#2647 - Tower Lanes Bar, Tacoma, WA - 11/1/2014

Tower Lanes, Tacoma, WA
(Photo via Google Street View)

As surprising as it may seem, what brought us to Tower Lanes was not the lounge, with its mouthwatering Bud Lite, $1.50 jello shots, or even the $2.50 pudding shots. That's all fine, assuming you don't fly into a rage if they don't let you sing karaoke over the PA system. It was not even the mini-Dennys-like diner and its tantalizing senior menu. Rather it was what happens in the evening (they are open 24 hours), as the the main lights go out on the mini golf course for glow-in-the-dark putt putt.

Established in 1957, this classic mid-century bowling alley and entertainment center was decaying to the point where people were saying your budget for the evening should include the auto insurance deductible you'd pay out of pocket after your car was broken into. Then on Aug 1, 2008 it was purchased by a new group of owners that included local bowling luminaries Jeanne Norton Naccorato (more than 20 perfect 300 games and more than 10 national titles) and Bob Hanson, the first person to roll 12 straight strikes at this very location. The new owners cleaned it up and turned it back into a family friendly place where the customers are no longer afraid to go into the bathrooms.

6323 6th Ave, Tacoma, WA 98406 - (253) 564-8853
Est. 1957
Web site: towerlanes.net - facebook
Reviews: tnt - yelp - tripadvisor - bowling2u