Where to Exercise and Find Active Fun in Champaign-Urbana

Finding active things to do is easy in Champaign-Urbana — resources for healthy living in Champaign-Urbana

It’s hard to escape talk of New Year’s resolutions related to health, fitness, and weight loss. The truth is that any year, any time, is a great time to commit to health and wellness goals. We have compiled a list of resources for exercise where adults and teens (and sometimes younger children) can get their fitness needs addressed — or just get one foot in front of the other.

These options include some well-known local gyms and fitness centers, as well as yoga studios, walking tracks, and more.

Thankfully, here in Champaign-Urbana, as well as surrounding communities such as Savoy, Monticello, Rantoul and Mahomet, there are a variety of fitness options that cater to a variety of interests. Some of them have special offers, from free fitness weeks to free passes and more.

Looking for info on where to have active fun as a family, including parks, rock climbing and so much more? Jump to family-friendly activity options now.

Most of this list is focused on INDOOR fitness options, centered on adults and teens. Is there a resource we should consider adding to this list? Email us – editor@chambanamoms.com.

Chambanamoms.com thanks Urbana Park District for presenting this guide to fitness and active living in Champaign-Urbana.

Urbana Health and Wellness Center
Where: 2002 E. Washington St., Urbana
What: A NEW facility opened in 2025! $5 daily passes, punch cards and affordable memberships available. Weight room, walking track, courts and more. Don’t miss FREE week in early January to kick off the new year. Open seven days a week. Partner with OSF for FREE memberships. Call (217) 255-8601 for info.

Free opportunities in Champaign-Urbana and beyond

Mahomet-Seymour Fieldhouse
Where: Mahomet
What: The Fieldhouse, which includes an indoor track, is currently open for walkers and joggers daily (on school days) from 5:30 to 7:30 a.m.; some others times available depending on day. Students in junior high and younger must be accompanied and supervised by their parent or by another adult. Click here to check updated schedules.

Mall Walk
Where: Champaign (Market Place Shopping Center) and Urbana (Lincoln Square Mall)
When: Mall hours
How much: Free
What: Both local indoor malls are very supportive of mall walkers. Some have special hours; hours may vary.

Membership/Registration available

Stephens Family YMCA
Where: Southwest Champaign
What: An incredible round-up of group fitness programming on both land and water that meets a variety of schedules. Become a Y member and not only can you enjoy the fitness programming but you can utilize the childcare services and a long list of other member “perks” and discounts as part of the Y’s overall programming and vision.

Champaign Park District (Group Fitness Classes)
Where: Leonhard Recreation Center and Martens Center locations
What: Classes such as Yogalates, Boot Camp and more.

Leonhard Recreation Center (Champaign Park District)
Where: Champaign
What: Walking track, fitness equipment, open gym and more. Get a peek at the Leonhard Center here.
Martens Center (Champaign Park District)
Where: Champaign
What: Newer facility in north Champaign that offers a walking track, fitness equipment, fitness classes, open gym and more. Memberships are available now. Read more of our thoughts on the Martens Center here.

Martens Center Xbox Game Room — Keep pedaling to keep the video games on!

Urbana Indoor Aquatic Center
Where: Urbana
What: Lap swimming is available mornings and around the lunch hour, generally 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. Memberships available as well as punch cards. Lap swim times are for individuals age 15 and up who wish to swim for exercise. No public swim regularly on the schedule at this point (but you may find public swim time on the schedule when school is out during winter).

Amara Yoga & Arts
Where: Lincoln Square Mall, Urbana
What: This studio specializes in yoga, from gentle to hot and everything in between. Intro special – four weeks for $54.

Anytime Fitness
Where: Champaign
What: Group and individual training. Click for a 7-day trial pass for use anytime.

Club Pilates Champaign
Where: Champaign
What: Reformer pilates classes

Crunch Fitness
Where: Champaign location
What: Variety of classes and equipment in a convenient North Neil location. Click for a free day pass for use anytime.

Curves
Where: Monticello
What: A gym exclusively for women with a variety of classes and training available. Free 30-minute trial sessions available.

C-U Women’s Boxing
Where: Urbana
What: Consisting of technique training, bag drills, speed work, conditioning, and cardio, classes vary daily. Women of any and all fitness levels are welcome. Introductory Group Sessions are $10 and last about 60 minutes long. All classes are currently for 18 years and older.

Fitness Premier
Where: Champaign, Mahomet and Monticello
What: Group fitness classes, hydrotherapy massage, personal/team training (for an additional cost) and Mahomet features a “rest and restore” space (for an additional cost). Use all locations with your membership; try it out with a free day pass here as an introduction.

Hatha Yoga and Fitness
Where: South Neil Street, Champaign
What: Not just yoga, but barre, HIIT, sculpt and more. Intro Special — two weeks for $30.

Kinex Fitness Studio
Where: Southeast Urbana
What: One-on-one or semi-private personal training sessions giving you attention tailored to your needs. Book a free consultation.

KMC Active
Where: Kirby Medical Center, Monticello
What: Described as “wellness programming,” there are a variety of services that can be tailored to your needs, including group wellness. Talk to your primary care provider to see if you can utilize services at no cost. Try out the one-mile “wellness trail” on your visit.

Living Legacy Pilates
Where: Champaign
What: Mat and reformer classes

Living Yoga Center
Where: Champaign
What: A yoga studio that offers four-week “pods.” Registration is required. Drop-ins are welcome when space allows.

Luyando Boxing
Where: Champaign
What: Boxing lessons and sparring club. Many different package options.

