Once the domain of male-dominated bowling leagues, Colorado’s bowling alleys have expanded to include dancing and special effects luring hipsters on weekends, budget-minded dining and $1 specials on everything from Pabst Blue Ribbon to those appealingly ugly rental shoes.
At least one Colorado bowling alley offers Wi-Fi for multitasking bowlers, though no Wi-Fi is required for posting updates on Twitter, as one bowler recently did: “Bowling championships tonight. Me and 39 other middle-aged dudes hurling a ball at 10 hunks of wood. It’s what dreams are made of.”
Golden Bowl
South Golden Road and 24th Street, Golden; 303-279-7846, ; $2-$3.25 per game, $2.50 shoe rentals
You’ll see workers from the nearby Coors brewery, Colorado School of Mines students and teenagers in this 1950s-era venue. A new addition — a Chinese restaurant that charges by the scoop ($1.75) — fortifies bowlers. Weekend evenings feature Glow Bowling and, in summers on the first Saturday of each month, the Golden Super Cruise classic car fleet rumbles into the parking lot.
Pinz Bowling Center
855 S. Colorado 105, Palmer Lake; 719-487-7469, ; $2.50 games, $2 shoes
Teen bowling leagues, karaoke Thursdays, Texas Hold ‘Em Tuesdays, $1 specials on Tuesdays and Thursdays, weekend dance bands — Pinz does its best to appeal to everyone. Including nonbowlers: It’s a Wi-Fi hot spot.
Bowl-ero Lanes
5480 W. Alameda Ave., Lakewood; 303-922-1125, bowl-ero.com; $1 game and $1 shoes (weekdays); $3 game and $3 shoes (weekends)
This 1950s-vintage Lakewood institution thrives as a social center — you’ll see celebrators from wedding parties, class reunions, quinceañeras and bar mitzvahs — and as an arena for serious bowlers.
Strikes-N-Spares
1717 Poplar, Leadville; 719-486-8905, strikes-n-spares.com; $2-3.75 games, $2.25 shoes
North America’s highest bowling alley opens at 7 a.m. on weekends and is a mainstay in this mining town, where long winters can trap locals indoors from October through May. Long winters may explain the Water Moccasin, Strikes-N-Spares’ favorite bar drink, a mix of Crown Royal, peach schnapps, sweet-and- sour mix, and a splash of Sprite.
Elitch Lanes
3825 Tennyson St., Denver; 303-477-1633, elitch ; $2.50-$3.50 games; $3.50 shoes
The String Cheese Incident played once here at the bowling alley that advertises it’s open 365 days a year. The lanes draw two serious leagues, along with leagues more about pizza and beer than bowling. Elitch Lanes also recently hosted an all-male baby shower.
Arapahoe Bowling Center
6850 S. Dayton St., Greenwood Village; 303-790-2695, ; $3.50-$4.50 games, $2-$3 shoes
Gleaming trophies document the Arapahoe bowling leagues’ prowess. Predictably, leagues dominate the lanes on most evenings. The exception: Double Extreme Bowling, when throbbing music and pulsating colored lights make bowling the opposite of an old- school experience.
Lucky Strike Lanes and Lounge
Denver Pavilions, 500 16th St., No. 340, Denver; 303-629-9090; ; $4.95-$6.95 games; $3.95 shoes
This trendy, upscale scene, with lane-side food service and hip decor, appeals to urban hipsters. A Sunday brunch special ($17.95) includes a buffet and two hours of bowling. Warning: Better look good. This is that rare bowling alley with a dress code. No sweats, sports jerseys, motorcycle colors or other street-cred fashions allowed.
Louviers Bowling Alley
No longer open to the public
Once a popular hangout in the one-time DuPont company town of Louviers in Douglas County, this bowling alley is a gorgeous piece of the past. The pins had to be set by hand, a job that nimble Louviers residents coveted, back in the day, but they had to be quick. It’s still there but open only sporadically for Louviers residents and private Douglas County events.
