Remodeled in 2021 and now offers traditional and duckpin bowling, as well as cornhole, ax throwing, and sports simulators.

We finally visited the one bowling alley in Wake Forest – Strike and Barrel! We don’t take the kids bowling very often, but we were looking for a new place to beat the heat and thought we’d give it a try! In my opinion, Strike and Barrel is more bar than bowling alley, but if you find yourself in Wake Forest and want to go bowling it’s a fun spot to check out!

Previously named Brooks Street Bowl, Strike and Barrel is located in downtown Wake Forest sandwiched between the Renaissance Center for the Arts and Over the Falls restaurant, which I have been to many times for a moms night out evening with my girls! All of these spots are located within the same parking lot, so you could really make a night of it by watching a show, grabbing a bite to eat, and bowling the night away. I would definitely recommend this spot for an adult evening out, but it’s also a great option if you want to bring the kids along as well.

Bowling

The bowling alley of Strike and Barrel was a lot smaller than I expected. There are 8 lanes available, but they don’t have your traditional bowling alley seating. You have a 4-person high top table behind each bowling lane, which made it a little difficult to sit and change our shoes. We also didn’t have a great place to put our shoes once we took them off, so they ended up in a pile in front of our table.

Bowling balls are all located at the desk with the bowling shoes, so you won’t be able to pick out your own ball. Just ask the attendant for the weight of ball you desire and he will bring it out to you. They also brought out the kids bowling ramp to us, which was helpful for my kids ages 6, 4, and 3. One awesome feature is that you can set the gutter bumpers to automatically go up and down based on who is bowling. We set it so they would come up for the younger kids and go down when we bowl.

Arcade

I was pleasantly surprised to find that there is an arcade in the back of Strike and Barrel. We weren’t expecting this, so it was a nice addition! I mean, it’s nothing like the extensive arcade that you will find at Stars and Strikes Family Entertainment center, but there’s a good amount of games in a small space.

We also enjoyed the lawn games setup in the bar area. You can play giant Jenga and Connect 4 while you wait for drinks and food. I like these types of games more than traditional arcade games because they make everything a little more social and encourage you to play games with the people around you.

Pricing

One of the best parts about Strike and Barrel is the price! They offer a per lane bowling option, which is the best deal if you are bowling with a group. They also have great deals like a Family Fun Pack with pizza and shoe rentals included, plus $2 Tuesday where games and shoes are only $2 each! It’s definitely the best priced bowling alley in the area, and they have a full restaurant and bar menu as well!

Don’t forget to register at Kids Bowl Free so your child ages 2 – 15 can get two free games Monday through Friday from 11am-5pm! Buffaloe Lanes and Stars and Strikes also participate in this great program!