Cove Bowling Lanes

In a time when many bowling alleys are going upscale, Cove Bowl is a drawback from the 1960’s. Don’t get me wrong, we bowled and had fun, but, some issues… We were given the last lane against the wall (we were the only bowlers in the place), the place was completely silent until we asked the staff to put on some music (awkward) and our hands were filthy black from the balls (gross).
This is a bowling alley, set your expectations as such. Bring some friends or your family (and some Purel) and have some fun.

This place is okay. They do jack you this week on rates. 4 people, 4 pairs of shoes, 2 games each = $ 47. Yikes. Add in a pair of $ 2.50 gatorades and the money goes fast. They could also maybe run a vacuum over the rug in here. Non-​holiday week rates are a lot more family friendly. Good spot for a few hours when the wind chill is 30+ below 0 for sure. Was getting crowded when we finished up around 12:15 pm.

No real surprise that this place either gets 1 star or 5 stars. I see it as 5. But if you’re looking to bowl with Pinot Noir, not PBR, this place may not be for you. If you go, don’t miss a round of double decker indoor mini golf that’s as original and makeshift as it gets. And when you’re ordering a round, check out the fine tribute to the Bruins (pictured here).

Poorly managed & maintained bowling place, our lane broke down 7 – 8 times for Just 1 game. We entered too many names on the game board by mistake & they weren’t flexible & didnt care about it. Rude staffs!

I came here for a state tournament, this is a dilapidated old building. On a Saturday night there are more people sitting in the bar then on the lanes. The best thing about this place is the bud light taste like bud light. PBR drafts are not $ 2 anymore. The décor needs a massive update, but they have modern scoring. Drink prices are fairly cheap.

Completely filthy. Brought the kids for mini golf, and so dank and in disrepair we left.

Clean, cheap, good selection of balls, very pleasant staff and a great way to spend a couple of hours. A great rainy day activity!

Good time – cheap bowling, and a little mini golf course too. Wasn’t crowded when we were there at 8pm.

Great bowling alley here. Was the inspiration for the movie «The Big Lebowski». See for yourself on Wikipedia. The Coen Brothers went to Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington for a period of time.
They have cheap PBR pints here, along with Newcastle in the bottle. Bartender makes perfect Whiskey Sours here.
The staff here is really helpful, never really have any problems here. The music could be a less top 20ish — but im sure thats the way it is everywhere.

Lethargic weekend staff, seriously not friendly, not mean but like wow on the apathy, but hey, just let me bowl, right? Electronic scoring with a spare suggestion screen is pretty cool, but if you want your frame by frame score, you’re out of luck (bring your own score sheets). The house balls are completely beat up, some even cracked, so drag your own tools to the this place. All this griping aside, it’s the only game in the area so just get out there and bowl!

Went to an adult birthday party here for my brother-​in-​law and this place is 5 stars all the way. When I ordered 6 pints of PBR and the guy said 12 bucks, I knew we were in for a good time. Very attentive staff when pins got stuck or any other problem arose and very clean fun environment. We didn’t get the chance to play mini-​golf, but I am hoping to hit the links on my next trip.

«there’s a beverage here man»
I heard a rumor that the cove bowling lanes was the inspiration for the movie «the Big Lebowski», maybe it’s because the Cohen brothers were students at a college nearby… more likely is the fact that visitors to the cove could so easily imagine the dude, donny, walter and jesus drinking beers and throwing rocks here.
The cove’s décor is awesome. They have a solar system rug with bowling balls as planets, miniature cars and liquor bottles on display all over the place, and the piece de resistance, the 300 wall. Framed pictures of everyone who has ever bowled a perfect 300 game at the cove for the past 30 years!
How can it get any better? Check out the insane indoor mini golf course (that has seen better days) with two stories of mind blowing holes including a journey your golf ball takes from the second story, up a ramp and down a giant water wheel onto the first story green. Plenty of camp with a big paper mache dragon dominating the back of the course and psychedelic 70’s rainbows and mushrooms painted on the walls.
But wait it gets better… The lounge serves up $ 1 PBR drafts! and many, many other cheap adult beverages. In line with the cheap beer prices is the cheap bowling cost. Games are $ 3.50 per person (and even cheaper during off hours), shoe rentals are cheap too. Don’t miss their disco bowling on weekend nights; crazy lights, a boomin’ sound system and videos abound.
The Cove never gets too crowded because of it’s location (southern Berkshire county, MA) but there is always a nice mix of locals, college kids and tourists. They offer up eats too but I would recommend checking out 4 brothers pizza across the street for a great meal before or after your game.
The Cove is always spotless and the equipment never fails. You can tell the owners and staff really love this place and it shows in the details. Open late until 12:00am on the weekends, and the lounge is open till 1:00am. There is also a small arcade area with air hockey and a pool table in the lounge; pro-​shop for the hardcore bowlers and a clear bowling ball with a skull inside for sale. Stepping into the cove is like stepping back in time. Even hanging out in the parking lot is fun and brings to mind scenes from movies like Dazed and Confused. Highly recommended if in the area… I contemplated making the three hour drive from boston the last time one of my friends said «let’s go bowling!»