Strike Up Serious Fun! 11 Bowling Alleys for Seattle Families
by Jeff Totey
Looking for a retro good time with the kids? These Seattle bowling alleys are right up your alley
With the rainy season just around the corner, we’re guessing indoor play spaces are on your mind. Why not go bowling, Seattle families? The basic game has pretty much stayed the same over the years, but today bowling alleys across the Seattle area have gone to work revitalizing older lanes and coming up with amazing technology for newer lanes. And while all of the added bells and whistles are impressive, there is also still something fun about the simple task of trying knock down all 10 pins. Whether you’re looking to share the game that you remember with your kids or want to experience a new twist, we’ve got a line-up of family-friendly places to check out.
West Seattle Bowl | Seattle
Seattle’s beloved bowling alley, West Seattle Bowl, has been a family favorite since it opened, over 60 years ago! But don’t worry, West Seattle Bowl has done some updating–in fact, they have some of the coolest, most kid-friendly bowling alley tech available. When you are assigned to your lane, they enter all your names in the computer at the desk, allowing them to assign bumpers to only those bowlers who need them. So, parents can bowl normally, and then the bumpers automatically lower when it’s a child’s turn. Bowling brilliance! Get the party started this weekend with VIBE bowling. Enjoy Seattle’s most unique bowling experience as the lanes come alive with visual effects. Watch the graphics interact with the bowling ball as it rolls down the lane.
Beyond Bowling: West Seattle Bowl knows how to throw a memorable birthday party. The facility offers two different party packages for kids ages 4-8 and 9 and older. Both come with two private bowling lanes, pizza, soda, and a birthday bowling pin for the special guest of honor. The former Highstrike Grill dining room has been reimagined as the Three 9 Lounge. Promoting a modern island/beach vibe with a hint of Tiki, the cuisine and drinks are tropical in nature.
Bowling balls have been spinning at Shoreline's Spin Alley Bowling since 2000. It's neat, clean and the spot north end families go when they want to have a good time with their brood. The prices are hard to beat, and the weekly Cosmic Bowling sessions (Fridays from 9-11 p.m. and Saturdays from 3-5 p.m. and 9-11 p.m.) make for a great date night or fun afternoon with the kids.
Beyond Bowling: Spin Alley has an arcade when the bowling time is done or while you're waiting for a lane to open up. Their restaurant, Vault 177, has a wide menu including pizza, burgers, salads, sandwich wraps, mac and cheese and more. A whopping 32 beers are on tap from local mainstays to rate barrel-aged products. Their kids menu includes six kid-pleasers like hot dogs and spaghetti. Spin Alley just might be the perfect place for a birthday party with one hour of bowling and two hours at a party table. The birthday kid also gets a bowling pin water bottle. Packages are available with or without pizza and soda.
For many years, families living in Seattle’s south-end have loved bowling at ACME Bowl in Tukwila. Today, the bowling center is still there, but under a new name: Bowlero. Even if you’re not on that side of town, the drive is worth it to this family-friendly alley. Bowlero is like bowling at your favorite alley from when you were a kid, but with a major upgrade. It features 40 lanes, it’s clean, the food from the grill is delicious, and the shoes are fresh. Bowlero is also a great birthday party location. (Parents might enjoy the sports bar.)
Beyond Bowling: Bowlero's arcade features the latest and greatest games, as well as old school favorites like Air Hockey, Pop-A-Shot, and Skee-Ball. There are a variety of games that will test you kids’ abilities and will even reward them with awesome prizes. That giant stuffed animal is just waiting to hitch a ride home with you. The arcade is open during all hours of operation, so you can load your arcade card with credits, grab the controls, and have a blast.
