Castle Lanes

Went there on a Saturday night for open bowling. The rudest staff I have ever met. They would actually walk away before serving me to help their friends. Lanes were dripping with oil. When they asked me how the night was and I said horrible they said okay and walked away. They couldn’t have cared less. I’ll never go there again.

Went to Castle Lanes this Weekend for Bowling and had the best time ever with my friends. The place will not disappoint. Very Clean & Nice

Told us it would be thirty minutes for a lane. We waited 40 went back and were told it would be another hour. Supposed to be open bowling but over half lanes blocked out for leagues. Don’t waste your time.

Fun to bowl — lanes can be a little slick sometimes. I’m no ace bowler but I am in a league there. Some of the lanes just seem greasy. Drink prices are cheap. Bowling cost with a coupon is cheap. Volleyball leagues are amazing! Great time on Thursday nights!

This is maybe my favorite bowling alley I have ever been too. One reviewer described the décor as «thoroughly Wisconsin,» which I’d say is exactly right. I am not from the area, so I immediately felt it had more of a «Grand Canyon lodge» type feel, but upon further inspection, «thoroughly Wisconsin» hits it right on the head. Castle Lanes offers their bowlers nice cushion benches to sit on between roles, instead of those typical hard plastic seats that so many alleys seem to have. Castle Lanes offer an all you can bowl in one hour deal for $ 12.99/person. The drop ceiling tiles are decorated, commemorating bowlers’ 300 games. A nice touch I thought. Al Zeitz… you are a legend baby!

Sign at the front desk says, «bowling every day, anytime». When we went, we were told open bowling is only available after 9pm (and Sat). Not sure how that is everyday, anytime! Guess we’ll find another place with better hours.

Castle Lanes was once musty medieval in décor, but is now thoroughly Wisconsin log casino-​ish. It’s very up north, but very nice. They have touch screens, clean house balls, and an overall pleasant atmosphere. The ceiling tiles are covered in memorials to 300 games of yore, which are surprisingly well done and entertaining to look at. Apparently, someone named Al Zeitz dominated Racine bowling in the 90’s, and if the tiles are any indication of his tastes, the man loves cartoons. Cheap beer, nice lanes, great place!

I would give it 3.5 stars. I’m not a fan, but it’s better than mediocre.
I went there with my husband and two children, ages 5 and 3. With two shoe rentals, it cost us $ 55 (incl tax) to bowl for one hour. This seems a bit much.
Castle Lanes was decorated with care, and had some nice aesthetic touches such as little wood fires all over the place (sterno can hidden in sticks) and really incredible artwork on the ceiling dedicated to each person who bowled a perfect game. It doesn’t allow smoking — with little kids that is a giant plus. The scoreboards are great, too: it has fun graphics and even an accelerometer reading so you can see how fast your ball was moving.
Was the facility worth $ 55 for one game? (That’s all we got through in our hour.) Guess it depends how much you like bowling. I will say it seemed crummy to have to pay the same amount for an adult as a 3 year old.
Also, $ 2.50 for shoe rental is just plain greedy. The shoes were nothing special: standard bowling shoe fare, ugly as crap with soles as pliable as a piece of pressboard.
Castle Lanes is quite a bit nicer than the average smoky dump, but still, it is a bowling alley. It appeared Castle Lanes wasn’t hurting for business, but in the recession, when everyone is looking to cut back on spending, it might want to rethink some of its prices.
Just a thought.