound to be something going on at Seven Oaks this summer that will please every member of your retinue! 
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Unveiled only a short five years ago, the pool facilities at Hope Valley Country Club make a big splash on our list. The clubs recreational pool features a zero-entry design, in-ground water jets, and built-in seating. The lap pool boasts six lap lanes and a dive tank, the perfect home for Hope Valley's junior swim team, the Hurricanes. The aesthetics of the club's aquatic facilities are totally on-point: the pools are surrounded by open air cabanas and the rolling, green fairways of Hope Valley's historic golf course.
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Those in our community with Duke University affiliation are lucky ducks: the Duke Faculty Club limits its membership to Duke faculty, full-time employees of the university and the Duke University Healthcare System, post-docs, fellows, and alumni. The club boasts four beautifully maintained swimming pools, including a wading pool, a recreation pool, and two lap pools. The recreation pool promises to be a great deal of fun with a twisting waterslide and both high and low diving boards! And the little ones have it made with the wading pool which is equipped with a zero-entry walkway, water geysers, and spray fountains. Duke Faculty Club also offers swim lessons and hosts the DFC Aqua Devils swim team.
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Decidedly more geared toward health and wellness, the aquatics area at UNC's Meadowmont facility includes a five-lane, short course lap pool, a sauna, a whirlpool, and a warm-water therapy pool. UNC Wellness Center offers group swim classes, private swim lessons, swimming assessments, and various aquatic fitness classes. With a variety of membership levels, including a short-term monthly membership, UNC Wellness Center is financially accessible to folks of widely varying budget restrictions. Enrolling at Meadowmont is even more affordable right now: through June 30th, 2018, UNC Wellness Center is waiving enrollment fees, so the only upfront expense is your first monthly dues payment!
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No discussion of summertime swimming is complete without mentioning the YMCA. With over twenty branches in the Triangle, there's bound to be a YMCA just a hop, skip, and a jump from your home. Offering swimming lessons, lifeguard training, aquatic fitness programs, and swim teams - including the nationally-recognized, year-round YOTA team -, the Y has aquatics programs available for people of all ages and all skill levels. With a variety of membership types, financial assistance to those who qualify, and the fact that your membership at a YMCA of the Triangle will also give you access to all YMCAs around the country, your local Y is always a good bet!
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​Clearly, in an ever-growing and thriving area such as ours, this list is definitely not exhaustive. Did your favorite pool not make the list? Let us know which one and what you love about it! Also, please stay tuned for posts featuring public pools, spraygrounds, and awesome neighborhood pools!

Enjoy the sunshine; stay cool; and, as always, Love Where You Live!

It's spring; it's post-tax season. That means it is time for the annual uptick in new construction.

For many homebuyers, there are quite a few benefits to purchasing a new construction home - customized colors and finishes, new appliances, energy efficiency. There are also a few potential pitfalls potential buyers should be aware of and, today, we're taking the time to talk about those pitfalls and how engaging a buyer's agent to work on your behalf can help you get the best deal.

​From beginning to end, having a buyer's agent working on your behalf makes the process of purchasing a new construction home more manageable and gives you greater peace of mind.

​A buyer's agent can help identify the building most able to meet your needs.
There are challenges faced by all builders - inclement weather, labor shortages, and supply-chain issues -, but an effective buyer's agent can help you identify builders that manage those challenges and deliver quality homes. An agent working in your best interest can rely on their own experiences, as well as the experiences of their colleagues and their vendors, to learn about builders in your area and their reputations in their communities. As one of the most frequent complaints made about purchasing new construction homes is a builder's not completing a home on time; this frustration can be minimized by allowing a buyer agent to tap into their network and give you comprehensive information about the reputation of builders in your area.

