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Needham Bowlaway
- Nearest Transit:
-
Chestnut St @ Great Plain Ave (59)
Chapel St @ Great Plain Ave (59)
Needham Center (Needham Line)
- Hours:
Tue-Thu, Sun 10 am - 7 pm
Fri-Sat 10 am - 10 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
10 reviews for Needham Bowlaway
10 reviews in English
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Review from Jonathan B.
Ashland, MA
11/27/2011
I went to the bowlaway when I found myself and son stuck in Needham for a little over an hour while my daughter was doing a dance dress rehearsal. I looked up places we could go, and this seemed like the winner. Like everyone said, it was very difficult to find, given that its in a basement and the signage is pretty weak. Use a GPS. There is ample parking in a public lot behind the building.
The bowling alley itself is pretty sparse, pretty small and crowded. It hasn't changed in 50+ years, but that is some of the appeal. One we arrived, they had two alleys open, but there were definitely people waiting after we got started.
The attendant was very careful to explain pricing to me, $25.00 per hour pro-rated to the minute and $4 per person for shoes. While some may feel this is expensive, we got 6 games of bowling done in about that hour, so about $4.00 per game. While not cheap, it is in the ballpark of what it costs these days to bowl. The days of $1.00 games are gone.
The alley itself was small, seating for 3, 1 scorer, and 2 others per lane. The scoring is a hybrid automated system. It will keep score, but you must enter the # of pins. I was a little confused in how it worked to start, but got the hang of it.
For my 7 year old, candle pins are more fun that 10 pin, and with bumpers, which were up all the time even for me ( its not a fancy modern system where they go up/down depending on the person ). My son had a blast, we killed the hour of time we needed to, and while not cheap, it was certainly worth the expense.
I could see myself coming back again. -
Review from Catie C.
3/24/2011 2 photos
To complete a local family fun day, this is the spot. OK, I'm not local to here but at least some of my family members are.
If you never been here before, you would have a hard time finding it even with a GPS. Maybe I'm just an idiot to just look at store fronts instead of the side of buildings to find the sign. There is a parking lot in the rear so no worries if the street parking is all filled.
This is the first time I played Cosmo Candlepin Bumper Bowling. For the most part, I was just goofing off since I was playing with my nephews and niece. Fun times with family.
$25/hr, which is prorated, per lane. Max 5 persons per lane; but they were lenient to let us add a 6th. It's best if you make a reservation because this basement bowling alley is only 8 lanes.
The scoring is computerized but it's manual. Boo! I don't want to use my brain to add when I'm goofing off! -
Review from Vivian C.
3/17/2011 3 photos
I can see why bowling at the Needham Bowlaway is like bowling in a friend's basement. It is located down a flight of stairs in the basement of a nondescript red brick building. There's street parking and a lot with 2 hour parking in the middle of the block.
8 lanes of candlepin bowling, a petite snack machine, a petite soda machine, an off-set space for a table to be set for birthday parties, a changing table in the ladies' room... it was minimalistic, but fine for our afternoon of bowling needs.
The Sunday afternoon Cosmic bowl look was quite fun, and the music wasn't too loud to talk over. The shoes we rented shined bright in the dark. After a bit, we figured out that each player would play two sets before the next player was to take their turn. The scoring was the manual pushing of buttons, and when someone got all their pins down in three balls, a cartoon came up to entertain us on the screen.
$25 per hour per lane, even though they told us there was a 5 person max per lane, the scoring program allowed us to add a maximum of 6 people. -
Review from Christine C.
Norwell, MA
2/21/2010
Holy shit this place is expensive. $24 for 23 minutes of bowling (my 4 year old wasn't feeling it the day we went).
It was very difficult to find, so keep your eyes peeled. It was cute and family oriented, which is nice. I might go back, but I will admit the cost gives me pause. -
Review from Christopher S.
Newton, MA
3/20/2010
Lately I've been looking for a local bowling alley to work on my game with my girlfriend. When we moved to Newton a year ago we kept wishing there were more lanes close by without having to go to Boston or to the Milford area.
