Coast to coast, small and medium-sized cities are establishing themselves as excellent destinations for sports competitions and events. These communities invest in best-in-class sports facilities, as well as a large number of vibrant indoor and outdoor attractions for families and visitors to enjoy while attending events in the city.
Anchorage, Alaska
It is not uncommon to see moose winding down the streets of Anchorage. About 1,500 moose stroll through the city of nearly 300,000 people.
“We have something people have with Alaska, whether it’s a wide space or a trail that lasts forever,” said Jack Bonney, vice president of communications at Anchorage. “You have enough elbow rooms, but you also have 8,000 hotels and the largest airport in the state. Accessibility is somewhat undesirable in a way.”
Ted Stevens International Airport is five miles from downtown Anchorage. The city is known for hosting national and international skiing competitions. Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the state, especially when teams across Alaska compete in the March Crazy Championship.
“We have bigger and better infrastructure than most people would expect,” Bonnie said. “We have 110 sports fields, five pools and 11 recreational facilities, including over 8 full slat rinks.”
Anchorage’s Sullivan Arena can accommodate hockey and basketball for 6,000 to 8,000 people. The University of Alaska Anchiqi Campus and the Alaska Aviation Center at Alaska Pacific University offer NCAA Level II basketball arena facilities, another hockey rink, and more. Anchorage’s full-size Mulcahy Stadium hosts a summer college baseball league.
Close to 135 miles of paved multi-purpose trails, Anchorage is outstanding in marathons and distance races, as well as unique races such as fat tire bike races and events during the National Veterans Golden Age game, which has allowed former military personnel to compete as diverse as Chess and Air rifles.
Bonney calls the spring event the iconic is the Youth Olympics, a competition dedicated to the Alaskan native sports.
“It’s open to every high school student in Alaska. It’s the skill you need to live in Alaska in traditional life,” Bonnie said. “It’s an appealing because it’s so unique in Alaska. You get people from the community and from people traveling around Alaska. You get some very dedicated parents and fans (for NYO and basketball games), traveling a lot of distance and cheering for their team.”
Perhaps the most surprising sport in the city is its annual midnight sun rugby championship. Bonnie said the game took place around the summer solstice, when the team could play about 22 hours of sunlight.
To accommodate teams and sports fans, Anchorage has 8,000 hotel rooms, as well as ethnically rich restaurants including Italian and Ethiopian restaurants, as well as plenty of seafood.
The natural beauty of Alaska is an ever-year favorite for anchoring visitors. They can take helicopter tours, letting them stand on the glacier or take one of many small sightseeing flights.
Chugach State Park near Anchorage leads to a huge, accessible Chugach National Forest. The surrounding anchorage surrounding the park offers hiking trails, glacier exploration and more.
Bonnie said the city is a cultural center in Alaska. Three theater host entertainment programs at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts range from international guitar nights to traveling Broadway shows, including “Hamilton.” The “Lion King” will come in 2026.
“We can be a very important place to pay attention. I don’t think we’re a pony in any imagination,” Bonnie said.
Westopolis, author.
St. Louis Park has a population of 50,000 and a population of 22,000, which is a testament to teamwork. These cities are Wiespolis, a sports community that benefits from creative partnerships and get close to Minneapolis-ST. Paul International Airport, an interstate system, downtown Minneapolis, the first women’s sports bar in the United States, the American shopping center and lots of ice.
“We have a lot of hockey. We are lucky to have excellent facilities for having ice all year round,” said Karen McManamon, director of commercial development at Westopolis.
Westopolis will host the U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championships in April. However, the fastest growing ice sport is the women’s broom. Westopolis hosted the national broom championship in 2024. The broom is easy to learn and promotes friendship among teammates.
Westopolis mainly hosts youth and amateur sports, as well as many football, baseball, basketball, cross country, corn hole, spike ball and four football games.
