The game of bowling has been around since the time of ancient Egypt, and from The Flintstones to The Big Lebowski, it persists in popular culture today. If you live in the Boston area and are looking to bowl, here are a few places to check out from a recreational bowler who once upon a time averaged a moderately impressive 140.
Westgate Lanes in Brockton
Website: www.westgatelanes.com
Westgate Lanes is one of my favorite places to bowl. Easily accessed from the highway, this alley sports 50 ten-pin lanes as well as a dozen for candlepin if that’s your thing. The best thing about this place is deals like the Sunday Morning Steal though – you can normally rent a lane for about $25 an hour, but if you don’t mind missing some shut-eye, you can rent a lane from 9AM-12PM on Sunday for just $26 total. If you’d rather stay up late, bowling is 50% off Monday-Thursday from 9PM-12AM when they close. With TVs visible from each lane, enough pool tables, a snack bar, a restaurant, and a decent bar, you’ll be able to find something you like at Westgate.
Lanes and Games in Alewife
Website: www.lanesgames.com
Lanes and Games is another great place to bowl that is right off the highway, but it’s also right by the Alewife T stop (red line) if you’d rather not drive. It sports many of the same amenities as Westgate – ten pin and candlepin, visible TVs, food and drink – but the place is a little quieter as its a little smaller and split into multiple levels. Unfortunately, there’s no discount nights or mornings here – you’ll pay a roughly average price of $5 per game every time.
Boston Bowl in Boston
Website: www.bostonbowl.com
The best part about Boston Bowl is that it’s open 24 hours a night, 7 days a week, and right off Rt 93. Not that it’s some dump you’ll only want to go at 4AM on a Tuesday – it’s actually bright, clean, and pretty spacious (30 ten pin lanes and 14 candlepin). It’s not cheap though, with a game of “primetime” bowling and shoe rental costing about $10.50. As a nice perk they throw in special Boston Bowl socks with your shoe rental that you can keep, and you can save a little money by going during off-hours.
Kings in Back Bay
Website: kingsbackbay.com
Kings is located on some prime real estate and if you try to go on a weekend night, be prepared to wait upwards of hours for a lane. It’s much more of a bar with a bowling alley than the other way around like most alleys, so if you want the louder bar atmosphere but need a change of pace, it’s a good place to check out. Want to see a place get bumpin’ on a Tuesday night? Kings has free bowling and pool for college students after 9PM.
Sacco’s Bowl Haven
Closing thing to a website I could find: flatbreadcompany.com
I couldn’t finish this review without a quick mention of Sacco’s. It’s a smaller place and it’s candle-pin only, so it’s not for everyone, and I should note the scoring there is old-school (ie: manual, with a pencil). But it’s just steps away from Davis Square (red-line T) in Somerville, and paired with a much loved flatbread pizza restaurant and bar. If you’re in the area and looking to bowl, I definitely recommend taking a look.