Location, location, location.
Having a buyer's agent that has your back when shopping for new construction can vastly improve the value of your longterm investment. Often with new construction neighborhoods, buyers are choosing lots from a builder's plan and don't always know the questions to ask to make sure the lot meets their needs: is there a utility easement on or adjacent to the property? is the lot on a steep grade? how is the drainage on the lot? A buyer's agent who is dedicated to looking out for your best interests can help you navigate these issues, which is particularly important if you have specific needs: maybe you have small children and do not want to run the risk of having a large drainage ditch or culvert on your lot; maybe you or a family member has mobility issues and a steeply graded lot would make getting in and out of the house more challenging. Beyond those potential issues, a buyer's agent can assist you by cutting through the glossy facets of a builder's marketing plan and making sure that the neighborhood will have the amenities and feature you need and want and that the neighborhood itself is in a location that will best suit your lifestyle.

"I don't believe in the no-win scenario." - Captain James Tiberius Kirk
One of the most important reasons to work with a buyer's agent when buying new construction is to make full use of their negotiation skills. A buyer's agent working to negotiate on your behalf can help ensure that the purchase of your new construction home is a win-win scenario for all involved: the builder moves inventory and you purchase a home that will appreciate in value over time, while still meeting your immediate and longterm needs. Beyond lot and neighborhood requirements, your agent will assist you in determining which customized features or upgrades will give you the most bang for your buck - both in terms of your home's appreciation and the functionality of living in the home - and which ones will add unnecessary and unwanted cost to the final purchase price.

Ultimately, having a buyer's agent on your side will help you to filter through the sales pitches and shiny brochures filled with special features so that you can make the best possible choice for you and your needs. Acting as your fiduciary, a buyer's agent will not only help ensure the accuracy of your paperwork, but will diligently protect your interests in the contract between you and the builder, even making sure to recommend an attorney who can add addenda that will protect your interests in the case of complications with the build to the contract. 

It is incredibly important to note that you should have a contract with a buyer's agent in place before approaching a builder: many builders will refuse to pay your agent's commission if they are not made aware from the very first meeting that you will be represented by an agent, leaving you on the hook. So, take your time considering what you want in your new construction home and find an agent you trust to work on your behalf... then, find the home you love.

This weekend is the 23rd Annual Piedmont Farm Tour and it promises to be a big event: for this year's tour, the Eastern Triangle Farm Tour is merging with the Piedmont Farm Tour! With their powers combined, this merged tour is showcasing forty-five sustainable farms in the Piedmont area, six of which have been certified by A Greener World!

Co-sponsored by the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association and Weaver Street Market, the Piedmont Farm Tour brings attention to sustainable farms across Alamance, Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Johnston, Orange, Person, and Wake counties. From 2 PM to 6 PM on Saturday, April 28 and Sunday, April 29, - with select farms kicking the tour off at noon both days - visitors will be welcome to visit any of forty-five scenic, sustainable farms, nearly all of which will have a variety of delicious and fresh foods for purchase, so don't forget to bring a cooler loaded with ice! In addition to the goodies you can take home and prepare, approximately twenty of the farms on the Tour will have tasty treats for you to buy and eat on site to keep you fueled while you check out the sustainable agriculture community in the area.

The NOAA forecast for the area shows this weekend being just right for getting outside and spending sometime getting to know the sustainable farms in our neck of the woods! So, hop on over to your nearest Weaver Street Market location or the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association website and purchase the button that will serve as your admission ticket. The button will cover an entire group, provided they're sharing a vehicle, so bring your friends, family members, or co-workers!

Happy trails, friends! 

​And, as always, Love Where You Live!

Welcome, gentlefolk, to the official launch of the HeartNC Blog!

Today, we wanted to take some time to explore some of the events upcoming in the Piedmont area. It is finally spring - despite winter's recent attempts to keep hold of us - and we're finally getting to be at the time of year to get outside and appreciate the beauty of a renewed and blossoming landscape!

And what better way to explore and celebrate the splendor of a North Carolina spring than with spring festivals!