“We recently hosted Major League Baseball. We have a very diverse and inclusive city, so it’s very appealing to them here, and Major League Baseball’s Quadball has a big following. The University of Minnesota has two teams,” McMamen said. “We’re a top 10 sports city.”
Multipurpose fields must be used, such as the ice skating rink in the outdoor center of St. Louis Park Recreation. In spring and summer it becomes turf for baseball, softball, soccer and lacrosse.
Westopolis president and CEO Becky Bakken said that working with city facilities and local private and public schools has provided Westopolis with a place that is suitable for sports and attractive allowances such as free parking.
“When you are a smaller community, you don’t have a sports complex. You have to be really creative,” Bakken said. “You have to have a multi-purpose field. You have to be truly strategic. This is what we do with our city and city partners.”
“We want to work with anyone and we will be the best concierge in the world,” she added. “You really have to be ready to listen and build relationships.”
Westopolis has 9 hotels, two conference hotels, 75 restaurants, and dozens of parks and entertainment trails. Families and groups like the food and activity centers in Westopolis, such as Punchbowl Social. Parker Tavern offers bowling, arcade games and professional corn holes, Baken said. Brookview has Minnesota’s largest outdoor lawn bowling facility for winter bars.
Despite the fact that downtown Minneapolis and many shops and amenities are minutes away, the area’s seven professional sports teams have always been a major attraction.
“It’s a huge opportunity for us to have all these professional sports teams in Minnesota. For us, there are such good sales tools, whether it’s summer, fall or winter, and that’s the same.”
Marlborough, Massachusetts.
Marlborough, with a population of 43,000, is home to one of the largest indoor skating facilities in North America. The city’s New England Sports Centre contains eight full-size ice rinks, a mini ice rink and a studio ice rink. NESC attracted the Boston Junior Bruins, the American College Hockey Association Club Championship, figure skating teams and more.
“More than 80% of professional hockey players play there. We are hockey city,” said Lindsey Jaworek, business outreach manager at Marlborough Economic Development.
She added: “We have always been a sports-minded city with significant investments in our youth sports, high school sports and New England Sports Centres.”
Marlborough is a year-round sport destination on the ice, hosting baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey, pickles, volleyball and sand volleyball, skateboard, soccer and softball, and more. The city’s stadiums include 10 nature baseball fields, two outdoor lighting turf fields, an 18-hole golf course, 11 soccer fields, softball fields, tennis courts, four volleyball courts, and 26.2-mile connected walking trails throughout the city.
Marlborough is also home to the Massachusetts Athletic Training Center’s Special Olympics.
Northborough, a neighboring city in Marlborough, has a dedicated baseball complex and a new football complex. Marlborough is located in New England, in New England, in Boston and Providence, and they host hockey, basketball and other sports competitions.
Javorek said that since sports are the city’s main tourist destination, Marlborough has invested in facilities and attractions to attract families, athletes and tourists participating in sports tours. The city’s Apex Entertainment Centre is New England’s largest indoor entertainment complex with 30 bowling balls, a multi-level indoor Go-Cart track, Laser Tag, children’s play area, restaurants, bars, meeting and party spaces, and more.
“You can stay in the position of the competition (sports). Apex Entertainment Center’s facilities, restaurants and events are designed to support the work of athletes and families,” Jaworek explained.
The complex has nine hotels around it, with the largest number of hotel rooms outside Boston, and many more than 100 restaurants in the city.
Marlborough’s entertainment options showcase the beautiful outdoor activities in the area. The 1.5-mile floating boardwalk is adjacent to Lake Williams, or hikers can cross the 10.5-mile paved Assabet River Rail Trail connecting five towns.
As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday in 2026, Javorek said the region’s long history has attracted tourists.
“Our office of economic development is really helpful because whenever the tournament is in, we can connect them to the facilities they need (hotels, restaurants, and we all see the value of sports tourism,” Jaworek said. “We are able to create the right experience for anyone who wants to come here.”
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