Michigan, U.S.A. — A new generation is redefining retirement by diving into high-energy activities and seeking new experiences – from motorcycle riding and hiking to kayaking and white-water river rafting.

One of the nation’s active adult community builder reports that high-energy clubs and activity groups are gaining popularity across the nation, with health and fitness emerging as a top interest among both Del Webb residents and prospective home buyers.

“Recreational interests among Baby Boomers are more diverse than ever before. Sure, golf and tennis are still popular, but now so are outdoor adventure activities like canoeing and kayaking, marathon running, rock climbing, off-roading and even sky diving,” said Judy Julison, Del Webb’s national director of lifestyle. “I’ve worked in the industry for more than 30 years and have never seen a more diverse group of people with so many varying interests.”

Julison added that expectations about age, vitality and quality of life continue to be redefined and emphasize the importance of physical activity for many Del Webb residents. Advancements in health care and improved access to wide variety of fitness and wellness oriented programs have contributed to promoting improved health and extending life expectancy. Boomers feel years younger than their chronological age and this typically is reflective of their active lifestyle, she said.

According to the most recent Del Webb Baby Boomer survey, 80 percent of Boomers indicated that they feel younger than their current age. More specifically, younger Boomers, age 50, said they feel 10 years younger, Boomers in their early 60s said they feel 13 years younger and Del Webb residents with a median age of 65 said they feel 15 years younger than their actual age.

“Baby Boomers enjoy ‘experiences,’ rather than just ‘activities.’ They are also known to go to great lengths to resist the realities of aging,” Julison said. “Our Del Webb residents are constantly seeking new, active and high-energy activities that can be incorporated into their everyday life, that also allow them to socialize and have fun. They are often motivated by a simple desire to try something new or to engage in an experience that challenges them physically and mentally.”

With 73 percent reporting they exercise regularly, Del Webb residents are embracing more health-oriented and fitness activities. This is also reflected in the residents’ requests for new group fitness classes, organized sporting events and increased attendance at the communities’ fitness centers.

Seeking more adventure activities is definitely in line with Jack Burch’s idea of retirement, as he regularly participates in motorcycle rides. Jack, 58, a Carolina Preserve by Del Webb resident, started riding a scooter when he was 10 because it was “easier than walking up the hill to fetch the cows.” From there he rode dirt bikes and street bikes. “I gave up riding while raising five children but my wife and I have returned to it now that they are grown.”

His wife Carol Burch, 55, also enjoys all kinds of rides in North Carolina and beyond – from three hour rides to trips that are 300 miles a day for a week.

“Riding on the back seat just wasn’t for me, so I took the class and got my own. Now when we go on trips whether they are three hours or 300 miles daily for a week, I am in control. I can smell those beautiful flowers on the side of the road and yes, also the cow dung,” Carol says. “I look forward to each and every ride exploring new areas and absolutely love the mountain twisties. This is something we can do into our 80s.”

Image Courtesy of  StreetStrider International

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Orlando, Florida is the home of Disney World but Orlando natives are normally quick to correct people that the ‘Happiest Place on Earth’ is actually in nearby Kissimmee.

Minus the theme parks and local tourist traps there is so much else to do in Orlando.

One of the best places to go with a family, as a couple or alone, is Kelly Park, home of Rock Springs. Wet n’ Wild’s Lazy River has captured the magic that Rock Springs has been bringing visitors for decades.

Kelly Park is a local state park, a reasonable distance away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of Oralndo. It has areas for camping that are fairly cheap and allow people to stay longer than just a day’s visit if they want.

Although camping is available, day visits are the most common. Visitors should enter the park early (with a dollar charge per person in the car upon entering) because the park has a capacity restriction and will close off to more people by 10:30 or 11 AM.

There are so many different things to do in the park itself. Although the park is a wood area there are sand volleyball courts near the parking lot and pavilions to eat lunch. If visitors don’t pack a lunch they can buy one at the concession stand. The park also features several walking trails with explanations of the local flora and fauna in view.

However, the greatest attraction of Kelly Park is Rock Springs. Kelly Park boasts a long, winding river that emerges from a clear, cold spring right in the park. Visitors entering the park will arrive at the widest part of the springs with a large, deep pool and a shallower area for children. There are plenty of places to set up a picnic or sunbathe.

If patrons take a walk on the boardwalk alongside the river they can enter the springs at the very beginning where the water first comes out of the ground. The closer to the mouth of the springs, the colder the water will be; a refreshing feeling in the hot, sticky Florida weather.

Patrons who enter the springs will continue down, lazy river style until they reach the big pool at the entrance of the park; visitors can also bring intertubes or rent them at a nearby shop to float on. The river continues past this point and is much slower and very relaxing, because most people get out at the big pool so they don’t have to walk back to their group.

Rock Springs is a great place to cool down and relax after a day at the parks or just to have a change of pace in a busy city like Orlando. The water of Rock Springs eventually runs into one of two wild and scenic rivers in Florida, Wekiva River (the other river being the Loxahatchee).

Wekiva State Park is close to Kelly Park but is more fun for teenagers and couples. Families with young children do not usually go to Wekiva because the water is deeper.

Wekiva State Park has a spring, much like Rock Springs, except that the area around the mouth of the spring is much wider, like a giant pool. There is a swimming area for patrons, but no lazy river. Instead visitors can rent canoes and kayaks and explore miles of untouched, pristine Florida landscape and wildlife.

As a recommendation, if you do go to Wekiva and kayak/canoe, take the left fork. After about a mile there is a small island with shallow water nearby — a great place to park the boats and have lunch or just play around in the water.

Chances are that visitors going to Wekiva will see a lot of wildlife, even an alligator or two. At Rock Springs the summer months bring in a lot of visitors that create a lot of noise and disturbances so creatures usually stay hidden. However, during the spring months when it is warm enough to go swimming but no one is on vacation, the park is a lot emptier and chances are you’ll swim with an otter or two.

The common misconceptions about Orlando are that the only thing to do are the parks and that there is nothing ‘outdoorsy’ worth doing. However, Rock Springs and Wekiva will be sure to amaze with the quality of the experience and the true beauty of natural Florida wildlife.

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