Tenpin Kingston

What it’s like

Sixteen lanes, LED lights and bumpers for the little ones, from £9.95 a game online, with an escape room next door when bowling's done.

The bowling is the main event: 16 lanes with the lights changing under the pins, and lighter balls plus bumpers for younger players, so a five-year-old can actually knock something down. Games work out at roughly 10 minutes a person, which means a family of four is in and out in about 40 minutes. If you want a second hour out of the trip, arcade machines, pool tables and table tennis are all on the same floor, and Houdini's Escape Room starts at £13.50 a person.

Cost is the bit to think about. A game booked online is £9.95, and shoe hire is included, which softens it. Book over the phone instead and there's a £1.95 booking fee, so do it online. Walk-ups are welcome, but on a wet Saturday or in the school holidays you could be waiting for a lane, and booking ahead is the recommendation on their own site.

They're open late: 10am to midnight Monday to Thursday, 10am to 1am on Friday, 9am to 1am Saturday and 9am to midnight Sunday. That makes an after-school lane or a teenage evening easy to arrange, though the daytime weekend slots are the ones families fill first. If you've got a buggy or a wheelchair in the group, the venue is listed as accessible and there's parking nearby in the Rotunda complex.

Parties run Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 12pm, for ages 4 to 13 at £13.99 a person. That's two hours of bowling, pizza, fries, unlimited squash, dancing and balloon modelling, with a minimum of six children and two adults needed for every four kids. Food at the venue is pizza-and-fries territory, and they can't guarantee anything is free from allergens. No outside food or drink, so don't bank on a picnic.

Facilities

Need to know

Best for

4 to 16; bumpers and light balls for the younger end, late lanes for teens

Booking

Walk-ins welcome, but book online in advance at weekends and holidays to avoid waiting

Parking

Nearby parking available. It's in the Rotunda complex in the town centre

How long to allow

A game takes around 10 minutes per person

Picnics

No, outside food and drink aren't allowed (medical/religious exceptions on request)

Wheelchairs

Venue is listed as accessible

Getting there by bus or train

In Kingston town centre, easily reached by public transport, near Surbiton, New Malden and Richmond

Parties

Two-hour weekend bowling party for ages 4-13, £13.99 per person, Sat or Sun 10am-12pm, includes bowling, pizza, fries, unlimited squash

Worth knowing

Shoe hire is included in the game price

• Book online, not by phone: there's a £1.95 booking fee on telephone bookings
• Shoe hire is included in the game price, and all sizes are available
• Escape room bookings and party cancellations are both non-refundable
• Parties need a minimum of six children and two adults per four kids
• Tuesday nights are the same price as any other, so the quieter weekday slots are the value ones

Plan your visit

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