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OSKALOOSA — The much-anticipated Trio Entertainment Venue — which features three theater screens, a restaurant, pickleball and tennis courts and golf simulators — officially opened its doors Friday.

The $17 million facility opened 14 months after Evolve Hospital broke ground on the facility at 2333 Coal Mine Loop, next door to the Fairfield Marriot; seven months after Penn Centre Theater downtown closed to be bulldozed to make room for Musco Lighting’s expansion project and; one day after a soft opening.

Matt Jacobs, president of Evolve Hospitality, described the goal of Trio with one word: Fun.

“To serve the community with a fun environment, that’s the goal,” Jacobs said. “Something that’s different.”

Towards that end, the 46,000-square-foot complex offers a one-stop entertainment experience. It has four pickleball courts, two tennis courts, three golf simulators, a restaurant and a three-screen movie theater.

The restaurant area has windows that look onto the pickleball courts. The courts themselves have spectator seating. Lounge-style areas, with sofas and easy chairs sitting next to the restaurant, and outside the tennis courts.

Television screens showing sporting events are everywhere — in the restaurant, at the golf course simulators, in the pickleball courts.

The restaurant is more of a sports bar and grill, Jacobs said, and the menu — featuring burgers, wings, flatbreads, bowls and salads — reflects that.

“We’re not an upscale dining experience. We’re not trying to have china and a $60 steak at a place like this. We’re trying to have a very good burger, smashburger,” Jacobs said. “It’s stuff that’s easy to eat. You pick it up, it’s handheld stuff. Type of things like that.”

The pickleball, tennis courts and golf simulators can be booked in advance, Jacobs said. Walk-ins can also use them, if available.

Starting in January, customers can get paid memberships for tennis and pickleball. That will give them 24/7 keyed access to the courts, Jacobs said.

The theater features comfortable reclining seats with tray tables. The first new release movies playing at the new theater are Gladiator II, Wicked 2D and Moana 2.

Trio is open 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The kitchen closes an hour before closing time. 

“We’ve got a lot of people in the community who are excited to come utilize the facility,” Jacobs said.

Jacobs said Trio will pull in visitors from the surrounding area, and capture business from people already visiting Oskaloosa.

“It’s not just the population of Oskaloosa. People are going to be coming from 30 miles away, 50 miles away, 100 miles way,” Jacobs said.

Trio is not Evolve’s first venture in Oskaloosa. The company also owns and manages the neighboring Fairfield Inn, as well as Elmhurst Grille, (formerly Wood Iron Grille).

Trio is the first such facility that Evolve has built or managed. The company manages hotels, restaurants and an assisted-living faciility but nothing like this until now, Jacob said.

Even so, he said, the mission is the same: “How do we serve our guests?”

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