Recreation

Recreation, leisure activities that people enjoy. Recreation has become an important aspect of modern life that often relieves stress; many businesses and hospitals provide various forms of recreation for their workers and patients. These activities can be passive ones, such as reading or watching television or movies, or participatory forms ranging from hobbies and games to strenuous amateur sports. Donation of time by volunteers to help others is another form of recreation. Commercial recreation includes watching sporting, cultural, and other entertainment events, or active forms, such as tourism or visiting theme parks. State, national, and local agencies set aside scenic or historic lands for public recreational use, usually financed through taxes and user fees. In the United States, recreation is a multibillion-dollar business.