100 Andover Park W. Tukwila, WA Online:bowlero.com
Having just opened in August at South Hill Mall, this is newest Round 1 Bowling & Amusement Centers in the Seattle area. The state-of-the-art entertainment and amusement facility has bowling lanes equipped with electronic bumpers (that raise and lower automatically for selected players), dinosaur ramps, and kid-sized bowling balls. Gutter balls are so last year. If you’re one of the lucky ones to have the Moon Light Strikes game land on your turn, get ready to show off your stuff. With the lights go down, everyone bowls at once for the chance to win prizes. With ginormous lane screens playing your family’s favorite sports teams, prizes, and music, your family won’t strike out here. And special to this location only, Round 1 also offers Spark, a new immersive, interactive scoring experience presenting wild graphics all down the lane.
Beyond Bowling: This 52,000-square foot space also features the best in popular arcade games and in the near future, will also offer private party rooms equipped with karaoke. Your kids will love playing some of the most popular arcade games on the market along with driving games like Mario Kart DX, rhythm games, sports games, exclusive arcade games, and brand-new games including the popular Disney Tsum Tsum game. If your kids are into redemption games (where tickets can be exchanged for prizes), there are plenty of those to choose from, including skill games like basketball tossing and ball throwing, as well as carnival classics.
South Hill Mall 3500 S. Meridian Puyallup, WA Online:round1usa.com
Round 1 Bowling & Amusement Center | Tukwila
Round 1's other Bowling and Amusement Center can be found in Tukwila. As with the South Hill Mall location, this is a state-of-the-art entertainment and amusement facility with bowling lanes equipped with electronic bumpers, dinosaur ramps and kid-sized bowling balls. If you’re one of the lucky ones to have the Moon Light Strikes game land on your turn, get ready to show off your stuff. With the lights down, everyone bowls at once for the chance to win prizes. With ginormous lane screens playing your family’s favorite sports teams, prizes and music, your family won’t strike out here.
Beyond Bowling: This entertainment mecca offers private karaoke rooms (with more than 100,000 songs), four tournament size billiards tables and one of the biggest arcades in the state. Your kids will love playing some of the most popular arcade games on the market along with driving games like Mario Kart DX, rhythm games, sports games, exclusive arcade games and brand-new games including the popular Disney Tsum Tsum game. If your kids are into redemption games (where tickets can be exchanged for prizes), there are plenty of those to choose from, including skill games like basketball tossing and ball throwing as well as carnival classics. And for families who want to round off their bowling experience with a thrill, the Typhoon Motion Theater comes with six different simulated rides. Hold on!
Westfield Southcenter 2351 Southcenter Mall Tukwila, WA Online:round1usa.com
Bowlwinkle Lanes at Family Fun Center | Tukwila
Bowlwinkle Lanes is located inside the Family Fun Center—you know, the popular kiddie hangout off I-405. Bowlwinkle Lanes is a 16-lane, high-tech bowling alley that has all the latest bells and whistles, including lighting that moves with the music, ginormous screens at the end of each lane, automatic bumpers for pint-sized bowlers, and bowling balls that look like billiard balls.
Beyond Bowling: The Family Fun Center has a large indoor playground called Kidopolis (where kids can climb up a labyrinth of ladders and passageways and slide down an extravagant play structure) as well as small indoor rides, rows of arcade games, carnival-style games, and interactive games as well as bumper cars and an entire floor dedicated to laser tag. Outside is equally as entertaining with two miniature golf courses, batting cages, kiddie rides, bumper boats, bumper cars, and go-karts to keep everyone in your brood happy and amused.
Imagine what would happen if a nightclub and a bowling alley had a baby—you’d get something pretty similar to Lucky Strike. Located in Bellevue’s Lincoln Square, Lucky Strike is, by far, the fanciest bowling you’ll ever visit. Lucky Strike offers premium bowling on 16 spacious lanes, chef-driven American cuisine, and live DJs spinning your favorite tunes. Whether you head to Lucky Strike on a date night or make a reservation during the day with the kiddos, a trip to this bowling alley is always a fun experience.
Beyond Bowling: This 23,000 square foot facility boasts two tournament-level billiards tables, a private party lounge with four lanes and a separate bar, plus two dance floors, a state-of-the-art arcade with games like Air Hockey, Skee-Ball, and popular high-tech games and awesome kids’ birthday party packages.
