For a town its size, Ankeny drinks well — a couple of genuinely good breweries, the metro's best trailside patio, and a full lineup of sports bars. Here's where to go, sorted by the mood you're in. Two hubs to know: Uptown (the historic core, around SW 3rd St) and The District at Prairie Trail (the newer entertainment area).
Both are walkable from each other in Uptown — easy to hit both in one evening.
Ride or walk the trail, then land on the patio — it's the quintessential Ankeny summer move, and it's next door to Firetrucker if you want to bounce between the two.
The Ankeny Brief is a free weekly email — new openings, happy hours, and where to go this week. Made for exactly this.
Subscribe free →Whiskey River runs weekday happy hour (roughly 3–6pm), and on Fridays adds free chips & salsa plus discounted domestics. 30hop runs a craft-cocktail happy hour. Hours shift — confirm the current deal before you go, and watch the weekly Brief; we flag the good ones.
For a drink with something to do: BackSpin Indoor Golf & Bar and NetPar (1610 SW Main St) run golf simulators with a full bar year-round, and B-Roll Bowling at B&B Theatres (1580 SW Market St) pairs bowling, an arcade, and a bar under one roof. More in our things-to-do guide.