Mar 16, 2022 - Sports

Iowa-based pickleball chain expanding to Twin Cities

A rendering of what a Smash Park looks like. Image courtsey of Smash Park

The Twin Cities' pickleball craze has attracted an Iowa-based company that builds massive indoor-outdoor venues to the area.

What's happening: West Des Moines-based Smash Park announced Tuesday it'll open two of its 30,000-square-foot venues here.

Details: Smash Parks have pickleball courts, food, drinks, ax throwing, duckpin bowling, karaoke, live music and other events, per a release.

The intrigue: Smash Park wasn't ready to give exact locations as it finalized land purchases, but a spokesperson said the company is looking at Edina, Roseville, Woodbury and Maple Grove.

  • Construction could begin this summer with the first opening in 2023, she added.

Zoom out: Pickleball's rising popularity has everyone getting in on the action.

  • Municipal parks departments are adding courts; Life Time Fitness is betting big on the sport; and a local firm recently converted a big Northeast Minneapolis warehouse into a food-beer-and-pickleball spot called Lucky Shots.
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