14 Things Every Kid Did at the Bowling Alley

The local bowling alley in the 1960s and 1970s wasn’t just a bowling alley. It was a social weekend hub where we could hang out with our friends while taking part in games. Each bowling alley has its own sights, sounds, and smells. From the sound of bowling pins crashing over each other to the smell of shoe disinfectant spray, bowling alleys have a unique atmosphere that we all remember. One thing that made this experience memorable was getting dressed in rental shoes.

1. Renting Those Two-Toned Shoes

With the bowling attendant watching you, you would slide your feet into the rental shoes, and, of course, they would help you to avoid the gross shoe spray from earlier.

2. Choosing the Perfect Ball from the Rack

Each of us believed we had to pick the right bowling ball to throw, and this meant a marbled bowling ball with an ideal mix of colors that no one else had. Most of us ended up making the wrong choice because the house bowling ball was supposedly perfect with the right hook. However, almost all of us ended up rolling a straight ball.

3. Manual Scorekeeping with Pencil and Paper

You would have had to deal with the same math as your friends because keeping track of the scores was difficult back then. One of your friends would check the math on the scores to make sure the right numbers were there for all the strikes and spares, while some of you had to double-check all the math scores because you were right.

4. Waiting for the Ball Return

There was nothing like watching balls come out of the ball return. Guessing which ball would return first was always entertaining. The suspense when your ball goes behind the pins is incredible. And wondering if it would get stuck in the ball return machine is a great way to kill time.

5. Snacking at the Concession Stand

There were hot dogs slowly rolling over and over on the grill, nachos with cheese, and sodas with ice. After a few rounds of bowling, we would always visit the concession stand. There was something amazing about how food from the bowling alley always tasted great.

6. Using the Pencil Sharpener

The pencil sharpener on the wall would always seem to call us over whenever we needed to restock on pencils for scoring. There was nothing like the sound of the crank turning as it broke the pencil to get the point just right. Each lane had one of its own.

7. Playing the Jukebox

Putting quarters in the jukebox was as big a part of bowling as the sport itself. We would spend every last quarter playing Elvis and The Beatles. The sound of crashing pins and music mixed made the perfect symphony.

8. Using the Ball Ramp

The metal ramp was a game-changer for the youngest bowlers! It was so fun to see the kids send their balls down the ramp and leap with joy as the ball rolled towards the pins. Admittedly, some of us did try it when we thought no one was watching, even though we were “too old” for it.

9. Birthday Party Packages

The special party packages included everything. There were two games, shoe rentals, hot dogs, and a cake from the snack bar. There was a special chair for the birthday kid that was decorated, and everyone signed a birthday pin. It was the ultimate celebration in our day, complete with paper party hats and those thin paper plates that could barely hold the cake.

10. League Night Excitement

Wednesday nights were crazy, with all the league competition. The custom bowlers would all show up with their team shirts and bags and their names embroidered on them. They would constantly throw strikes. We would watch and hope to throw as many as them one day.

11. Arcade Games

The first arcade games, early pinball games, and early video games were all at the bowling alley arcade. Between frames, we would ask our parents for quarters so we could try to set the record high score on all the machines. There were so many machines that made all kinds of sounds. They all made the arcade very fun.

12. The Pro Shop

The pro shop was another fun activity at the bowling alley. We would spend hours looking at the nice shoes and balls and the shop owner would get to know everyone and talk about the different weights of bowling balls. To bowlers, it was a candy store that contained things that would promise them lower scores and better games.

13. Bumper Bowling Battles

When the rubber bumpers were introduced into the gutters, it felt like a new experience. While it was intended for children, we sometimes managed to persuade the staff to keep them up for our games as well. There was a thrill in seeing your ball bounce off of every bumper before, somehow, it ended up in the pins.

14. Cosmic Bowling Nights

The introduction of cosmic bowling in the late ’60s to early ’70s was a game-changer. Black lights, glowing pins, and a “psychedelic” environment instantly created a new experience for us. Everything changed, the music was louder, the lights were dimmer, and our bowling skill was somehow improved (or at least that’s how it felt).