Whether you are the active outdoors type or looking for a more laid-back way to spend an afternoon, you’ll likely find an activity that fits your interests — from hiking and biking to bird-watching and golf.
Enjoy the outdoors
The county offers a range of options for youth and adults to enjoy, golf, baseball, volleyball and more.
Tennis buffs can practice their swings at the Columbia Association’s three outdoor tennis clubs and 10 indoor tennis courts (columbiaassociation.org/tennis) or at one of numerous courts at the county’s parks or private tennis facilities.
Other sports facilities include:
Columbia SportsPark and SkatePark
Miniature golf, batting cages, in-line skating, skateboarding
410-715-3054, columbiasportspark.org
Extra Innings Elkridge
Batting cages
410-540-9399, extrainnings-elkridge.com
Maryland Juniors Sports Center
Basketball, volleyball, soccer and batting cage
301-490-6802, mdjrssportscenter.com
Rocky Gorge Golf Fairway
Practice range, batting cages, mini-golf
301-725-0888, rockygorgegolf.com
Soccer Dome 1
Indoor turf fields
443-755-0014, soccerdome.com
Volleyball House and Indoor Soccer Arena
410-579-1007, vbhouse.com
Cycling and running
Lots of bicycling clubs and events give residents the chance to hit the road. The Howard County Cycling Club organizes weekly road rides, and the Princeton Sports and Race Pace bicycle shops also organize group rides.
For runners of all ages, the Howard County Striders organize weekly races of 1 mile to 15 kilometers. The group’s Women’s Distance Festival, is one of the nation’s largest women-only races. This year, the Downtown Columbia Partnership and Rip It Events are partnering to host the annual Clyde’s American 10K race in the spring.
Cycle2Health (sponsored by county’s Office on Aging and Independence)
Fit4Mom
443-718-9557, howardcounty.fit4mom.com
Howard County Cyclists
Howard County Striders
Mid-Maryland Triathlon Club
More outdoor sports
The county also offers a few places for residents to roll or glide their way to fun.
Alpha Ridge Park in Marriottsville
Archery range and regulation-size outdoor hockey rink
410-313-4700, howardcountymd.gov/alpharidgepark
Columbia Ice Rink
Ice skating
410-730-0322, columbiaassociation.org/facilities/columbia-ice-rink
Columbia Skate Arena at Supreme Sports Club
Roller skating
410-381-5355, columbiaskatearena.org
Laurel Roller Skating Center
301-725-8070, laurelskatingcenter.com
North Laurel Community Center
410-313-0390, howardcountymd.gov/nlcc
Rockburn Branch Park
Mountain bike course
410-313-4700, howardcountymd.gov/rockburnbranchpark
Skate Spot at Centennial Park
Outdoor skate park located in the park’s north area
410-313-7271 or 410-313-7256, howardcountymd.gov/centennialpark
South Branch Park
Outdoor skate park
410-313-4700, howardcountymd.gov/southbranchpark
Golf clubs
Cattail Creek Country Club (private)
410-489-4653, cattailcreekcc.com
The Club at Turf Valley (private)
410-465-1500, turfvalley.com
Fairway Hills Golf Club
410-730-1112, fairwayhillsgolfclub.com
Hobbit’s Glen Golf Club (semi-private)
410-730-5980, hobbitsglengolfclub.com
The Timbers at Troy Golf Course
410-313-4653, timbersgolf.com
Waverly Woods Golf Club
410-313-9182, waverlywoods.com
Willow Springs Golf Course
410-442-7700, willowspringsgolfcourse.com
Pro teams
Nearby Baltimore is home to the 2013 Super Bowl champion Ravens football team, and to baseball’s Orioles, who fielded a playoff team in 2016. Three nearby minor-league baseball squads — the Bowie Baysox, Frederick Keys and Aberdeen IronBirds — serve as farm teams for the Orioles.
Major Arena Soccer League’s Baltimore Blast and the Annapolis-based Chesapeake Bayhawks, a professional lacrosse team, also call the area home.
Nearby Washington boasts the 2015 NFC East champion Redskins (football), the 2016 and 2017 Metropolitan Division-winning Capitals (hockey), the Wizards and Mystics (basketball), D.C. United (outdoor soccer) and the 2017 National League East champion Nationals (baseball).
