Beazley’s

On a lazy Sunday we wanted to do something fun on our vacation. BOWLiNG!!!
We came in and I think they just opened up, it was empty and on one side we saw a set up for a kids birthday party. We were thinking great kids… Nope we were wrong the kids were not going crazy and running around as we thought they would.
Right away we were asked if we wanted something to drink, the guy behind the counter was very friendly and accommodating. We also ordered food, fries and chicken strips. The food was ok but it was a bowling alley there’s no kitchen so it was as good as it gets.
We went for $ 5 bowling while drinking good beer. What can I say drinking and bowling … Good times.
It’s a good place to go bowling, I’d come back on our next visit.

So I went bowling the other night for the first time in well over a year, and Beazley’s was the spot we decided to hit, Only because we ate dinner across the street.
The four of us bowled a little under an hour, which gave us 3 strings, and low an behold it was only $ 12.50 per person! That was a little surprising, since the last time i bowled it cost me less than $ 10 for unlimited bowling.
It may have been time of day, or because it was Friday, but i was okay with it.
I did enjoy bowling, i even want to bowl more often now.
But I don’t think I will do it at Beazley’s, it was very very dated.
The balls were chipped and well used, the shoes, were very worn out, (3 of the 4 pairs we had were). I mean if you are trying to keep that old school appearance at least try, if you are going to attempt to be new age (with cosmis bowling) then update some stuff.
The bowlarama and fairlanes in Halifax, are much more up to date and cleaner in general. They’ll get my bowling experience!

I am not a fan of bowling. There, I said it.
However, as much as I will never choose to don bowling shoes and hurl a ball down an alley for funsies, I won’t turn down the opportunity to hang out with friends or family in the name of humiliation as I get low score after low score.
What I dislike most about maybe having to bowl is the possibility of «cosmic» bowling; that just takes the sport to a whole new level of ick.
That’s why I LOVE Beazley’s. It’s old, slightly worn, but loveable because it’s not blacklit, neon painted or full of crazy teenagers. Mostly, it’s a good place to cheaply have some «fun». Okay, it’s really not that bad, and I did manage to score a spare.
The staff look like they’ve been part of the joint for at least a couple decades, and there’s definitely a crowd of regulars. The lanes, according to my expert bowler brother (he’s in a league, and everything!) are shorter than normal, but I don’t think that’ll affect many people. The balls and lanes have some serious wear and tear, but it’s actually a pretty charming place. It’s got a vibe that makes me picture what it would have been like back when smoking was allowed indoors. This is a place that would have smoke pouring out of it.
Overall, it’s pretty good for a «deep dartmouth», no blacklight location. But, please, don’t invite me unless you let me bowl kid style. It’s the only way I can manage a strike!

Full disclosure: last night was my first exercise in drinking-​and-​bowling. I likely could have had a stupendous time tossing Timbits at toilet paper tube pins in my kitchen. Nonetheless, I will attempt to write a legitimate review.
We got off to a rocky start with Beazley’s. Calling ahead to book a lane, we were talked to like we had asked them to shut the place down because P. Diddy wanted to come play. They couldn’t understand how we could expect them to kick someone off a lane during their unlimited bowling night on our behalf. Seriously. Next time, just a simple — ‘we don’t accept bookings’ will suffice.
Service was no more warm and fuzzy after our arrival but I will admit, they started to warm up when we started to order drinks from the bar. Whether that was actually us just warming up or them… well, we’ll never know. All I know is that $ 4.50 beers are a-​okay with me. Buying a round for less than $ 20 is truly the most glorious part of bowling.
The facilities are pretty old school. You know that contraption that brings the bowling balls back? Made of wood. WOOD. Apparently people used to use wood to build things back in the old days. Who knew?!
As we were leaving, we settled up the bill for the last surprise of the night. Now, I don’t know what unlimited bowling means to you, but I would think a flat-​rate for as long as you want which is why people like P. Diddy can’t just come in and take the place over. So, it struck me as odd when I was asked how many strings we played before giving the final price of the night and had I been a little more ‘with it’ at the time, I probably would have asked for clarification.
So that’s the scoop: bowling is fun, drinks are cheap, staff like drunk people, unlimited bowling may be a figure of speech, and I have no idea how much it all cost me in the end.

Happy to finally see a glow-​in-​the-​dark mini putt in Dartmouth, we went for my birthday. Beazly’s converted half of their bowling alley to the new putting room.
It’s a giant rectangle of a room, so it’s a lot simpler to navigate. The holes are less challenging than other putting spots, but that might be a draw if you have younger kids or a larger party. Instead of playing music, the speakers pump out jungle sounds to match the neon wild animals painted on the walls.
You can easily do the course in an hour, but you’ll still have fun knocking glowing balls around. Overall, it’s not as impressive as a larger putting place, but the cheaper prices and the fact that it’s connected to a bowling alley make it a great little place in Dartmouth for a fun Saturday night outing with friends.

This is a review of the mini-​putt only, as I haven’t yet bowled here. For $ 8 per adult, Beazleys offers a fun, jungle-​themed, glow-​in-​the-​dark mini-​golf experience. The course is much more open concept than the other glow-​in-​the-​dark mini golf course I’ve been to (Putting Edge). The holes are somewhat simpler, although this course has the added bonus of moving parts. It took two of us less than an hour to make our way through all 18 holes, and we spent some of that time goofing off while trying to put some space between us and the family playing just ahead.
I only have one real complaint: each hole along the course is raised a step up off the floor and is a bit narrower than I would like. It felt more comfortable at times to keep my feet on the floor when putting, than to stand on the course.
I really enjoyed the jungle theme — the glow-​in-​the-​dark mural is very well done. Keep your eye out for the occasional hole-​specific tip, painted directly on the wall.
All in all, a fun and inexpensive outing.

Beazley recently (August, 2010) added a mini putt course. Which is the real reason I went. Green fees are only $ 8 per adult.
The course is relatively small and took less than an hour for my friend and I. And that was with killing time for the slow-​moving family ahead of us.
The glow-​in-​the-​dark artwork is fantastic. Each hole is a lot of fun with good layouts and obstacles. Unlike the other glow-​in-​the-​dark place in the city, this one has moving obstacles!
This might bee a bit out of the way for a lot of you but it’s worth the drive!