Baseball entertainment chain Taroko Sports is winding up for the grand opening of its first San Antonio location, the company’s largest baseball entertainment facility to date. The venue is set to open at 11 a.m. Saturday, according to the company.
Initially slated to open in July, the local arm of the Taiwanese chain will replace the Urban Air trampoline park at Park North Shopping Center, 618 N.W. Loop 410 on the North Side.
The 31,000-square-foot venue will feature batting and pitching cages, HitTrax systems that allow users to play in simulated MLB games, bowling lanes, arcade games and electronic darts. It will also offer food such as pizza, quesadillas and fried pickles, and a drink menu that includes beer and soda. The new center will showcase the brand’s first baseball pro shop, offering bats, gloves and sliding mitts.
The venue’s opening day will include live entertainment and half-priced games. The first 100 customers will receive a commemorative T-shirt and an hour of unlimited arcade play.
Taroko Sports is the largest entertainment company in Taiwan. It opened its first U.S. location in Katy last year, later branching into the Arizona cities of Mesa and Chandler. Construction is underway for an indoor-outdoor Pflugerville facility that is planned for a 2027 debut.
The new facilities are part of the company’s plans to expand nationwide, according to Paul Ponzio, Taroko Sports marketing manager.
“Since COVID kind of wrapped up, entertainment venues have been hot spots, as families want to get out of the house,” Ponzio previously told the San Antonio Express-News. “We want to be the go-to location for everyone looking to have some fun.”
The facility is part of Park North’s pivot toward experiential venues, according to Vicki Adelstein, who leads leasing efforts for Park North owner Dhanani Private Equity Group. Western-themed Outlaw Pickle opened its doors in May, and the shopping center is also home to Pinstack bowling, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and Escapology escape rooms.
Early next year, San Antonio’s East Side will get in on the action. The 25,000 square-foot soccer bar Pitch 25 is under construction, preparing to open indoor fields and a wall of beer on tap. The company was started in Houston by Brian Ching, a former player on the U.S. Men’s National Team.