School sports
Among area colleges and universities, the Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland are national powers in lacrosse, while Maryland and the U.S. Naval Academy play top-rated football schedules. Maryland also consistently hosts ranked men’s and women’s basketball teams.
Howard Community College fields teams at the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III level in several sports.
Meanwhile, Howard County public high school teams often win state championships.
Active kids
Football, soccer, swimming — the area’s youth leagues encourage activity, competition and improving skills. Clubs and organizations throughout the county offer baseball, tennis, softball, basketball, gymnastics, wrestling, rugby, cross country, ice hockey, figure skating, track and field, volleyball, football, cheerleading and lacrosse.
Other youth organizations offer group fitness classes or gym facilities for kids.
Atholton Youth Recreation Association (baseball and softball)
877-297-2421, ayra.com
Clippers Swim Team
Columbia Horse Center (riding lessons for children and adults, along with summer day camps and shows)
301-776-5850, columbiahorsecenter.com
Columbia Neighborhood Swim League
Columbia Ravens (football and cheerleading)
Elkridge Youth Organization (basketball, soccer, baseball and softball)
Howard County Lacrosse Program
Howard County Recreation & Parks
410-313-4700, howardcountymd.gov/rap
Howard County Youth Program (basketball, baseball and softball)
410-461-7694, hcyp.org
Kangaroo Kids Precision Jump Rope Team
301-490-4995, kangarookids.org
Maryland Sharks (try-out basketball team)
410-300-9221, marylandsharks.org
Savage Boys and Girls Club (basketball, baseball and softball)
Soccer Association of Columbia/Howard County
410-203-9590, sackick.com
Western Howard County Soccer
Western Howard County Youth Baseball & Softball League
Western Howard County Warhawks (football and cheerleading)
The Y of Central Maryland in Ellicott City Dancel Family Center
410-465-4334, ymaryland.org
Adult leagues
For adults, the competition can be as serious as the athlete, and the variety of league sports — many sponsored by the county’s Department of Recreation and Parks (howardcountymd.gov/rap) — includes golf, tennis, bowling, basketball, softball, kickball, badminton, cricket and ultimate disc.
For people with disabilities
The Special Olympics of Howard County involves around 800 athletes with intellectual and related developmental disabilities who compete in 20 sports, including soccer, tennis, swimming, golf, powerlifting and bocce. 410-740-0500 or somdhc.org.
Therapeutic Recreation and Inclusion Services offers integrated sports and arts programs, social groups, summer support camps and community outings for those with mental or physical disabilities. 410-313-4628 or howardcountymd.gov/therapeutic-rec.
Many of the Columbia Association’s facilities are ADA accessible (columbiaassociation.org/ada).
Parks
The Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks maintains more than 40 regional and neighborhood parks with trails, courts, sports fields, pavilions, and areas for fishing and boating. Visit howardcountymd.gov/rap for a park directory, or call 410-313-4700. To rent a pavilion, call 410-313-4682.
Maryland Park Service ( 877-620-8367 or dnr.maryland.gov) operates two state parks with portions in Howard County. Both offer hiking, fishing, camping, canoeing and horseback riding trails. (Patapsco Valley State Park, 8020 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City, 410-461-5005; Patuxent River State Park, 11950 Clopper Road, Gaithersburg, 301-924-2127).
Pools
The Columbia Association offers 23 outdoor pools, two mini water parks and indoor pools at five locations: Columbia Athletic Club (410-730-6744), Columbia Gym (410-531-0800), Columbia Swim Center (410-730-7000), Haven on the Lake (410-715-3020) and Supreme Sports Club (410-381-5355). A number of private gyms and clubs also offer pools.
Columbia Association Pools
Roger Carter Community Center
410-313-2764, howardcountymd.gov/rccc
Walking paths
A 95-mile pathway system honeycombs Columbia, and there are miles of hiking trails in Patapsco Valley State Park and in Patuxent River State Park. It’s 1.9 miles around Lake Elkhorn, 1.4 miles around Wilde Lake, 2.6 miles around Centennial Lake and 1.5 miles around Lake Kittamaqundi. The county’s Department of Recreation and Parks also maintains dozens of regional and neighborhood parks with trails.