So, when I found this bowling alley not twenty minutes away from my home I was thrilled. I went to the website, everything looked good and prices seemed average. I own my own pair of shoes so that helps cut costs down when going out to knock a few pins over. Finding Needham Bowlaway isn't very difficult but after coming here yesterday for the first time I realize why reservations are recommended on busy nights.
There are only 8 lanes here! Eight! So if you plan on coming on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday you better call ahead to see if you get a time slot. Thankfully yesterday at 3:00 PM there was nobody bowling but me and my girlfriend. It took us a few minutes to get a lane because the worker was on the phone making a business or personal call and failed to acknowledge us until hanging up the receiver. Once we got set up everything else was easy. Needham Bowlaway has a computer scoring system but it requires you to tell the system how many pins fell over to add up the score. I found it humorous that the keypad reminds me of the computers from STAR TREK. Unfortunately, no music was being played as we bowled so the only sound we got to hear was the banging of pins.
Within an hour a few other young kids showed up to bowl. So 8 lanes were down to 5 in a short matter of time. I would imagine by 7:00pm the lanes would start to get packed or completely full. Parking can be tricky. There was some construction on the street and finding a spot wasn't hard but I would guess with all the local store and restaurants it would make it a little more difficult.
Overall, this is a great little place with good prices. Don't expect anything fancy or quite-so-moderned. It's a little bit cramp but keep in mind this place has been here since 1917! If you feel you'll be going on a busy night call ahead or make a reservation. -
Review from Joe B.
Allston, MA
3/27/2010 2 Check-ins Here
Bowling in a basement? In a word - YES.
Needham Bowlaway has eight candlepin lanes tucked away under Chestnut Street in the center of town. If you can't find it, just look for the "Bowl" sign with the candlepin on the side of the building. Parking is in a town lot behind the CVS.
I was really impressed by the attention to detail that the owners lavished upon this place. The walls looked freshly painted, the ball returns were in great shape (though I miss the foot pedal reset button), the pins were clean, the bowling balls didn't make my fingers dirty, and the lanes themselves were in excellent condition. They had some good lounge music in the background, which made for a casual vibe. And, the machines worked perfectly while I was there.
The atmosphere makes an old bowling alley seem brand-new. The color scheme is sleek and modern. They have computerized scoring - specifically, they use the Compu-Score semi-automatic system, where you punch in the scores and it adds them up for you. They have bright orange house bowling balls, making a welcome departure from most centers' dark, drab house balls. And, they have an elaborate Cosmic Bowling setup that includes track lighting on the bumpers. The only clues that this place is old are the ball returns "outside the pair" (common in houses that used pinboys before the invention of automatic pinsetters), the huge urinal in the men's room, and the stairwell down from the street. But everything else is completely up-to-date, and the staff are friendly and helpful.
I agree with the reviewer who said that the Needham Bowlaway is a "hidden gem". While small, the place is a testament to what you can do with eight lanes when you invest a lot of time and money to make things work. Stop in and enjoy! -
Review from Becky B.
Whitman, MA
1/6/2009
My friends and I were looking for a bowling alley located somewhat close to the Atrium Mall because we were looking to meet with people later on there for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. I googled the Atrium Mall and then did a search within that area for candle pin bowling.
What I came up with was the Needham Bowlaway. I scanned some reviews and it said there was only 8 lanes but it didn't click in my mind just how small the place actually would be. I was just glad to find a bowling alley that was close to our destination.
It was a little hard to find but my GPS was helpful. We found a public parking lot behind the building where it is located, so that was a plus. The bowling alley is kind of tucked into a brick building with a tiny sign and a narrow staircase down to what looked exactly like a friend's basement.
I couldn't believe how tiny it was when I got down those stairs. I also noticed that we happened to come during the hours of cosmic bowling with lights and music. The place was packed and I asked the guys at the counter if there were actually any lanes open. They took a look and then said, "One lane is open." They then proceeded to tell us that each lane had a limit of 6 players. No wonder! The place was crowded and filled with kids!
