North Carolina has paintball from the Triangle to the coast. We picked three open venues with current sites.

GOTCHA PAINTBALL

Gotcha is at 176 Darius Pearce Road in Youngsville, north of Raleigh. It is woodsball with fallen trees, brush, plywood bunkers and sniper positions. Formats include center flag, two flag, secret service and single elimination rounds of 10 to 20 minutes.

Open play is Saturday, with registration at 9:30am and games starting at 10am, finishing around 4pm. Sunday is private parties only and weekdays are by reservation. There are turfed, shaded staging areas, a pro shop and electronic marker rentals, and the park has been remodeled under new ownership. Call (919) 501-7770.

JACKSONVILLE PAINTBALL PARK

Jacksonville Paintball Park is at 130 Imperial Lane in Jacksonville. It has four playing areas: the Woods Course, Urban Combat Course, Action Town Course and Speedball Courses, and it also runs airsoft.

Walk-ins are welcome on Saturdays from 10am to 5pm and Sundays from 11am to 5pm, and Wednesday through Friday is by reservation. Birthday parties can start from age 5, there is a youth airsoft summer camp and military groups get discounts. Sign waivers online. Call 910-353-7529.

BLACK OPS PAINTBALL & AIRSOFT

Black Ops is at 2112 River Road in Fayetteville, with several maps for paintball and airsoft. It runs tournament play and big simulation events, and a zombie hayride and haunted house in the fall.

Reservations are required through the site, and minimum ages are 10 or 12 depending on the event. There is a store, rentals, gift cards and group and birthday packages, and the operation is a Play Safe Paintball Operator. Check the site for the Fayetteville page and current times.