Orange Theory Fitness
Where: South Neil Street, Champaign
What: You really just have to try Orange Theory to experience what it is like for yourself. Try your first class for free. Reserve online ahead of time.

Planet Fitness
Where: Urbana, Champaign, Savoy
What: Budget-friendly gym where you can utilizing equipment on your schedule. Click for a free day pass for use anytime.

Pulse Pilates
Where: Mahomet
What: Mat and reformer pilates classes. Following your first class, if you’re interested in purchasing a subscription, you can get a discount code for the first class price off your subscription.

Raw Fitness
Where: Champaign
What: Get a FREE health assessment and consult session.

Refinery Gym
Where: Champaign
What: Equipment and group fitness classes. Free trial pass available.

Family-friendly active living resources in Champaign-Urbana

Some tips to consider as you get moving as a family:

Participate in the activity with your children. Watching them play on the playground is one thing but showing them how your feet hit the ground when you try the monkey bars or chasing them around in a game of tag is how you can choose to be active together.
Putting your phones and devices away, or at least silencing notifications, will lend itself to a longer period of uninterrupted playtime together as a family.
Try new things! Maybe you’ve never actually gone ice skating before, but your child has mentioned wanting to try it. Instead of signing him up for lessons, you can go participate in an open skate together to see what you both think.
Pick a wide variety of things to do. While there are many things available in our community that make active living as a family possible for a cost, there will be endless possibilities for free, too. Pick some things indoors and outdoors alike. Dress for the weather if it’s cold so a walk isn’t ruined by whining or freezing toes.
While it’s important that you spend time as a family unit being active together, don’t hesitate to split up for certain activities as it feels natural to do so. Not every child (or each parent) will want to do the same kinds of activities, all the time. Perhaps you have a soccer fan that wants to kick a ball around with you and the rest of your kids aren’t quite old enough yet. These make great (and free!) kid/parent dates, too.

Visit a local park district park or participate in a park district-sponsored event

We have a LOT of local parks that we love in our community. And the best part about the parks is that you don’t need to plan ahead, pay a thing or mark a specific time on your calendar. Some of our favorite parks for playing with kids include Hessel Park, Meadowbrook Park, Carle Park, Sunset Ridge Park and Colbert Park.

Douglass Park in Champaign goes beyond the traditional playground offerings and has a 0.6 mile “fitness trail” dotted with pods of exercise equipment. It’s a “must try” if you want to get moving as a family!

The Champaign Park District and the Urbana Park District, while separate entities, have a reciprocal agreement, meaning that residents of Champaign or Urbana receive resident benefits at both organizations’ programs. You’ll also find great recreation programs and playgrounds in many communities outside of Champaign-Urbana so just check for residency requirements if registration is required.

Head out for a walk or run

This is another great option that requires zero pre-planning or fee to do together. If you have young children, you may get the kids in the stroller to get out for some fresh air but if you have older children, you may want to take up running with them as a hobby. You can run nearly anywhere but there are great beginner trails at Lake of the Woods in Mahomet and Meadowbrook Park in Urbana.

Take a hike at our Champaign County Forest Preserve District locations like Lake of the Woods, Homer Lake or Riverbend Forest Preserve. They’re all a short drive from Champaign-Urbana but we think they are worth it.

Try something new together — rock climb, swim, ice skate, jump and more

Want an active family activity to do one weekend or for a special occasion? We have no shortage of those in Champaign-Urbana. Aside from special free day promotions, expect to pay a fee (amount varies) to do any of these activities.

rock climb at the Stephens Family YMCA (day passes available) or Urbana Boulders
swim at one of our local pools
ice skate at the U of I Ice Arena
go rollerskating at Skateland
Play tennis at the Atkins Tennis Center or Dodds Tennis Center
Jump and play at Elevate
Kick a soccer ball at Soccer Planet

Take the leap and become a member

While there are a lot of ways to get activity in for free, you may decide the best option for your family is to become a member at one of our local family-friendly, active-living facilities. Look at the Leonhard Recreation Center (a Champaign Park District facility, Martens Center (another Champaign Park District facility), the Health and Wellness Center (Urbana Park District) and the Stephens Family YMCA.

Leonhard Recreation Center

The Leonhard Center features a fun indoor playground, walking track, gymnasiums with open gym hours and weight room (adults only). You can practice basketball with your kids, take a walk on the track and chase each other in the indoor playground.

Martens Center

This colorful building is the Martens Center, Champaign Park District’s newest facility (opened October 2022) with an indoor track, gym, classrooms, an interactive play area, and more. We love the cutting-edge technology integrated into many of the activities at Martens Center and know that your kids will love it too!

Stephens Family YMCA

Located at the edge of Southwest Center near the Curtis Road exit of I-57, the size of the building will take your breath away as you pull up.

Some of our favorite ways to enjoy the YMCA together as a family are the open swim times during the weekend (we love Friday nights during the winter), racing each other up the rock climbing wall and practicing basketball together. There are dozens of things you can choose from when it comes to spending time together at the Y. And even if you’re dropping your kids off at the Family Adventure Room while you take an exercise class, you’re still heading to the facility to be active together.

Membership includes group fitness classes, supervised visits for children in the Family Adventure Room (childcare), open swim, open gym and so much more. Members pay the member rate for additional programs like swim lessons, youth sports and gymnastics. You also may be interested in learning about the offerings through Larkin’s Place for families of children at all developmental levels in an accessible, accepting space.

The YMCA is a local non-profit organization that is committed to offering financial assistance to keep Y programs available to all, regardless of ability to pay. Contact the Y for more info.