SPRINGFIELD, IL – A new entertainment complex has opened up in the capital city.
Legends Entertainment at 1250 Lincolnshire Blvd. offers up 46,000 square feet of fun. The space includes three bars, a bowling alley, arcade games and an outdoor area.
A soft opening was held on Aug. 7, something Bill Marriott says was done on purpose.
“We did not do a lot of advertising for opening we wanted it to be a little bit slower,” Marriott said. “I think the soft open and the slow open went about as well as we could think it would have. We are looking forward to having larger crowds out here.”
Marriott Jr. co-manages the complex with Ben Call and Blake Gebhardt.
Guests in the first week could spot the professional NASCAR, JR Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet, driven by Justin Allgaier for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series parked out front.
Allgaier, a Spaulding native, won his first championship at the Phoenix Raceway in 2024 and competes full-time in NASCAR.
“Justin and his crew were nice enough to bring that out” Marriott said.
Allgaier’s portrait is one of several local sports legends guests can see on the wall as soon as they walk in, highlighting the prowess of just how far Springfield-area athletes can go.
Originally, all five businesses were planned to be open for the soft opening, but due to construction issues closing the sections for Taco Gringo, Sliders and a portion of Sapori Pizzeria, the opening was pushed back so guests could get a real taste of entertainment.
The outdoor area has a 5,000-square-foot turfgrass space with outdoor games and yard games. The bowling area is outfitted with 12 string-pull pin lanes and there are more than 110 games in the arcade. The complex also includes three private party rooms.
Which local Springfield businesses are at Legends?
Wellthy Juice Co., a healthy eatery serving juice, sweet fruit bowls and coffee is the first stop, followed by The Vanilla Bean, a classic Springfield ice cream shop. Taco Gringo will be serving a reduced menu of Mexican cuisine, while Sapori serves pizza by the slice, and Sliders will have burgers, fries and shakes.
All the businesses listed above have their own home locations inside the city except Sliders, operated by Omar Romero, one of the names behind Papo’s Cafe and Brickhouse. Almost all menus will be serving something a little bit new to try at Legends.
Wellthy Juice Co., which already has their home location in The Gables near Costco on the west side, has found their mark already.
Co-founder Heidi Clark saw Legends as a way to expand to a broader audience in the city, the satellite spot serving the most popular juices like “Liver Love” and “Watermelon Waves” with their acai bowls, as a healthy option on the food court.
And testing out new items on the menu before they hit the main location.
“The kombucha is a new thing … we’re just kind of trying it out here,” employee Bijou Griffith said. “Our menu is a little smaller here than at the Gables, only doing six juices for now.”
Sappori serves by the slice or by the box on traditional New York style crust, so sorry Chicago deep dish or Detroit style fans, your time isn’t here yet.
Sports focused going forward
Originally built in tandem with SCHEELS Sports Complex, the entertainment space will act as the spot to be near the hotels and Springfield’s Sports Dome. Bookings for teams later into 2026 have already been planned for the sports park and with those bookings, Legends is advertising to incoming teams.
“When the park sends out the information pack to teams signed up for tournaments, we will have some information in that pack that lets them know about Legends,” Marriott said. “We may offer them a discount if they want to come in, we are working in conjunction with the sports park to get our product out there.”
Hours for the business will be equally adjusted, to match hours of games at the nearby dome. Open from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. every day, the hours are subject to change depending on competitions. A ribbon cutting for the complex is scheduled for Aug. 25.
Claire Grant writes about business, growth and development and other news topics for The State Journal-Register. She can be reached at CLGrant@usatodayco.com; and on X (Formerly known as Twitter): @Claire_Granted
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Massive entertainment complex opens in Springfield
Reporting by Claire Grant, Springfield State Journal-Register / State Journal-Register
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By Claire Grant, Springfield State Journal-Register | USA TODAY Network
