I’m probably the only one in my family who enjoys bowling. I can’t say I love it enough to join a bowling league, but I appreciate it enough to go at least once or twice a year.
It’s something about rolling a ball and knocking down bowling pins that fascinate me. Let’s not forget to mention the competitive nature of bowling, which I also seem to enjoy.
Who doesn’t like to boast about getting a strike in bowling? Even if you aren’t in the lead.
Bowlero North Brunswick, NJ
My family enjoyed going to Bowlero Bowling Alley in North Brunswick. The center was nice and spacious enough for our whole family to enjoy.
We stayed at the bowling alley for about 3 hours.
The bar
When we arrived at Bowlero, we put our names on the list to reserve a lane. While we waited, we went to the bar to order a couple of drinks.
The drink menu was terrific, and had a variety of drinks to try.
Across from the bar were tables for you to sit down to have drinks or to eat if you were hungry.
How long was the wait for a lane at Bowlero?
It did not take long for a lane to become available for us. When a lane became available, we got a notification on our cell phones and headed over to the front desk to check-in.
At the front desk is where we received our bowling shoes and our lane number.
Of course, everyone in our family was hungry once we got to our lane, so we immediately ordered food from the kiosk.
Where can you order your food?
You can order food and pay directly from the kiosk in your lane.
The food was pretty good and fulfilling.
We had so much fun bowling that we ended up playing two games. Once you start bowling, it is hard to stop. Bowling makes you want to continue to play to win or to see if you can get a better score than your last game.
After our second game of bowling, we had to talk our kids out of playing another round because they wanted to keep going.
Arcade and Billiard at Bowlero
Instead of going another round, we purchased a couple of game cards and visited the arcade area.
The arcade area had many games for the whole family to enjoy. (Click here to check out more arcades in your area)
Next to the arcade is also the billiard section. If this were a date night, I probably would have done both the arcade and the billiards, but since we had the kids with us, we chose to stick to the arcade games.
Bowlero North Brunswick
Location, 1 Carolier Ln. North Brunswick, NJ 08902 Phone: 7328462424
Below you will find helpful tips before you plan your next bowling trip.
Who Should go bowling?
Bowling is an excellent activity for the whole family to enjoy. Even though my family doesn’t like it, they agreed to go with me at least once a year.
This year I took the other half bowling for father’s day, and even though he’s the main one that doesn’t like bowling, he enjoyed it.
Bowling is a great activity for date night, girls’ night out, guys’ night out, and couples’ night.
Sidebar: I don’t like going out with new couples because they’re still in that kissing; gotta touch each other all night long. Okay, we get it; you guys like each other.
What to wear?
You should wear something comfortable and a little loose-fitting when you go bowling. The last thing that you want to do is to wear something tight and now be able to win a game of bowling because you couldn’t bend.
Also, don’t forget to wear socks or bring socks with you. If you forget, some bowling alleys have vending machines with socks.
What is a good age for bowling?
If you decide to go bowling with your family, a good age for your child to go, in my opinion, is about 4 ½ or older.
Devices that will help you bowl better.
The bowling alleys have excellent items for younger or even inexperienced players.
If you are new to bowling, you can request bumpers in your lane. Although more advanced players will not be happy with the bumpers, the bumpers will allow you now to get gutter balls constantly.
For the younger players, bowling alleys have ramps to help your child get the bowl down the lane.
The bowling ramps may look like metal slops. While other ramps are plastic and animal shaped.
Did you know?
Bowling ramps were first created for players with handicaps or in wheelchairs. They were created to encourage people to bowl, no matter their circumstances. How much does it cost to go?
Before I go to any Bowling alley, I usually check Groupon to see if I can find any deals on nearby bowling locations.
If I do not find deals on Groupon, I will visit the bowling alleys website to see if they offer any specials.
The average cost of a game is anywhere between $2 and $6 per game.
However, the price starts to increase by other aspects of visiting the bowling alley. Things that can increase the price are renting bowling shoes, playing at the arcade, ordering food/ drinks, and playing multiple games.
When is the best time to go bowling?
When we do go, I like to go cosmic bowling. Cosmic bowling is when the bowling alley turns the lights off and turns on the disco lights and black lights. The kids love to see their clothing glow.
They play great music during this time as well.
I don’t think the league bowlers come to the bowling alley during this time.
Check the alley’s schedule to see when they offer cosmic bowling.
Some alleys will allow you to make reservations online. If you cannot make reservations online, you may have to go to the alley and give your name.
Hopefully, the wait time will not be that long.
What do we do if we have to wait for a lane?
If you have to wait for a lane to open up, you can do a couple of things. Depending on the alley you are going to, most alleys will have something to do while you wait.
You could go to the bar and grab a drink until your lane is available.
If you do not drink, you can still go to the bar to grab a bite to eat. If you are not done eating or drinking before your lane opens up, you can always take your food with you to your lane.
Is there an arcade at the bowling alley
Most alleys have a section with arcade games to play while you wait. The games may take a swipe game card which you can purchase at the alley or quarters.
They also offer a billiard section if you are not into arcade games.
If your kids only like to play arcade games, check out my Play Big Zone review.
Now that you have read all about bowling, here are some great places to go near you.
Howell Lanes
Location, 1002 US-9 Howell NJ 07731, Phone: 7324626767
Howell lanes have been a family-owned and operated bowling alley since 1957. This bowling alley offers cosmic bowel, quarter arcade games, and a billiard area. The location is right off route 9 and easy to get to.
Ocean Lanes
Location, 2085 Lanes Mill Rd. Lakewood, NJ 08701 Phone: 7323633421
It has been family owned and operated since 1959. Ocean Lanes is a fun family bowling center, great for a weekend or rainy day visit.
Playdrome Toms River
Location 821 Conifer St. Toms River, NJ 08753 Phone: 7323495345
Playdrome is a fun family environment great for your family and friends. Playdrome is a BYOB location for adults. If planning a group event or party, visit their website for available packages.
Bradley Beach Bowl
Location, 1217 Main Street Bradley Beach, NJ 07720 Phone: 7327744540
This is a great bowling alley to visit when you’re near the shore. You can spend a day at the beach and afterward stroll over to Bradley Beach Bowl for an evening of fun.
AMF Strathmore Lanes
Location, 1061-G N-34 Aberdeen Township, NJ Phone: 7325667500
AMF Strathmore Lanes offers many state-of-the-art videos and old-school games that parents and kids will enjoy. You can also check out their billiards section if you don’t want to bowl and want to hang out for some great food and fun.
Hamilton Lane and Entertainment Center
Location, 1200 Kuser Rd. Hamilton Township, NJ 08619 Phone: 6095852400
Hamilton Lane and Entertainment Center is a fun place for the whole family to love. This center has cosmic mini golf and an arcade area to play at while you wait for your lane to open up. This is also a great place for group events and birthday parties.
ThunderBowl Lanes
Location 423 E Main St. Wrightstown, NJ 08562 Phone: 6097237914
This place is great for birthday parties and corporate events. In the summer you can enjoy the sounds of live music. Check the website for the live music lineup.
As always,
Thank you again for coming along on this journey with my family and me. If there’s any place you feel my family would enjoy visiting, please tell us in the comments below. You can also put any questions in the comments if there are any questions I have not answered about Bowlero….
