Versatile Venues: Sports Complexes Across the Southeast Offer Entertainment Beyond the Event

Whether indoors or outdoors, the allure of sports complexes are undeniable. The multi-functional spaces make planning events practical as guests can mingle between events and in some cases, take advantage of other amenities on-site for recreation and entertainment.
 

That’s why it is a great idea to explore the possibilities of some of the sports complexes in the southeast region. Throw in a dash of Cajun or southern comfort food and a pinch of relaxation on a sandy beach or a country backroad bike trail for the perfect recipe for a family-friendly sports tourism destination.
 

Cayce Pickleball Complex - Columbia, South Carolina

The Cayce Pickleball Complex aims to make pickleball serious business, says S. Scott Powers, Executive Director of Experience Columbia SC Sports. Operated by the Lexington County Aging and Recreation Commission, the 16-court outdoor facility is the city’s first facility dedicated to pickleball tournaments.
 

“Before this, we had to make use of tennis complexes that had the pickleball lines drawn on them. So that’s why we’re excited about this,” Powers notes. “[This facility] was specifically built to host tournaments and to generate tourism.”
 

He adds the venue hosted 305 competitors during the Professional Pickleball Association’s Columbia PPA Challenger event in March, which delivered $179,000 in economic impact.
 

Professional-grade lighting, spectator seating, shaded viewing areas, restrooms and concessions round out the amenities for athletes and casual visitors while the Riverbanks Zoo & Garden and South Carolina State Museum offer options to explore nearby attractions.
 

Foley Sports Tourism Complex - Foley, Alabama

This all-in-one tournament-ready facility packs a punch with its ability to juggle multiple events at once with field and courts stretching over the 100-acre site.
 

“The city invested in this several years ago to attract a lot of the sports organizations and tournaments that were picking up the pace around the U.S.,” notes Shellie Kichler, Chief Marketing & Sales Officer for Foley Sports Tourism.
 

Fifteen state-of-the-art soccer/multi-use fields, a 90,000-square -foot event space and a Championship Stadium are at the ready to feature even the most star-studded sporting events.
 

With Marriot’s TownePlace Suites and the OWA Parks & Resort featuring Tropic Falls water park adjacent to the site as well as numerous dining, shopping and entertainment options, visitors could quite literally never have to leave the complex until it’s time to go home.
 

McMurry Park and North Frasch Softball Complex - Sulphur, Louisiana

McMurry Park’s side-by-side high school baseball stadiums have been hosting the Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s state championships since 2012 and the North Frasch Softball Complex has hosted the LHSAA State High School FastPitch 56 Softball Championships since 2001. There’s a reason for that, says Eric Zartler, senior vice president of sports at Visit Lake Charles in Louisiana.
 

“Sulphur Parks and Recreation does it right. They have some of the best facilities in the state,” he notes. “Clearly, if we’re crowning every state softball and baseball champion there, they’re doing something right.”
 

From batting cages and press boxes to quality lighting, concessions and handicapped-accessible restrooms, the complexes cater to large crowds and serious ball players.
 

Nearby, the newly opened Port Wonder houses the Children’s Museum of Southwest Louisiana and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ Nature & Science Center.
 

Myrtle Beach Sports Complex - Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

As the Myrtle Beach Sports Complex celebrates its 10-year anniversary, Executive Director of Sports Tourism at Visit Myrtle Beach Jonathan Paris says the 100,000-square-foot facility has lived up to its expectation of providing a mecca for sports tourism as well as being an asset to the community.
 

The venue, which is managed by Sports Facilities Companies (SFC), has hosted events ranging from volleyball, basketball, gymnastics, cheer and dance to cornhole, table tennis and indoor archery.
 

Located on the Grand Strand, which includes 60 miles of sandy beaches, 150,000 hotel rooms and 2,000 restaurants, the area is also ideal for accommodating any family’s travel budget, Paris explains.
 

