Despite their size, small- and mid-sized cities often offer richly diverse sports opportunities, along with all the amenities needed to keep athletes entertained during their visit. Year-round, basketball, soccer, quad ball, wrestling, rodeo, hockey, and more bring teams and fans to smaller markets for sports tournaments and unforgettable experiences.
Salem, Virginia
Salem, Va., is one of these small towns especially equipped for a wide range of sports events. The secret to their success is blending a welcoming town with beautiful natural and built environments.
“The biggest thing we try to do is provide Southern hospitality,” said John Shaner, director of Parks and Recreation, City of Salem, Va. “It’s really the outdoors aspect of the Blue Ridge Mountains people come here for. They want to go hiking on the Appalachian Trail. They go to Smith Mountain Lake State Park.”
Mountain biking in the region appeals to athletes and tourists. The quality of biking trails and amenities in Virginia’s Blue Ridge are designated a Silver-Level Ride Center by the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA).
Salem hosts a mix of traditional and non-traditional sporting events, Shaner said, including NCAA Division 3 national championships, multiple fast-pitch and slow-pitch national championships, bowling tournaments, and many others.
With two baseball stadiums, the city is a hub for youth baseball tournaments, and it’s home to the Salem Red Sox, a minor league baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox of Major League
Baseball (MLB).
To maintain a competitive edge in its ability to host sports events, Salem’s softball and baseball Moyer Sports Complex is undergoing a complete $27-million renovation slated for completion in February 2024, Shaner said. When it reopens it will have new infields, outfields, covered grandstands, batting cages, bullpens, and more.
Utah Valley, Utah
The allure of skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, hiking is also the prime attraction in Utah Valley, Utah.
“Our real highlight is our proximity to mountains and outdoor recreation. From Utah Valley and downtown Provo, you’re a 10-minute drive to the mountains—the Wasatch Range—and the largest freshwater lake in Utah, Utah Lake State Park,” said Erin Scott, director of destination sales for Explore Utah Valley.
“Year-round there’s always something to do. Athletes love to get out and do some of the mountain recreation,” Scott said.
Utah Valley takes its sports seriously. Provo’s Peaks Ice Arena is one of the region’s biggest sports facilities. Serving as an Olympic events center in 2002, it boasts two Olympic-size ice rinks where the city’s elite-level U-20 Junior hockey team plays.
The UCCU Center’s multi-purpose 8,000-seat arena is the site for basketball, wrestling, gymnastics, volleyball, and more, Scott said, while Orem Lakeside Sports Park contains eight soccer fields and five ball fields. Utah Valley’s baseball and softball complexes host multiple D1 Prospects fast-pitch softball tournaments every year.
To stay ahead of the competition, Provo is constructing the largest sports complex in Utah. Scheduled to open in summer 2025, Provo’s Epic 100 Sports Park will contain 21 soccer and multi-use fields and a 45 pickle ball courses.
Rapid City, South Dakota
In Rapid City, S.D., the launch of a new sports commission this year signals that city’s intent to step up its game as a destination for more professional, semi-pro and collegiate sports.
A state-of-the-art $130-million multi-use Summit Arena at The Monument was completed in 2021 to accommodate sporting events, tournaments, concerts, and performances.
“LNI is hands down the biggest sporting event that happens in Rapid City because it is 48 teams playing basketball in Rapid City during the week before Christmas, and it is an invitational and it’s predominantly Native American schools [competing],” said Domico Rodriguez, executive director of Rapid City Sports Commission.
Rodeo Rapid City Xtreme Broncs 2023, a PRCA Top Indoor Rodeo of The Year, highlights the annual Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo.
The city’s Dakota Fields Sports Complex encompasses nine baseball fields, while the Central States Fairgrounds hosts rodeos, horse and livestock events year-round. Rapid City also has its own ECHL professional hockey team, Rapid City Rush.
Rapid City is a tourist hub where athletes will find plenty of attractions to enjoy in their free time.
“That’s what sets us apart,” Rodriguez said. “The most common thing we heard [from visitors] is ‘We didn’t know there was so much to do here.’ They are in awe when they realize how much there is to do in and around Rapid City.”
Rapid City is within an hour’s drive or less of Badlands National Park, Custer State Park, the wild west town of Deadwood, Reptile Gardens, WaTiki Indoor Waterpark and two iconic monuments.
“Every team wants to get a team picture in front of Mount Rushmore,” Rodriguez said. “Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse are the attractions that everyone says, ‘We have to go there’.”
Butler County, Ohio
In Ohio, the Butler County Donut Trail of 13 mom-and-pop donut shops is a fan favorite for visiting athletes.
“We’re infamous here for the Donut Trail. We hear a lot of teams doing that as kind of a bonding activity,” said Kathryn Rawlinson, director of marketing for Travel Butler County.
Athletic teams can try wakeboarding without a boat at Wake Nation Water Park. Butler County is also home to EnterTrainment Junction, the world’s largest indoor train. Jungle Jim’s International Market is “incredibly popular,” Rawlinson said, with more than 70 countries represented with food and fun items, animatronics and more.
Teams head to Butler County to compete in just about everything, Rawlinson said. The county has hosted as the U.S, Quadball Great Lakes Regional Championship, Scholastic 3D Archery Outdoor Target Nationals, triathlons, soccer, large basketball tournaments, baseball, and more.
Butler County is proud of being a major sporting destination. Its Voice of America Athletic Complex boasts 25 grass multi-purpose fields and two synthetic turf multi-purpose fields with lights to host a variety of sports.
Its newest sports facility, Spooky Nook Sports Champion Mill, will reportedly be the largest indoor sports complex in North America. It adjoins Champion Mill Conference Center and hotel. Together, there’s more than 1.2 million square feet under one roof, with 14 maple hardwood courts, 14 sports court floors, space to host 28 basketball courts or 46 volleyball courts, an indoor and an outdoor multi-purpose field, a fitness center, and track.
