Academy Lanes

As I was once an avid bowler, I had to give candlepin bowling (a variation of the classic sport of bowling) a try. To secure a lane, you can pay by the hour in the glow bowling are (about $ 16/​hour) or you can bowl at the regular area for $ 3.50 per string (1 single 10 frame game) on weekends.
The place is a bit of an eye sore and old but the staff are friendly and helpful. Candlepin bowling is different from regular bowling in that the ball is half the diameter of a normal bowling ball (slightly bigger than a bocce ball). The ball weighs around 4 – 5 lbs and moves like a knuckleball and is very hard to control. The scoring is similar to bowling but you get three rolls per frame to get a spare. If you get a spare, you have two throws.
I played three games and scored 45, 40 and 88. My first three rolls were gutter balls because I was overpowering the ball. The pins are also thinner than bowling pins and when you knock down the pins, they stay there as «dead wood» and can be used to hit pins on your subsequent roll.
I didn’t like how I had to reset my pins after every frame. Candlepin bowling is much more challenging than regular bowling. If you score 120, that’s really good and if you score over 200 in a single string, you’re a pro.

I’m afraid of big balls. I still remember my first time bowling in Ohio and being HORRIFIED of those cartoon like balls. WHERE IS MY ACADEMY LANES CANDLEPIN!?!
Academy Lanes has been in my life since forevz. Birthday parties, work parties, lack of anything to do in the suburbs parties…
Feel free to keep it vanilla with regular style or spice it up with some glow bowling — it’s what the cool kids are doing. They also have an arcade, KENO, and they serve beer & wine too. Overall it’s not too expensive and is just one of those options to keep in mind when searching for something to do in the Merrimack Valley.
Little balls are fun!