We are a bowling family. It is the athletic sport of choice for our son. It is recreational and good exercise for the rest of us.
One of the things I love most about bowling is the action always takes place indoors, in the blessed air conditioning! We were a summer-league swim family for two years, frequently sitting outside under awnings with fans, or inside sweltering natatoriums, waiting hours for the few minutes our child would swim. So we know from experience that in the Southeast Texas sun and heat, we’d rather be indoors than outside!
We spend serious money on bowling equipment, league fees and practice. Our bowling year runs September to August, and so far this bowling year we have spent about $2800 on the sport.
I’m always looking for ways to save a little money on our activities. Hundreds of bowling centers across the country offer free summer bowling programs. For the past 4 years, we participated in Kids Bowl Free, which includes independent (non-chain) bowling centers. A similar national-chain program is AMF Summer Games.
Our favorite bowling center is Max Bowl East and it now has its own program, the Summer Kids Club.
You’ll get 2 free games per day for children up to age 15. Adults and children 16-18 can get a family pass – $29.95 for up to 4 people to have 2 games daily. If you need to rent shoes, that is $3/pair. The hours will be Monday-Friday until 6 p.m. The program began June 1st and runs through August 28th.
You might think this sounds pricey, but if you bowl even just 1 day per week, you will save money. The usual price of daytime bowling at Max Bowl is $4/game, so two games plus shoe rental would be $11. Bowling once a week times 11 weeks (remaining in the summer) could cost $121/person.
Summer bowling is a great way to spend time with family and friends. It’s also a great way to find out if your kids love bowling so much that they want to keep doing it after the summer ends. So come join us at Max Bowl East this summer and sign up for the Summer Kids Club!
