Fort Myer Bowling Center

This is the best bowling alley in the DC area, but as of January 2016, it’s now off limits to civilians.
Previously, all civilians with proper ID, and a willingness to undergo a car search, could enter the base and go bowling. Now, only those with a DoD badge are allowed entrance. There is a tedious, complicated process for civilians to request entry to the base (AIE), but it’s only good for 60 days at a time, so practically speaking, the days of bowling are over. Really sad!

I’ve been bowling here for years and have always loved coming here. It wasn’t the cleanest or the nicest, it was simply the cheapest. Until 2016, it has always been open to the general public. It is now, however, only available to those with either a DoD ID, and their guests, or those with a Ft. Myer-​issued AIE (Automated Installation Entry). I found this out tonight and they were rather rude about it, too, as if the bowling center hadn’t ever been open to the general public.

I’ve been bowling here for years, along with many of my friends and neighbors. This week, the guards at the gate turned my family away, due to a recent policy change. Civilians are no longer allowed to patronize the bowling alley. You must have a DOD ID. What a shame.

A little out of the way, but lots of fun. It’s clean with decent pizza and COSMIC BOWLING! Take note: your taxi CAN enter the facility, but the guards need to inspect the car first. So if your driver is skittish – looking at you UBER – it’s a bit of a trek to walk from the bowling alley to the main gate.

The place is very well maintained. Kids and adults both enjoyed. The only issue is security on the arrival at the gate. You need around 10min on average for clearance.

Yes! Cheap, fun, and the right feel of a bowing alley. Plus, you get to get your car searched, which to me was fun. :)

Only open to the public depending on who is working the entrance gate. I have been to this bowling alley a couple times in the past and it was great. Not crowded, good rates, good food available. However, I tried to take my two daughters 9 & 11 in April and were denied entrance at the gate and told you have to be military, even for the bowling alley. I called the bowling alley and was told «they», whoever «they» are, are trying to change the policy to no civilians, but have not changed it yet. So it really depends who is working the entrance gate as to if you can get in or not I guess.

This is probably the best reacreational bowling alley in the whole DC metro area. I went in for some practice games and paid around 2 bucks a game. The scoring system is the newest available on the area and the lanes were freshly oiled. The lanes were probably less than regulation, or might have been the same, probably just because of the low overhead clearance.
My only gripe would be the fact that it is on base, and they needed to search your car if you don’t have a military or DOD credentials. Oh, and it only has about 25 lanes, so keep that in mind and call beforehand for availability.

This is a great place for some wholesome bowling at a decent price. Saturday nights it’s $ 8 for two games and shoe rentals! That’s a steal these days. You have to show your government-​issued ID at the base gate and occasionally they search your car. FYI.

I’ve been to a few bowling alleys in my day to include I’ve worked in one back in 2005. The space is generally pretty clean but it’s showing its age compared to most bowling alley buildings. The lane conditions are about a medium to heavy oil covered. Some lanes I’ve noticed are raised slightly on the corners further down the lanes. Overall it is a decent place for just good old fashion fun and beer.
Best time to bowl is early in the day. They do not re-​oil or clean lanes throughout the day.

I bowl here with a league — we use this place partly because of location with price, availability, and friendliness playing rolls as well. The food available is OK and reasonably priced. When the pizza is fresh it pretty good. They recently updated some of their equipment out ranking local Bowl America and AMF for technology (at least the Falls Church and Annandale ones I am familiar with). The pricing is less than the previously mentioned locations. The managers are friendly and often helpful (sometime even providing bowling tips for those who are interested).

