IRONDALE, Ala. — A new indoor go-kart venue is now open in Irondale, adding another entertainment option to The Hill at Grants Mill as summer gets underway.
K1 Speed opened its Irondale location in June at 5421 Beacon Drive, bringing electric indoor kart racing, arcade games, event space and food and beverage options to the shopping center east of Birmingham.
The company said the Birmingham-area venue is part of a relocation from Bessemer and its only Alabama location.
The opening comes after several months of anticipation around the project, which was first reported last year as a planned second Alabama location for the California-based company. K1 Speed said the new facility is less than nine miles from Barber Motorsports Park and includes a 1,150-foot track designed for adults and juniors.
The site sits in a retail center long known in the area as Grants Mill Station before it was rebranded as The Hill at Grants Mill. Local history sources say the center was developed in the early 1990s, originally anchored by a Walmart supercenter and a Waccamaw home goods store.
Irondale officials have also highlighted the project as part of a broader push to bring new business to the city. The city and the Greater Irondale Chamber of Commerce marked the opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a Mayor’s Cup race involving teams from city departments.