Sportstainment Is Taking Over Raleigh

Sportstainment meets Raleigh nightlife

Step aside, eatertainment—sportstainment is here to play. The blend of sports and entertainment is surging in popularity, with a host of athletic activity concepts taking root in Raleigh.

And these sporty spots are ingraining themselves in the city’s existing culture and nightlife. Take Smash, a swanky new pingpong bar by LM Restaurants anticipated to open in the now-shuttered Carolina Ale House location on Glenwood South this summer. Set to showcase an “unparalleled nightlife experience,” per LM Restaurants, the club will serve up cocktails, shareable bites and entrees with a side of friendly competition—ideal for those who love a more interactive night out. 

While Smash will be the city’s premiere pingpong club, several competitive socializing concepts have already dipped a toe in the Raleigh market. Hop Shots Mini Golf changed the game after bowing on Glenwood South in 2024, giving Raleighites their first taste of competition during a night out or barhop. Also testing the waters across the city—and riding the coattails of the increasingly popular pickleball wave—are popular Pin Point, the largest and first combined indoor pickleball and golf concept in the Southeast, and soon-to-bow Swing, which will deliver an “all-you-can-play destination” (think tennis, pickleball, padel and pingpong), plus plates and pours. 

Pin Point CEO Garrett Leatham credits this local sporty surge to the popularity of a healthy lifestyle paired with a push to get off the screen and socialize. “It forces people to put their phone down, come out of their shell and break down barriers with sports we all love,”  maintains the Raleighite. 

To wit, the golf and pickleball club just broke ground on its second space in North Myrtle Beach, and despite drastically different demographics, both Raleigh and North Myrtle are anticipated to stay swinging—but for different reasons. “North Myrtle will be more entertainment-based, with more families spending a fun night with their kids,” emphasizes Leatham. “Raleigh is more a mix of entertainment- and membership-based.”

While locals love a boozy playground, many are leveraging sportstainment concepts for a sweat over swigs. Where eatertainment sees sips and snacks with a side of casual gaming, sportstainment serves a full-blown competition at any time of day with an optional bev or bite to boot. 

And Raleigh isn’t the first to capitalize on the trend—cities like Atlanta jumped on the bandwagon long ago, with hot spots cropping up citywide. ATL-based Painted Hospitality President & CEO Justin Amick has launched four separate sportstainment joints boasting bowling, duckpin bowling, pickleball, and a “park” with pingpong and games. Apart from ATL’s ever-increasing passion for paddle sports, Amick emphasizes the importance of sportstainment concepts—or “compeateries” as he calls them—planting roots near an abundance of large corporations. 

“There are so many large gathering opportunities… like corporate team-building events and adult birthday parties centered around pickleball—it’s a huge part of making that model work financially,” he says. “It really helps fill those off-peak hours of business and those early days where your courts need to be activated in full.” 

Even with multiple sportstainment concepts incoming, this activation of competition can still be glimpsed at Raleigh bars that don’t build out courts or base a whole theme on it—think the punching machine at Teets, the board games at Stella’s and the oversize Jenga tower you hear clatter to the floor at almost every bar Downtown. The bottom line: Sitting still is out, and living, playing and socializing are so in.

---

What Other Cities Are Playing

Seattle: Bocce 
London: F1 Arcade 
NYC: Shuffleboarding 
Houston: Baseball 
Mesa: Surfing
Atlanta: Speakeasy Dancing
Dallas: Cricket