I’ve always heard others talk about the bowling alley at Fort Myer, but I’d never been until recently. It’s super popular, and six of us had about a 40 minute wait on a Saturday night. It’s clean and well-​maintained with a friendly staff. The alley has modern technology that auto-​scores for you, which is nice. And they do cosmic bowling! Woohoo!
There’s an arcade room for the kids (I missed my chance to play pinball) and a snack bar. I tried a few bites of pizza, and I have to say, that I might have a thing for bad bowling alley/​roller palace/​Chuck E. Cheese type pizza. Since I work on the other side of the base, I might be stopping by the bowling alley for some pizza, because anyone can use their snack bar. They also have beer and wine (and Smirnoff Ice/Mike’s Hard Lemonade), which I’m thankful for, because I definitely need to drink to bowl.
I’m from the Boston area, where we candlepin bowl. Among other things, I didn’t understand that you had to choose the weight of the bowling ball, and not just the prettiest color. I was not happy that I could not use the pink or purple balls. But it’s OK. A good time was had by all, including those that lost (me). I actually look forward to going back (but only during cosmic bowling and only if I can get in some pinball first).

Ft. Myer’s bowling center is exceptional. It has the latest if tech and lighting. Also, it’s quite convenient for NW DCers… Key Bridge and on to the 2^nd Street, Arlington gate to the base. We’re fans. The teens are having a blast. The staff is efficient at both checkin and concessions. We’ll be back.

Good place to eat breakfast in the morning. Burgers pretty good. Fries are awesome. Its open to civilians so youll get that atmosphere as well.

The food is amazing! The atmosphere is better than any bowling alley I’ve been to in the area! The lanes are also very nice!

This place is just awesome, mainly because it’s not crowded like every only bowling all in the area on weekends.
The lanes are good, people are friendly, and the food/​drinks are inexpensive. They offer $ 2/​games during the daytime and $ 3/​games during nights and weekends. That’s a steal compared to other places in the area.
The reason why people don’t normally go here is because it’s on an army base. Everyone will need to show their ID and if you don’t have a govt badge, you will have to get your car searched. This take all of a few minutes and is definitely worth it.
There’s plenty of parking as well and the music is good. Definitely check this place out!

A fun place to hang out with friends! The music and lights make it like a club venue. The price is cheap. We were confused by the security check and location, while it won’t be a problem for next time!
To update the pricing, for each person it’s $ 3 per game and $ 2 for shoe rental, if don’t recall the numbers wrong. :P

My partner and I have been to Fort Myer Bowling Center a few times for bowling, and overall just a very fun way to spend an afternoon. For bowling prices in the area, you can’t beat here. On some weekday nights when there aren’t bowling leagues, you can get games for $.50 each.
I will say that the facilities are dated compared to anything new. You’re definitely bowling as people did when it was built in the 1970s! The food is standard, and just typical ballgame food, etc.
I always see family here, and this is definitely a good activity for families.
Definitely recommend Fort Myer Bowling Center.

This place gets 5 stars for the prices, the customer service and the fact that it is on base so there is some form of crowd control. I came here on a date Friday night and the place was lively, but not packed. We paid $ 7 per game per person and $ 4 so rentals. (I think). It was a great price compared to bowling at Lucky Strikes.
We also ordered some food, and the prices were pretty good there too. Their spicy wings were great, a tad bit greasy but what do expect from a bowling alley? We also ordered a slice of pizza which wasn’t bad either.
I will be sure to make this my first choice when ever we want to go bowling,

The hardest part is getting in. Ft. Myer is Arlington, Virginia’s, only bowling center and — of course — it happens to be on a military base. Not to worry because you don’t need to be enlisted or a defense contractor to get in. As long as you have a valid government ID and a currently registered vehicle, you’ll be fine. You’ll just need to stop by two security check points and open up all your doors and trunks for inspection.
Now the good part. Since it’s on a military base, bowling is pretty cheap. $ 3 per game plus shoes? Hard to beat considering that Lucky Strike in Chinatown costs an arm and a leg. Sure, you won’t have fancy cocktails or waitresses at Ft. Myers, but it’s much more affordable. Plus, since Ft. Myer is primarily a bowling center, the lanes and machines actually work. This is a stark contrast to Lucky Strike which often breaks down, has uneven lanes, or where lanes aren’t properly waxed. Yeah … waxing matters to some people (not me).
There’s league play hosted by different organizations on Tuesday nights, Wednesday nights, and Thursday nights so best to avoid those nights. [Last Visit: March 1, 2012]