Unleash Your Inner Demon Deacon in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Winston-Salem, North Carolina, works overtime for sports planners and rights holders. “We’re a small city with big amenities and nothing showcases that better than our sports facilities,” says Bonny Bernat, senior sports & events sales manager with Visit Winston-Salem. “When athletes compete here, they sense the investment made by our community in the quality and diversification of our venues.” The City of Arts and Innovation has a stadium-full of experience hosting sporting events, including professional events like the annual Winston-Salem Open (tennis) and the PGA Championship. Amateur events include the USA Track & Field Masters Indoor Championships, not to mention youth competitions in soccer, basketball, cheerleading, volleyball, wrestling, hockey, martial arts and lacrosse. And judging from a recent visit, more is to come.

BB&T Sports Park

Thirteen full-sized soccer/multi-sport fields, including 11 with lights, anchor this vast complex 20 minutes from the heart of downtown Winston-Salem. Elevated viewing areas include stadium field seating for 1,4–00, walking/running paths, concessions, classroom meeting space, field house, playground, and picnic areas complete with grills. The park’s sophisticated video system allows for live-stream broadcasting of games. Recent events include U.S. Club Soccer National Southeast Regionals and the Freedom Cub Challenge Lacrosse Festival.

Carolina Athletic Performance

Slated to open in summer 2019 adjacent to BB&T Sports Park, this 120,000 sq.-ft. multi-sport facility will hold eight full-sized basketball courts, 16 volleyball courts, five batting cages, turf training fields and seating for 2,500. “Our focus is on athletic training, sports injury rehabilitation, and 24-hour fitness access,” says Jessica Barber, who along with her husband, Adam, are founders and developers of CAP.

JDL Fast Track

One of the largest and fastest indoor tracks in the Southeast, this indoor climate-controlled facility hosts a 200-meter oval track with a Mondotrack FTX surface—the same surface used at the 2012 London Olympics. Two pole vault runways, two long/triple jump runways, a high jump apron and throwing area make JDL a top choice for year-round track and field events. Owned and run by runners, the former yearbook production facility has seen multi-million-dollar upgrades and offers a 100-meter warm-up track, training room, hospitality suites, and seating for more than 1,700. JDL has hosted four national championships here, including the NCAA Division II & III Indoor Track & Field Championships and the 2016 NJCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.

Lawrence Joel Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum & Winston-Salem Fairgrounds and Annex

These adjacent complexes support larger events and are a 15 minute-drive from downtown. LJVMC has more than 25,000 square feet of event space with seating for 14,665 spectators. The facility is used for basketball, cheerleading, volleyball, wrestling, martial arts and other indoor competitions. It is also the home court for Wake Forest University’s Demon Deacons Basketball team. The Fairgrounds and Annex offer 65,000 square feet of flexible event space and include 30,000 square feet in the oversized, open-square floor plan Education Building. The 3,150-seat multi-purpose arena is host to the Carolina Thunderbirds, Winston-Salem’s professional FHL hockey team. The facility has played host to arena football, lacrosse, wrestling, roller derby and more. USA Gymnastics Region 8 hosted more than 500 athletes here recently for the 2018 Regional Congress.

Tanglewood Park

Tanglewood is long recognized as Forsyth County’s signature recreation area with more than 1,000 acres of parkland. Two Robert Trent Jones-designed golf courses here include the Championship Course, past host to the 1974 PGA Championship and The Vantage Championship Senior Tour event. BMX track, aquatic center, 10 lighted tennis courts, fishing and miles of trails make this one of the premier public facilities in the Southeast.

Wake Forest University

The size, quality and utility of WFU’s athletic facilities belie the university’s small enrollment of 5,000 students. This perennial ACC sports powerhouse has developed world-class sporting venues for its student-athletes, and all of which are available for private use. A rundown: Wake Forest Tennis Center. The Winston-Salem Open, the ATP’s last stop before the U.S. Open, makes use of the venue’s 13 courts. The center also hosted the 2018 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s championships. Ketner Stadium. Home to Wake’s field hockey and track and field teams, this lighted facility seats 4,000 and has a press box, upper level viewing area, high-tech scoreboard and concessions. A fast, reliable AstroTurf 90 surface delivers true rolls and quality play. Spry Stadium. Located in the heart of the tree-rimmed Wake Forest campus, Spry is a premier soccer facility complete with two lighted practice fields, seating for 3,000, men’s and women’s locker rooms, observation deck, press box, and concessions areas. Bridger Field House. Accented with team colors of black and gold, this upscale field house holds university and community events, and is available to groups year-round. Two stunning sports lounges overlook the field and offer posh gathering areas for events including banquet seating for 400. McCreary Tower. McCreary, a stunning Carolina-brick seven-story structure overlooking BB&T Field, is the focal point of Wake’s massive football complex. This facility is group-ready for entertaining in style with luxury suites, press boxes, club seats and a restaurant.