AMF University Lanes

It had been years since I went to this location, and at that time it was a pretty wholesome establishment. Now it has gotten to the point where they need a security guard. I went on a Tuesday night for their $ 2 bowling night. The bowling was fun, but just the atmosphere and the surroundings were a bit offputting. I think I’ll stick to 10 Park Lanes.

Dingy, dirty, dark, ghetto, poor customer service… The worst bowling alley I’ve seen in a long time!
The pro shop is dusty, dirty, and empty… What a sad place… Needless to say, I won’t be back!

I got an email from these guys promoting their 16 dollar special… It read «All you can bowl from 9pm until close»… What these scumbags don’t tell you is that they close ONE HOUR LATER at 10pm! Good thing I called before I headed out… I considered going at the regular rate of 17 dollars per 2 hours, but the fact that these guys went out of their way to attempt to rob me with their «9pm to close» garbage, I decided I would not head out their ever again.

I like to bowl about once a year & this fit the bill! We went on a Thursday afternoon & they had a special to bowl unlimited games with unlimited pizza for two hours for $ 14/​pp. We weren’t hungry & said no to the special until she told us the total ($ 70???) so we got the special & just didn’t have pizza. The alley is nice & they played an excellent mix of music with the videos on the big screens at the end of the alley (even a Jerry Lee Lewis video from the 50’s!!!) They even have a «jukebox to choose music from. The staff was pleasant & very helpful & even picked out the perfect ball for me before I even asked (they are behind the counter). They have ½ sized shoes so we bowled away & had a great time! (I broke 100 twice & my sweetie broke 150!) The were several people/​families bowling & everyone was polite & appropriately behaved (always a plus)

From 11 pm until closing at 2 am, $ 16 gets you unlimited bowling. Friday and Saturday. The lights are dim, the speakers play good music (with the videos over the lanes), the beer is cheap, and the crowd gets loud. You can’t help but have a good time. Even the worn floors and dingy walls contribute to the atmosphere. It is the bowling equivalent of a first-​rate dive bar.
I have grown accustomed, at entertainment venues, to paying a fortune for all the peripherals. Alcohol, especially, can come with a 300% markup over retail. Not so here. Two orders of fries were five dollars. Pitchers of beer were flowing just as cheaply. This was awesome.
I had heard, before coming, that this place had a sketchy reputation. It is in a really rough area, I was told. The security guards had metal detectors and weren’t messing around, but this was not a «sketchy» place. There were teenagers, adults, and even families. No kids were there so late, but they wouldn’t have been out of place. I can only find one explanation for the alley’s reputation. Other than my 5 friends, there wasn’t another white person in the building. Unfortunately, Charlotte being what it is, this has all kinds of strange influence on people’s opinions. But that is their loss — this was one of the best nights I’ve had in a long long time.