Being something of a catch-all category, our best outdoor collection includes all manner of "sports," from the pumped-up aerobic flight of a mountain bike to the passivity of people-watching. With the curious inclusion of bowling, it certainly isn't strictly outdoors. And as for wireless Internet ... it even isn't, or, at least, its is-ness is only virtual.

A brief scan of the winners here makes it clear that most Xpress readers recreate no farther from the Blue Ridge Parkway than you could fling a laptop. All of the biking, hiking and swimming winners, two of the walks and the perennial favorite place to sneak a kiss/drink/feel/snort/snack/toke or nap are Parkway linked. Meanwhile, when readers chill (or get run over), it is mostly in the city center.

Bike

1. Bent Creek
I-26 to exit 2, NC 191; go west pass the Biltmore Square Mall, continue two miles; turn right on Bent Creek Ranch Road to the Lake Powhatan Recreation Area

2. Blue Ridge Parkway

3. N.C. Arboretum
Follow directions to Bent Creek but turn on Frederick Law Olmstead Way, follow signs

Walk/Run

1. N.C. Arboretum
(directions above)

2. Blue Ridge Parkway

3. French Broad River Park
Amboy Road, West Asheville

Hike

1. Appalachian Trail

2. Blue Ridge Parkway

3. Pisgah National Forest

Paddle/Kayak

1. French Broad River
Runs north from Hendersonville through Asheville and Hot Springs then on to the Gulf of Mexico

2. Green River
Runs south from Henderson County through Rutherford County and on to the Atlantic Ocean.

3. Nantahala River
Runs west from Jackson County and on to the Gulf of Mexico.

Swim in a Swimmin' Hole

1. Skinny Dip Falls
Near Parkway milepost 417

2. Graveyard Fields
Parkway milepost 418.8

3. Parkway (no specific place)

Ski/Snowboard

1. Ski Wolf Laurel
North of Asheville, I-26, Exit 3, five miles east

2. Ski Beech
Beech Mountain, N.C., NC 184 near Banner Elk

3. Sugar Mountain Resort
NC 184 near Banner Elk

Golf

1. Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa
290 Macon Ave., Asheville, 252-2711

2. Reems Creek Golf Club
36 Pink Fox Cove Road, Weaverville, 645-4393

3. Mt. Mitchell Golf Club
11484 State Hwy. 80 South, Burnsville, 675-5454

Bowl

1. (tie) Sky-Lanes
1477 Patton Ave., Asheville, 252-2269

1. (tie) Star Lanes
491 Kenilworth Road, Asheville, 254-6161

2. Tarheel Lanes Bowling Center
3275 Asheville Hwy., Hendersonville, 253-2695

Play Frisbee

1. UNCA
University Heights, Asheville

2. Richmond Hill Park
From I-240, take exit 4-A toward Weaverville on 19/23; take the UNC Asheville exit and turn left onto Broadway, then take the next left onto Riverside Drive, and then a right onto Pearson Bridge Road; after about a third of a mile, turn right onto Richmond Hill Drive, then take another right at the top of the hill

3. Beaver Lake
Located north of downtown on Merrimon Avenue

Work Out

1. YMCA
Various locations, Asheville, 251-5909

2. YWCA
185 S. French Broad Ave., Asheville, 254-7206

3. Vision Sports Fitness Center
9 Kenilworth Knoll, Asheville, 252-0222

Engage in Illicit/Nefarious Activities

1. Parkway

2. Downtown

3. Home

Best City Park

1. Pritchard Park
Intersection of Patton Avenue, College Street and Haywood Street, downtown Asheville

2. City/County Plaza
Intersection of Patton Avenue, College Street and Spruce Street, downtown Asheville

3. French Broad River Park
Amboy Road, West Asheville

Get Run Over

1. Merrimon Avenue

2. Patton Avenue

3. Civic Center

Watch People

1. Downtown

2. Pack Square
Intersection of Patton and Biltmore avenues, downtown Asheville.

3. Pritchard Park
Intersection of Patton Avenue, College Street and Haywood Street, downtown Asheville

Access Wireless Internet

1. Malaprop's Bookstore & Cafe
55 Haywood St., Asheville, 254-6734

2. Old Europe Coffee House
18 Battery Park Ave., Asheville, 252-0001

3. Beanstreets Coffeehouse/Cafe
3 Broadway Ave., Asheville, 255-8180

Winners with this symbol have been voted best in their category for the previous four or more years.