Waynesville, North Carolina

Waynesville has one of the best recreation centers among America’s great towns. Opened in 2000, it includes eight lanes in a 25-yard lap pool and an adjacent water playground with a slide, pop jets and more; racquetball, basketball, and volleyball courts; elaborate weight room and cardiovascular equipment; game room; concession stand; an indoor rubber-coated one-tenth-mile track and outdoor quarter-mile track. Open daily as early as 6 a.m. and as late as 10 p.m.