Lifestyle

 Written By Kati Knowland

The Western Wake lifestyle is one to be envied. With top-notch golf courses, museums, fitness centers and even dog parks, it’s no wonder that the area is often ranked among the best places to live. And our readers don’t hold back when telling us their favorite things about the Western Wake lifestyle.

Pets are a big part of that way of life, and Cary Magazine readers offered up the Cary Dog Park as the Best Place to Take a Dog for a Walk. Located on Maynard Road, the Cary Dog Park is the only park in town where dogs can safely (and legally) frolic off their leashes. Dog owners are required to show that their pets have been vaccinated before entering the one-acre park, and a $40 annual fee for residents helps to maintain the park.

Golf is another major pastime in Cary, and our readers are certainly sticking by their favorite courses. Just as they did last year, readers voted Cary’s Prestonwood Country Club the area’s Best Golf Course, with Apex’s Knight’s Play Golf Center and MacGregor Downs Country Club in Cary both snagging honorable mentions in the category. Designed by golf course architect Tom Jackson, Prestonwood’s 54 holes offer golfers of all skill levels a challenging game. Far from just a local favorite, Prestonwood has played host to some of golf’s most celebrated talents and has also welcomed the Senior PGA SAS Champions Tour.

Western Wake residents are an active bunch, and our readers also found a lot to keep them moving in the area. Bikers again chose the American Tobacco Trail as the Best Place to Bike, and the trail also won an honorable mention as the Best Place to Run. But this year’s Maggy Award for Best Place to Run goes to Umstead State Park, a peaceful 5,579-acre park tucked between Raleigh, Cary and Durham. Twenty miles of scenic trails crisscross the park, ranging from the moderately difficult, 7.2-mile Sycamore Trail, to the easy 0.2-mile Company Mill Spur.

And for those who prefer a stop at the gym to a run at the park, readers once again chose Life Time Fitness, on Regency Parkway in Cary, as the Best Fitness Club. This full-service club caters to members’ every need — from cardio equipment and free weights, to indoor and outdoor pools, saunas, a climbing wall, racquetball courts, child care, and even a café, spa and massage services.

Life Time Fitness also won an honorable mention in the Best Yoga/Pilates Studio category, but the Maggy Award winner in that category was returning champ Triangle Pilates and Cary Yoga Center. Patty Geiger, the studio’s founder, said that focusing on the client is one key to their success.

“We challenge our clients with individualized attention in group Pilates and yoga, excite them by adding new programs like TRX and barre classes, and only hire top-notch teachers,” said Geiger. “We love what we do and always give back to the community; our studios have fantastic energy.”

Cary Magazine readers ventured to Durham for their picks for Best Place to Take Visitors — Sarah P. Duke Gardens — and Best Place to Take Children — the Museum of Life and Science.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens, called “the crown jewel of Duke University,” is an exquisite 55-acre garden adjacent to Duke University Medical Center. Visitors to the gardens can stroll through the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants, which features the flora of the southeastern United States; take an exotic trip through the plants of eastern Asia in the Culbertson Asiatic Arboretum; or view the original terrace gardens.

The Museum of Life and Science is home to a little something for children of all ages — from hands-on indoor exhibits about weather, geology and Carolina wildlife to the freestanding Magic Wings Butterfly House, a farmyard and the newly reopened Dinosaur Trail, and much more. Admission is $12.50 for adults, $9.50 for children ages 3-12, and children under 3 are free. But really, there’s so much to do, consider a family membership and get unlimited visits.