“Everything that makes us a great summer beach vacation for a leisure traveler makes us a great location for a sport tourism event,” he says.
 

Opelika Sportsplex & Aquatics Center - Opelika, Alabama

With five natural grass soccer fields, a 72,000-square-foot indoor facility that includes an indoor competition pool, an Olympic outdoor pool and 24 individually fenced and covered pickleball courts, the Opelika Sportsplex is a hub of athletic activities.
 

Its versatile facilities also make the site ideal for travel tournaments, such as the Senior Pickleball South Zone Championships, the Alabama Senior Olympics, Frostbite Open Rumble on the Rails soccer tournament and OST Long Course Open swim meet, notes Travis Harrison, Experience and Marketing Specialist for Auburn-Opelika Tourism.
 

Whether visitors spend time between games at Chewacla State Park or Rock ‘N Roll Pinball mastering more than 30 vintage arcade games, organizers won’t have to sweat the details of their event.
 

“We’re here to remove roadblocks, so tournament directors can focus on what matters most – delivering a great event experience,” Harrison says.
 

Point Mallard Park Complex - Decatur, Alabama

The Point Mallard Park Complex will soon be getting a 12-court indoor pickleball facility, 25,000-square-foot event center and an expansion of the Jimmy Johns Tennis Center, says Don Dukemineer, Director of Sports Development at Decatur Morgan County Tourism.
 

With the complex already home to a water park, golf course, campground, driving range and bike trail as well as the Bill J. Dukes Athletic Compex with three lighted baseball fields and the Ronald Regan Spirit of America Fields designed for soccer, there’s no shortage of ways to spend time both for sports and leisure.
 

“Our hope is to make sure that families have a great experience when they’re here,” Dukemineer explains. “We like to have all your details worked out and that you find everything you need so that you don’t have to go too far.”
 

Publix Sports Park - Panama City Beach, Florida

A passing shower will not dampen events at this 200-acre complex because nine of the 13 fields are equipped with AstroTurf with Z-Cap Cooling Technology.
 

The flexible fields managed by SFC welcome everything from baseball and softball to football and lacrosse played from the college level down to seven-year-olds, says Chris O’Brien, Vice President of Sports Marketing for Visit Panama City Beach. In fact, he adds, the city by the sea plans to host more than 1,200 baseball and softball teams this summer and greet more than 50,000 visitors.
 

“We’re a small town, but we do big events,” he says. “We’ve tried to think of everything.”
 

Meanwhile, 25 miles of white sand and turquoise water offer breathtaking views and opportunities around every corner for visitors to stay, play and find their Zen.
 

The Lenovo Center - Raleigh, North Carolina

Home to the N.C. State men’s basketball team and the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, the 19,700-seat Lenovo Center knows a thing or two about large-scale events. In fact, the venue has hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament (March Madness) five times since 2004 and will be hosting the Eastern Regional event for the first time in 2028.
 

“The fact that we have been awarded this many times says a lot about the building, and it says about a lot about how the NCAA trusts the Lenovo Center and this market to host these events,” says Scott Dupree, Executive Director of the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance.
 

The building is scheduled to undergo a $300-million renovation over the next three years, he adds.
 

Greensboro Complex - Greensboro, North Complex

As the area’s largest convention, meeting, sports and entertainment facility, the complex offers more than half a million square feet of space for groups from 20 to 22,000. It consists of nine venues, four of which can host myriad sports events, from swimming and diving to basketball, pickleball and martial arts.
 

From the First Horizon Coliseum’s capabilities in hosting college basketball, ice events and hockey games to Novant Health Fieldhouse serving as home to the Greensboro Swarm, the Charlotte Hornets’ NBA G League affiliate, there are endless possibilities in the flexibility of these sports venues.
 

In between sports, visitors can explore animal habitats at the Greensboro Science Center, take a historical ghost tour or soak in the top attractions at the Wet ‘n Wild Emerald Pointe Water Park. SDM