Miami’s campus and its surrounding area are flush with exercise and recreation options for many varied sporting interests. Use this map to find out where you can catch your next game or get a workout in.
1. The Rec: The Miami University Recreational Sports Center, more commonly known as “the Rec,” is your go-to for most things active. Built for approximately $25 million in 1994, the Rec contains a fitness center, flush with both weight training and aerobic training equipment.
The Miami University Recreational Sports Center is your go-to for mostly all things active.
The Rec also has an aquatic center with a 50-meter pool, a diving well, a leisure pool, a spa and a sand volleyball court outside. The Rec has a sports forum where you’ll usually find at least one pickup basketball game going on and at least one hoop open to shoot on. It’s also got a racquetball court, a rock climbing wall and full locker rooms with showers. You can get in for free with your Miami ID card.
Miami's rec center was built in 1994 for about $25 million.
2. Goggin Ice Center: The Goggin Ice Center, built in 2006 for $34.8 million, is one of the most impressive spaces on campus. Home to the Miami RedHawks hockey team, which hasn’t finished about seventh (of eight) in its conference since the 2015-16 season, Goggin offers many opportunities for non-varsity athletes to get on the ice too.
The Goggin Ice Center is home to many recreational opportunities
There’s two sheets, on which students can attend public skates (skate rentals are available), sign up to play intramural hockey (beginner, intermediate, advanced and elite leagues available) or broomball (Co-Rec and gender exclusive leagues available) on the Goggin Center website. You can even take an ice skating, ice hockey or broomball class, two credit hour offerings that give you over 23 total hours of ice time.
The Goggin Ice Center contains Steve "Coach" Cady Arena, home of Miami varsity hockey.
3. Cook Field: Cook Field is huge, half turf and half natural grass outdoor field. It’s used for intramural sports like softball, flag football and ultimate frisbee. You can go there pretty much any time to hang out; maybe take your new roommate and have a catch, or go there and soak up a tan.
Cook Field is surrounded by a walking trail
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4. McBride Courts: One of the real hidden recreational gems on Miami’s campus, McBride courts have one full basketball court and four tennis courts. Depending on when you go, McBride Courts can look like Rucker Park in NYC, or it can be the perfect place to hone your jumper in peace. Sometimes the lights don’t turn on when it gets dark, but if that happens just put on your thinking cap and take a look around.
5.North Quad Fitness Center: Much smaller than the Rec, all the North Quad gym has is strength training and aerobic equipment. There’s not much of it, and the hours suck, but if you live in North Quad, it works around your schedule, and you can figure out how to get in there when it isn’t packed solid, it’s not a bad option.
6. Clawson Hall Fitness Facility: Basically the same as the North Quad one, just slightly more spacious and on Western Campus. The hours still suck, but it's passable if it’s convenient.
7. Dogwood Grove: I won’t spoil what you’ll see when you get to Dogwood Grove, but if you need a place to relax among nature, this is the place to go.
8. Miami Equestrian Center: You can take horse riding classes for credit, or you could even contact facility administration and inquire about joining Miami’s competitive equestrian team.
You can take a horesriding clas at Miami's Equestrian Center.
9. Miami Disc Golf Course: Miami’s hilly and moderately wooded disc golf course runs all around Western quad. You can find a map and a scorecard on the Miami website.
10. Sawyer Hall Gymnastics Facility: Located at a part of campus where I’ve been one time in my three years here, this facility is only for gymnastics programming and special reservations. If you love gymnastics, you could join the club gymnastics team.
11. and 12. Openings to a couple of the many hiking trails around Oxford: The first is off of Oxford Trenton Road, just past Four Mile Creek. The Second is on Bonham Road, also just past four Mile Creek. Check out this article for more information on Miami’s many hiking trails.
13. and 14. Sand Volleyball courts: Miami’s sand volleyball courts are open to anyone. One is outside Symmes Hall on North Campus, and another outside of Harris Hall by the Goggin Center
15. Indian Ridge Golf Course: You can’t see it on this map, but about 3 miles down Oxford Millville Road (the one that shoots off diagonally in the bottom right corner), is Indian Ridge Golf Course, where you can play 18 holes with a cart for about $40 per person. There are many courses within a 30 or 40 minute drive from Oxford, including some great spots in eastern Indiana.
16. Hueston Woods State Park: A 15-minute drive from campus, Hueston Woods offers so much. It has a golf course, a lake and a marina (check out Miami’s club rowing, sailing and water ski teams), a lodge with a pool, a disc golf course, geocaching, 12 hiking trails, camp grounds, fishing, mountain biking trails, an outdoor archery range, sledding, cross country skiing and much more.
Hueston Woods is home to myriad recreational facilities.
