
Bolton's Hollywood Bowl is at Middlebrook in Horwich, on The Linkway leisure and retail park, with 26 lanes. It does the standard Hollywood Bowl kit for small children: bumpers on any lane, lighter balls and a ramp the little ones can push the ball down. Under-16s pay junior prices. There is an arcade, pool tables, and interactive darts with touchscreen scoring, though the centre recommends darts for 12 and over.
On the offers page eat, drink and bowl starts at £8.50 for a game plus a burger or hot dog with fries and a drink, and three games start at £10 a person. The 2 games and 2 drinks deal is off in school holidays. A game takes about 45 minutes for up to six players. The diner takes orders to the lane, and you cannot bring your own food.
It opens at 10am on weekdays and 9am at weekends, which makes it one of the earlier bowling starts round here. The centre says Friday and Saturday evenings, wet weekends and school holidays fill hours ahead, and walk-ins only get a lane if one is spare. Book online if you are planning round it. Being on the retail park means there is food and shopping either side if bowling is only half the day.
What it costs: Three games from £10 a person and eat, drink and bowl (one game, a burger or hot dog with fries and a drink) from £8.50. Junior pricing for under-16s. The 2 games and 2 drinks deal (from £15.50) is not available in school holidays. Interactive darts is recommended for 12 and over. Open Mon to Thu 10am to 11pm, Fri 10am to 11.30pm, Sat 9am to midnight, Sun 9am to 11pm; hours change in school holidays.
Know before you go
- Weekday opening is 10am, so a term-time morning with a preschooler is easy to get a lane for.
- Teenagers can add interactive darts to the booking; the centre recommends it for 12 and over.
- Book ahead for wet weekends and the holidays, when the centre says lanes go hours in advance.
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