My friends showed up shortly after that and were also shocked at the tiny size of the alley. We waited about 10 minutes while the counter guys adjusted families so we could fit on another lane (not sure why they had to do this, but it was annoying to wait when they said there was an open lane). We almost thought about leaving because they didn't tell us they were adjusting other customers to make room for us!
When we finally got a lane, we were ready to pay for shoes. but they told us it would all be paid for afterward. We squeezed in and bowled. We had to pay by the hour, so we got to work. I hate feeling rushed and sometimes bowling by the hour is a better deal but at this joint you really had no choice but to pay by the hour.
One thing we noticed was that the scores seemed to be taken by a computer. Not that I mind writing down my own score but sometimes the computer speeds up the process--especially when playing by the hour. I was also surprised to see the computers in this tiny place. but upon setting up our names on the computer, we realized that we had to type in our scores when we bowled! So maybe the only upside of these computer score takers were that they saved paper. They also sometimes were hard to control if we had made an error.
When we were finished with our hour we went up to the counter to pay the guys. It was really expensive to play! With all 4 pairs of shoes and the hour's worth game it cost just over 50 dollars! Unheard of! We knew how much it would cost but didn't really think much about it until it was time to go (and we didn't really want to drive to another alley). We all handed over our cash grudgingly. We all made a vow to never go back.
From reading other reviews, I realize that this bowling alley is a classic, has been around forever but to me it wasn't worth it!Comment from Liz M. of Needham Bowlaway 4/29/2009
I love getting feedback, thank you for informing me about… More » -
Review from BowlingGuru ..
Allston, MA
11/9/2006
Needham Bowlaway is litterally a "HIDDEN JEM". It can be so hard to find, most people give up trying, but when you *DO* find it, it's worth the search!
HINT: If you're at the corner of Great Plain Ave. and Chestnut Street in Needham, it's right next to Harvey's Hardware Store. Look for two white lights above a small doorway on Chestnut Street!
The Needham Bowlaway opened back in 1917, and claims to be the oldest continually operating bowling alley in the Boston Area. It was on the verge of closing as recently as the year 2000, but new owners came in, took over, and saved the place! (Whew!)
Modernization began in 2001, and was ongoing until early 2005 when the place closed because of a flood (this alley is OLD SCHOOL, and in a basement)! After seven months of rebuilding, the Needham Bowlaway returned to operation, now completely modernized. It has 8 lanes of Candlepin Bowling on one level. It has lots of free parking in the municipal lot behind the facility.
The Needham Bowlaway has one of the best Glow bowling packages that the Guru has ever seen in a bowling alley! The place is so small, you'ld think you were in your best friend's basement, and they fill it with lots of dance lighting and music (with two big subwoofers!) and lots of glow-in-the-dark bowling balls. The place sounds like one the best clubs in Boston - without having to travel to Boston! When they're not doing Glow bowling, they're usually playing cool lounge music!
The Needham Bowlaway is a "Family Friendly" place, but don't let that scare you away! The place is fun for ALL ages - even those as old as the Guru!
It is a "true" or "honest" house that can play tough from time to time.
They do not have a game room, or pool tables.
They *DO* have bumper bowling for children.
They *DO* offer "Glow" or "Cosmic" bowling - one of the best in the Boston area!
They use computer scoring for the public.
Needham Bowlaway is "smoke-free" -
Review from S H.
La Canada Flintridge, CA
5/14/2007
Definitely family friendly! A group of us (in our 20's) showed up at 7:30 on a Wednesday night. The place was packed with a church group bowling away, but there was an open lane. No music, no arcades, no frills, just straight candle pin bowling in a basement. I gave it three stars for being an average bowling place -- nothing great, nothing bad.
The guy working the counter wouldn't allow us to bring in alcohol, but they did have a soda and snack machine from the 1970's. There's a public parking lot in the back.
Best feature: What must be the world's largest single-person urinal. At least 3' wide and 6' tall. -
Review from Glenn M.
Needham Heights, MA
9/14/2010
What a hidden gem! A great small bowling alley where much fun can be had. Never went and had a bad time at this great little place. What are you waiting for? Go have fun now!
