Horseback riding is a fantastic sport for all levels and can be enjoyed on many trails across Middle Tennessee.

There’s nothing quite like the chill of cool, fall air or the sound of autumn leaves crunching beneath you while bouncing up and down high off the ground .. on a horse! Horseback riding is a sport that can be enjoyed by all ages — from the very young to the active aging. While finding a horse that meets your stature and experience may seem intimidating, once you establish a rapport with your equine friend, you can relax and enjoy nature and the ride.

There’s nothing like carrying the necessities of life on your back, and you don’t have to be an Everest sherpa to do it. Backpacking is one of the best outdoor sports out there — it’s free, easily accessible, fun and great exercise. The difference between backpacking and hiking? A backpacker travels deeper into remote areas, away from day-to-day “noise,” and accesses trails that the normal day hiker does not.

Nothing else provides the most freeing feeling than the purest form of human flight ... hang gliding. And, Nashvillians are lucky to have the top hang gliding mecca in the country less than two hours away at beautiful Lookout Mountain.

Whether scaling sandstone in Chattanooga or faux rock at Climb Nashville, the Southeast’s largest indoor climbing gym, rock climbing offers an excellent exercise alternative. It’s the art of literally climbing either natural or man-made rock with the goal to summit or reach an elevation target. The task is not pulling yourself up with your arms but rather pushing with your legs, feeling hand holds, making move decisions and balancing.

Are you tired of going up and down on a machine? Or being yelled at by a fitness instructor? Get out. Outside, that is. Being active in the outdoors is invigorating, challenging and ... accessible! Tennessee offers a variety of outdoor fitness options, from kayaking and hiking to rock climbing and mountain biking. Not only does adventure fitness offer diverse options, but each workout is vastly different from the next depending on the terrain and location: you can hike on the flat trails at Shelby Bottoms Greenway or on the undulating trails of the Great Smoky Mountains.