Arrowhead Lanes

Ok so I can’t really say anything about their bowling because I just went here for miniature golf. $ 10 per person is a little steep in my book considering they don’t even supervise the course or entry into the course; they basically consolidate all of their staff toward the counter behind the bowling alley. You pay for miniature golf at the same counter you pay for bowling and they, very unenthusiastically, hand you a ball and a score card. The way the business is setup just makes it appear as if their miniature golf course is just another way to squeeze $ 10 out of each person without putting any real effort into that aspect of their business. It really didn’t feel like I got my money’s worth out of that course either; if the course wasn’t glow-​in-​the-​dark it would probably put me to sleep.

Absolute terrible experience! Wouldn’t recommend to an enemy. Bad attitudes from every employee, all 2 of them. Severely understaffed and rude. Ruined our Saturday afternoon family outing.

Horrible, horrible place. The lady behind the counter clearly hates her job, and was extremely unhelpful. We were told to go to lane 3 after we paid and received our shoes. When she came to pull the bumpers up for our daughter, she pulled up lane 4’s. When I told her that was the wrong lane, she basically told me I was wrong. We got 1.5 frames bowled before the afore mentioned employee came over to tell us we were in the wrong lane. She moved us back to lane 3, where there were no pins set up. We had already been there 20 minutes. There were only 2 people working on a Saturday afternoon, and neither were quick to help. We requested a refund and left. We will never be back. Shittiest establishment I’ve ever been to.

I came here for a day after a wedding outing. It was such a blast! The lanes are nice and the place was clean. We bowled a couple of games and then walked to the back and what do you know — black light mini golf! So incredibly neat! The whole group went for a round of golf and it was so entertaining. My boyfriend, sister and I got into quite a competitive game. I even showed my little cousins when they stopped by and one of them had their birthday here a month later. The bar also looked neat and the group went in there for some hang out time after. Very fun place!

Pissed. Came in at 1:30 today and explained that I wanted to prepay for 4 people and get on the waiting list so a lane was available at 3pm. I said I also wanted to buy a pitcher of pop and some snacks. The employee apathetically told me that I couldn’t prepay and that everyone needed to be there for me to be on the waiting list. I was so mad. I was trying to give you $ 60 of business and surprise someone on their birthday. The group ended up going there at 3 and got so frustrated waiting that they left. Super poor customer service and will not be returning.

This alley is owned by the same person that owns GT Western Bowl. They are both known in this town as the premier places to bowl, because of the careful care that they take. The regulars that bowl at either of these places in leagues would never consider the other options in town (the Union or Old Orchard).
The lanes are in extremely great shape. Everything is clean, and the lanes are oiled correctly every day.
I refuse to bowl in a league, but my friends and I go to Arrowhead every Monday night after leagues finish, as games are only $ 2.50 each (an incredible deal). We’ve done this every week for almost 2 years now, and couldn’t be happier.
Essentially, this place caters to leagues. This can be a downside because if you arrive between 7 and 9 almost any night, you won’t be able to find a lane. But, the upside is the lanes are the best kept in town.

This bowling alley – tucked into some of the back neighborhoods of Champaign – has everything you need. It runs a simple, clean bar with reasonable food and pitchers, the staff is friendly, and the place lacks that clingy smell of cigarettes you find in older alleys.
We had a birthday shindig the last time we went, and it was perfect. It wasn’t crowded in the evening (although the cosmic bowling did start a bit late at 9:00PM). They run a decent playlist to go along with the backlights. You can pay by the lane/​hour (up to six at $ 27) or by the game per person. With this arrangement groups are a better deal, but note the alley doesn’t take reservations. The auto scoring system is a bit silly, but absolutely functional. It worked out just right for our group of about eight or nine as an event location.
In short, an absolutely functional and fun alley; with food and drink, a clean atmosphere, and a potentially funky atmosphere, it works. For the more competitive or regular bowler, however, I cannot say.