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Needham Bowlaway
- Hours:
Wed. 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Fri. 3:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
4 reviews for Needham Bowlaway
Since 1917 The Needham Bowlaway is the oldest continually operating Bowling Alley in the Boston Area.
Featuring Cosmic Bowling!
Bowling with black lights, a fog machine, disco balls, and a loud thumping sound system playing everything from dance music, to disco, to hip hop! It's great for a date, for kids, and adults!
Great Birthday Party Packages, Private Party Packages, and a unique experience for team building corporate outings!
Candlepin Bowling is unique to New England and Eastern Canada. If your looking for something "New Englandish" to do you should definitely check this place out!
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Cool (1)
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
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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"
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Cool (1)
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.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Funny (1)
- Cool (1)
Specialties
Children's Birthday parties!
1 hour of bowling and a half hour for food.
Includes:
Paper goods
set up and clean up
t-shirt for birthday child
Does not include food or drinks
We also feature Cosmic Bowling Friday 5-11, Sat 5-11, and Sun. 11am-6:30pm.
History
Established in 1917
The Needham Bowlaway was built when the building was built in 1917. The grand opening was October 8th 1917 with special days and a restroom for Women. This was unheard of back then and very forward thinking. (Normally Women were not allowed to participate in sports, and when they did, they had to do it in a full length dress.) The Needham Bowlaway was nicknamed the post-office alleys, because it was located underneith the original location of the Needham post office, which moved to Great plain ave some years later. Originally the alley opened with 6 lanes, and where lanes 1 & 2 are were pool tables back then. Sometime in the 40's the pool tables were removed and lanes 1 & 2 were installed. In the 1950's the mechanical pinsetters were installed, before that there were pin boys to reset your pins. Pin boys usually got paid 5-10 cents a string. In 2000 The Moore's bought it and renovated in 2005. Now it is the oldest, but one of the most modern bowling centers around.
Meet the Business Owner: Scott and Liz M.
Scott is a Graduate of North Eastern Business and transportation school. Before owing the Bowlaway, he worked in the transportaion industry managing a bus garage. After the bus garage he was employed as an EMT. Although he loved the excitement of being an EMT, he began to feel the stress of life or death situations every day. He longed for a more relaxing, and fun environment to work in, this is where the bowling alley comes in. Ever since purchasing the Needham Bowlaway in 2000, he has been enjoying work, frequently saying,"How can you be stressed where people come in smiling, and leave smiling, and everyone is here to have a good time!"
Liz is a graduate of The Museum School of Fine Art in Boston, with a major in fine art Painting and a minor in Graphic art. As co-owner Liz is the creative entity behind the Needham Bowlaway, she designed the look for the renovation in 2005, designed the t-shirts, and produces all of the ads, brochures, and website. She's also the mechanic. :)
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