You can add an element of gaming to meetings and events by hosting them at one of these local bowling alleys.
1. One of Chicago’s largest bowling-themed venues, River East's Lucky Strike Lanes is available for full buyouts for as many as 1,000 guests. Smaller groups can opt to use the wine room, which holds 200 and offers a private bar and a drop-down projection screen. Another private room with a 120-guest capacity features a lounge and six lanes, while a more intimate billiards area can accommodate 80 guests. Four event-geared food packages include the Americana (burgers, salads, and pizzas) and the California (roasted top sirloin and grilled salmon). For dessert, planners can opt for the kitschy make-your-own sundae bar.
2. Located in River North, the upscale 10pin Bowling Lounge features 24 lanes and two semiprivate areas for groups. The booth-filled Cosmopolitan lounge can accommodate anywhere from 50 to 140 guests, and the smaller Martini lounge offers plush couches and room for 50 guests.The venue's full kitchen can provide pizza, salad, and barbecued meat buffets, while drink packages include house wines, domestic beers, and specialty drinks such as the pomegranate-raspberry 10Pin-tini. Available for full buyouts, the venue can hold as many as 300 guests.
3. Rather than the automatic reset and ball return, a staff of pinboys manually resets the pins at Lakeview's retro-style Southport Lanes and Billiards. The venue’s main area features a vintage bar and high-top tables, while a smaller room off to the side can host groups of 70 and offers four lanes, plasma TVs, and a pool table. A rear room filled with six Brunswick billards tables can host 80, and the entire space is available for full buyouts for as many as 300 guests. Food packages feature buffet-style finger foods like Reuben rolls and spinach-stuffed mushroom caps; other options include chicken and burger stations and family-style platters. Parent company Spare Time Inc. will provide balloon arrangements, bowling trophies, and customized bowling shirts upon request.