Lincoln Square, 2nd Floor 700 Bellevue Way, Suite 250 Bellevue, WA Online:bowlluckystrike.com
Formerly known as Brunswick Zone Majestic Lanes, this Mill Creek/Lynnwood bowling alley could be considered Bowlero North. This new and improved bowling alley features 42 blacklight lanes with lane bumpers for the littlest bowlers along with plush laneside loungers, delish pub fare, and gigantic screens that run the length of the building. Check their website for details on weekly deals which typically run Monday through Thursday. If a birthday bash is in your future, Bowlero offers kids’ party packages that include bowling, arcade games, lane bumpers, kid-sized bowling balls, party prep, and more.
Beyond Bowling: Bowlero has interactive games for all ages along with more than 40 arcade games and redemption games. Charge up your arcade card and enjoy carnival-inspired games, 4D adventure games, the world’s largest Pac-Man game, and much more.
1222 164th St. S.W. Lynnwood, WA Online: bowlero.com
Lynnwood Bowl & Skate | Lynnwood
Lynnwood Bowl & Skate has been an institution for over 65 years now, and they just keep rollin' along. It isn’t the fanciest bowling alley you’ve ever seen, but the 24 wooden lane alley is clean; it doesn’t cost too much to bowl; and the environment is always kid-friendly.
Beyond Bowling: Lynnwood Bowl & Skate offers all ages skate times on Monday through Wednesday evenings from 6-8 p.m., Friday from 7:30 p.m.-midnight, Saturday from noon to midnight, and Sunday from noon-8 p.m. They also offer beginner skate lessons on weekends from 11 a.m.-noon. If your kiddo prefers blades to wheels, you can purchase the inline upgrade. They also feature billiard tables and lots of redemption games in their arcade. And if a birthday bash is in your future, the facility offers bowling, skating, and extreme bowling party packages (think lights out, black lights on, and flashing lights on the lanes) to really put your crew in the mood to p-a-r-t-y.
TechCity Bowl takes great pride in presenting a family friendly environment where people of all ages can enjoy themselves. They have something different for everyone’s tastes and style, from novice to pro. They offer all-ages bowling seven days a week and a variety of specials including Happy Hours and Unlimited Bowling Sessions.
Beyond Bowling: TechCity has two pool tables for those who want to get in a round of pool either before or after their bowling. The TechCity arcade is where you will also find over 30 different games including Skee-Ball, pinball-style games, and Nascar racing, as well as sports games, Air Hockey, and Dance Dance Revolution. The skill games are redeemable for prizes and most games take 1-2 tokens to play.
Families in the South Sound can roll with it on one of Ocean5’s 22 bowling lanes. This awesome family entertainment complex offers both 10-pin and duckpin bowling. If you’re feeling traditional, 10-pin is the way to go, and you’ll find all the standard family-friendly options here that make things easy for your kids to play, like bumpers, ramps, and small ball sizes. But if you want to change things up, we recommend duckpin bowling. Not only are the smaller, chunkier pins super cute, but the ball is too. Just five pounds and no holes means even the tiniest bowling fans can easily roll it down the lane in their quest to score. It’s the perfect game for first-timers or pint-sized rollers who just wanna have some fun.
Beyond Bowling: After you’ve bowled to your heart’s content, challenge your kids to a round of laser tag inside Ocean5’s epic two-story arena. The intricately designed game room takes laser challenge games to the next level, both during game play and with gaming elements. Then, hit the arcade where families will find everything from traditional faves, like Skee-Ball, the toy claw, and a Pac-Man four-player game, to newer arcade titles like Jurassic World. If all this bowling, laser tagging, and gaming has worked up your family’s appetite, you’re in luck. Ocean5’s own restaurant, Table 47 is just inside the front door, and its focus on locally sourced, sustainable dishes will leave you as pumped to eat here as your kids are to play.
5268 Point Fosdick Dr. N.W. Gig Harbor, WA Online: o5social.com
