210 E. Trade St., Charlotte
704/716-9300
www.strikecitycharlotte.com

HOURS: Daily 11 a.m.–2 a.m.

COST: Mon.–Wed. $5.95 pp/per game (before 5 p.m.),
$6.95 pp/per game (after 5 p.m.); Thurs. and Sun. $35 hr/per lane;
Fri. and Sat. $45 hr/per lane; shoe rentals $4 pp

StrikeCity has made bowling hip again. Located in the EpiCentre, the upscale entertainment lounge opened in 2008. As the name suggests, the 18 bowling lanes are the centerpiece of the lounge.

There are no plastic chairs in the entire place. Instead, bowlers wait for their turn on low leather benches and swank banquettes. At night, the lighting is dimmed and the lanes are backlit to add to the lounge atmosphere.

Its location in the EpiCentre has made it a destination for nightlife, too. In fact, it’s just as common to go to StrikeCity to grab a few drinks and spend the night dancing to hip-hop and house music as it is to change into a pair of bowling shoes and hit lanes.

It’s not a bad place to grab a bite, either. Mike Libretto, owner of Manhattan’s landmark restaurant Libretto’s, runs the restaurant at StrikeCity, serving up New York–style pizza and pasta.

There are a few old-school bowling-alley holdouts, including three full bars and sports matches on every TV (but here there are 75 HD TVs around the bar, not an old black-and-white set over the shoe rental counter).