Fun Places to Go Bowling

Heading to the bowling center (or alley, as it's often called) is a great activity to enjoy with family and friends both young and old. Throw in some good food, drinks, friendly competition and of course, the shoes, and it’s easy to see why it’s a fan favorite.

Check out this list of local spots to play 10-pin and have a few laughs.

AMF Eastbrook Lanes

Bowling is just one of the reasons to visit this alley across the street from Woodland Mall. You can also hit the arcade, play a few rounds of billiards, watch the big game in the sports bar and chow down on a high-quality meal.

AMF Eastbrook Lanes offers 40 lanes situated across three playing areas, plush laneside seating, black lights and huge HD video walls that play everything from live spots and music videos to classic family films.

Roll in, have fun and save a ton on Sunday-Thursday evenings. You’ll enjoy unlimited bowling (including shoe rental) for just $17.99, Sundays after 6pm and Mondays-Thursdays after 7pm. Unlimited bowling is $23.99 on Fridays and Saturdays after 9pm, and Saturdays and Sundays from 11am-3pm for only $12.99.

The Clique

Named one of the top 10 bowling centers in Michigan, Clique Lanes combines a retro 1950’s feel with updated technology. The upper level of the 16-lane facility is available for rentals and the lower level hosts bowling leagues and open bowl in the evenings.

Clique proprietor Dennis Johnson says the center has “a bowling focus, plus you can get a drink and food.”

Clique Lanes prides itself on excellent customer service: “We have some of the best staff around,” asserts Johnson. “Our employees know regular customers’ names and they take the extra time to help first-time bowlers get the right shoes and find the best bowling ball for them.”

Visit Clique Lanes in the city’s Bridge Street Entertainment District from 9pm to close Monday through Thursday to bowl three games with shoe rental for only $9. Open Monday-Saturday. 

Lucky Strike Grand Rapids

Lucky Strike is home to a whopping 52 bowling lanes – including private lanes – and an on-site pro shop. It also goes beyond bowling with a full bar and restaurant (Woody’s Press Box), live entertainment, line dancing, karaoke, golf simulators and a 22,000 sq. ft. banquet space. Lucky Strike is in Wyoming, about 12 minutes from downtown GR, and is open seven days a week.

Buy two bowling games, get the third 50% off from open to close Monday-Thursday and Saturday. Enjoy unlimited bowling (including shoe rental) for just $15.99, every Saturday and Sunday from 11am-3pm. There are often great seasonal specials, too.

Main Event

Pro-level lanes and a state-of-the-art electronic scoring system welcome bowlers at the 49,000 sq. ft. Main Event facility right next to Woodland Mall. But there are also bumper bowling lanes to prevent kids and beginners from throwing gutter bowls. A rocking surround sound system and cosmic bowling opportunities add to the fun.

Bowling is just one of the family fun activities at Main Event. There are also virtual reality games, laser tag, mini golf, billiards, gravity ropes and more, plus a restaurant and bar. Main Event encourages fun over the super competitive, social over solo, and accessible to everyone over games that require special expertise.

Northfield Lanes

Grand Rapids’ Creston Neighborhood is the setting for this historic bowling center, which offers 16 lanes, billiards tables and a sports bar with big-screen TVs and patio seating.

For many years, Northfield Lanes was co-owned by Marion Ladewig, a Grand Rapids native who was named Female Bowler of the Year by the Bowling Writers Association of America a record nine times between 1940 and 1963. That may be why they take bowling so seriously – it’s a great place to learn and/or hone your skills.

Northfield is open Monday through Saturday and offers very affordable pricing, including some great weekly specials like $2 per game and $1.50 bowling shoe rental on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after 9pm.

Park Center Lanes

Family-owned and operated Park Center Lanes in Wyoming features 24 lanes and some of the best open-bowling rates around: $4 per game all day Monday-Thursday and Fridays before 4pm. It’s $5 per game Fridays after 4pm and all day Saturday. Or rent a lane per hour: $24 Monday-Thursday and $30/hour Friday and Saturday. Shoe rental is always $3.50 per person. The kitchen whips up a variety of food perfect for sharing (or not) and the bar serves up cocktails, cold beer and a lineup of spirits. Park Center Lanes is open seven days a week.