The area hosts a number of spring festivals and community activities to suit just about any interest! You like craft beer? We got you covered! Wildflowers? Got that, too! Fascinated by science, trains, or gold mining? There are events coming up you're sure to enjoy! Maybe you're more of an indoors kind of person and super into the arts? The Piedmont area is also pretty into the arts. Or, perhaps, you just want to get to know your neighbors and surrounding communities a little better. Whatever the case, central North Carolina has an abundance of upcoming events to get you into the swing of springtime.

Just the first full weekend of April is jam-packed with events! The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, featuring nonfiction films from around the world, begins April 5th and runs through April 7th, 2018. Meanwhile on the 6th and 7th, at the far western end of the Piedmont area, Surry Community College is hosting the 9th Annual Surry Old Time Fiddlers Convention, which includes jam sessions, individual and band competitions, raffles, and Luthier displays. Nearer to the Triangle, The Farm in Selma is hosting the NC Wine & Beer Festival on April 7th. The festival features North Carolinian wineries, breweries, and distilleries, in addition to musical entertainment, chef-inspired menus, and tons of local vendors! And - the best part - a portion of the proceeds from the festival will go to the Foundation of Hope for Research and Treatment of Mental Illness.

HeartNC's hearted events, April 2 - 8:
April 5-7 – 21st Annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival – Durham 
April 6-7 – 9th Annual Surry Old-Time Fiddlers Convention – Dobson 
April 7 – NC Wine & Beer Festival at The Farm – Selma 
April 7 – Rowan Arts & Ag Beer Festival – Gold Hill 
April 7-8 & April 14-15 – 50th Annual Spring Pottery & Glass Festival – Creedmoor 
April 8 – Near & Far: A Celebration of Global Cultures – Chapel Hill 

Mid-April boasts a number of festivals and events too! On April 14th, UNC Chapel Hill is putting on the UNC Science Expo, one of the signature events of the North Carolina Science Festival that runs for the entire month of April and has myriad events statewide. In Greensboro, UNCG University Libraries and the North Carolina Brewer's Guild are teaming up to host, on April 14th, the launch event of Well Crafted NC, at Little Brother Brewery - the Well Crafted NC project is meant to celebrate the tradition of brewing in Greensboro and to introduce the craft breweries in the area to a wider audience. If you really want to soak in the beauty of spring in the Triangle, though, the Wildflower Hike put on by Moorefields is the event for you: the hike will give you the change to explore Seven Mile Creek and, with a botanist as your guide, check out central North Carolina's bouquet of springtime wildflowers.

HeartNC's hearted events, April 9 - 16:
April 13-14 – Tractors & Trains Festival – Spencer 
April 14 – UNC Science Expo – Chapel Hill 
April 14 – NC Piedmont Gold – High Point 
April 14 – Well Crafted NC – Greensboro
April 14 – Eighth Annual Moorefields Spring Wildflower Hike – Hillsborough

As April moves headlong toward May, both Mebane and Fayetteville will host dogwood festivals and, though the two overlap, because they both stretch over multiple days you can actually check out both! On April 21st, the city of Aberdeen is hosting Blue & Brew: A Festival at the Farm, which will feature a number of bands, including Tommy Edwards & the Bluegrass Experience, and food, beer, and cider will be available for purchase. Of course, if you enjoy the sound of bagpipes and the prospect of throwing a battle axe, then you should definitely head over to Huntersville and check out the Loch Norman Highland Games, which is celebrating it's 25th year and is hosted by Historic Rural Hill.

HeartNC's hearted events, April 17 - 30:
April 20-22 - Loch Norman Highland Games - Huntersville
April 21 - Blue & Brew: A Festival at the Farm - Aberdeen
April 21-22 - 10th Annual Spring Pottery Tour - Seagrove
April 27-28 - 30th Annual Dogwood Festival - Mebane
April 28 - Cleveland Strawberry Festival - Garner
​April 26-29 - Spring Dogwood Festival - Fayetteville

There is not nearly enough space here to discuss all of the different events in the area, but if nothing here strikes your fancy, hop on over to the events page at VisitNC.com. Their search feature allows you to narrow by region, city, time frame, and type of event.

Here's to springtime!

And as always: Love where you live!