B&B Theatres and bowling now open in Ankeny
As the community surrounding DMACC grows, its students have many options for restaurants to try out, fun places to go with friends on the weekend, as well as lots of job opportunities close to campus.
If you are in the mood for a sweet treat, Sweet Swirls Rolled Ice Cream has you covered. This local ice cream shop, located at 303 SW School St has every flavor you could ever want and more. They also have non-dairy and vegan options available.
Sweet Swirls has customers coming back for more due to their fascinating process of making the ice cream right in front of them. Customers start off by choosing what size, flavor, and mix-ins they would like.
After these crucial decisions, the ice cream is then put on a cold plate and mixed together. The cold plate is negative 12 degrees so the ice cream freezes very quickly, which is important in this method.
“What sets us apart is the process, the less amount of time that it takes us makes the ice cream creamier. It all comes down to a science, the faster you can do it the creamier it is,” Spencer Quick, one of the owners, said.
Sweet Swirls Rolled Ice Cream started out as a food truck run by Quick and Brandon Archer in the summer of 2017. They saw the idea on YouTube and the dream of Sweet Swirls grew from there.
The company has grown since then from one food truck to three successful stores in Ankeny, Windsor Heights and Johnston. Sweet Swirls Rolled Ice Cream has also started to package some of its ice cream in pints and sell them at local Hy-Vee stores.
Quick said, “ We started making cakes a while ago and people have really been liking that, and now we are trying to make premade cakes so you can always pick one up in the store.”
Keep up to date with Sweet Swirls by following their Facebook page.
If you are looking for a fun weekend activity, the Ankeny 12 & B-Roll Bowling is a new Ankeny attraction.
B&B Theatres, a company run out of Missouri, opened its first Iowa location right here in Ankeny this past December. Ever since, business has been busy.
They have a 12-screen movie theater, Bar & Grille, bowling alley and an arcade.
The theater has two “Grand Screens,” which are the largest screens in the nation, in addition to the MX4D theaters. Tickets for the “Grand Screen” theaters for matinee shows are $11.49 and $10.49 for a child. Evening tickets are $13.99 for adults and $10.99 for children.
The MX4D theaters incorporate touch and smell into the movie-watching experience. Some of the effects include the seats moving, air blowing in your face, and the seats may lightly hit moviegoers in the back and ankles during jumpscares.
The seats also spray mist, fog, or snow (depending on what the movie calls for). The price for a MX4D theater matinee show runs around $14.99 for adults and $14.49 for children. An evening show costs $17.49 for an adult ticket and $14.99 for a child ticket.
In the ScreenPlay! Theater, there is a playground for kids to climb on and workers who chaperone the children for thirty minutes prior to the start of the movie. Matinee adult tickets for these shows are $9.99 and children cost $9.49. An evening show for these theaters cost $12.49 for adults and $9.49 for children.
Connor Stobbe, an employee at 12 & B-Roll Bowling, said “The bowling lanes are a big selling point here in Ankeny since it is the only bowling in town.” Stobbe also recommends that if you are coming with friends, to go on a weekday.
“Weekends are crazy busy and it can make it harder to figure out how everyone is going to sit together,” he said.
For more information and showtimes, check out their website at B&B Theatres and select the Ankeny location.
Coming to Ankeny this winter, Smokey Row will open a new location on SW Vintage Parkway and SW State Street. The business started in Pleasantville, IA back in 1998 as an antique and coffee shop. Now, the store primarily sells coffee, tea, and food.
Smokey Row is a college student’s safe haven, from the lively stream of chatter in the air and the constant smell of coffee being brewed, to the rustic antique signs that hang from the brick walls.
“Smokey Row has an ambience to it. There is this positive energy here that attracts students and the community in,” says Eric Posthuma, a manager at the Smokey Row in Des Moines.
The coffee shop serves as a place for college students to sit and study and a place where business leaders can conduct meetings. Smokey Row currently has locations in Pleasantville, Pella, Oskaloosa, and Des Moines. Smokey Row hopes to continue to expand in the future.
Although nothing is official yet, Posthuma revealed that Smokey Row is looking into starting a franchise with some of the metro Hy-Vee stores.
As Ankeny continues to grow, more business will pop up in the area and DMACC students will never have to worry about finding a new place to check out. These three places serves a different need to the community. If you need a treat, Sweet Swirls is your place. B&B Theatres is your place if you are looking for something fun to do. Smokey Row is your go to place if you want a place to study, have a nice cup of coffee, or get a nice bowl of soup. Ankeny has something for everyone.
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