Station 300 Grandville

Station 300 features 44 lanes, an arcade, bar/restaurant and full-service pro shop – no wonder it’s a long-time favorite for residents of Grandville and other southwest suburbs.

Thursdays from 2-10pm offer $2 games and $2 shoe rentals. You can bowl Fridays and Saturdays from noon-8pm and Sundays from noon-10pm for just $13 per person. Lights and Strikes Glow Bowling offers unlimited bowling on Fridays and Saturdays from 8pm-midnight for only $17 per person.

Station 300 has open lanes seven days a week, so drop in whenever the mood strikes you, just be sure to call ahead (or reserve a spot online) as lanes may or may not be available due to leagues.

Wenger's Bowling

A Grand Rapids tradition since 1932, Wenger's Bowling on Leonard Street gives off a fantastic retro feel from the moment you walk in the door. Wenger's offers 16 lanes of bowling split between two floors and is the only local center with “old school” above-ground bowling ball returns.

“My dad, Ed Ladwig, grew up down the street and spent a lot of his time working and learning the game of bowling, and he eventually bought Wenger's Bowling,” says owner Tyler Ladwig, who continues to operate the center as a place for the West Side community to come together and have fun.

Weekly bowling specials at Wenger’s include two games and shoe rental for $12 on Fridays and Saturdays, and $11 on Sundays, as lanes are available.

Westgate Bowling Center

Westgate Bowling Center in Comstock Park is more than just a bowling facility. In addition to 60 bowling lanes, Westgate offers a bar, snack bar, billiards tables, poker room, banquet space, a pro shop and an arcade room with games for all ages.

“Bowling is a fabulous sport, where anyone is able to participate,” says Jena Kehoe, general manager for Westgate Bowling Center. “Here at Westgate, we have ‘dragon’ ramps for smaller children as well as higher ramps for people with disabilities.” The center supplies bowling balls ranging from six-to-16 pounds for players of all skill levels.

Westgate is open Monday-Saturday and hosts Cosmic Bowling every Friday, when you can bowl under black lights to the sound of great rock and roll music.

Woodrows DuckPin Bowling

Woodrows offers a different spin on bowling – shorter lanes, smaller balls, thinner pins and three rolls per frame instead of two. DuckPin bowling is a century-old sport that’s easy for all ages to play … but it’s not necessarily easy to get strikes!

Woodrows is located inside downtown GR’s Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. You don’t have to be a guest of the hotel to play, and you don’t need to rent shoes and a ball, either – just show up and pay for a lane (or make a reservation in advance). Lane rental is $45 per hour for up to six bowlers when reserved online and $35 per hour for walk-in play – but you may have to wait for lanes to open if you walk in.

Open seven days a week, Woodrows offers a wide variety of beers, wines and craft cocktails you can enjoy between frames. A warm-weather patio offers yard games and glow-in-the-dark seating.

Other Local Bowling Spots

If you're still looking for more bowling centers to try, the list goes on. Head north 20 minutes north of GR to Rockford Lanes & Gutter’s Sports Lounge , fun for all ages and situated right in Rockford’s charming, walkable downtown. Hudsonville Lanes offers a senior special on Tuesday and Friday mornings – three games, shoe rental and coffee for $8. Sparta Lanes has as many fans for its Garden Patch restaurant as for its bowling. Aurora Bowl inside GR’s Great Lakes Glow Golf features six mini-bowling lanes in an aurora borealis atmosphere, with five frames per game rather than 10. If you’re visiting the Lake Michigan shore, check out The Lost City in Holland for indoor mini bowling, club-style Lakeview Lanes in Saugatuck/Douglas and 16-lane Lakeside Social in South Haven. The lakeshore community of Muskegon is home to four bowling alleys and is the birthplace of Brunswick, which began manufacturing bowling balls, pins and lanes there in 1906.

Grab friends and family, head to one of these local bowling centers and start making memories. Rates and times are subject to change, so check ahead before you visit!