Tenpin Southport, Southport

Ocean Plaza is the block of leisure units on Marine Drive that most Southport visitors drive past on the way to the beach. Tenpin is in there with twenty lanes, lane lighting effects, an arcade on the way in, and pool and table tennis if the bowling finishes early. Doors open at 10am on weekdays, 9am at weekends, and it stays open until midnight.

Bowling is the rare activity where a three year old and a thirteen year old genuinely play the same game. Bumpers go up, the balls come in lighter weights, the scoring does the rest. Reckon on ten minutes a player, so a family of four is forty minutes a game. Book two if you want the afternoon covered. Games start at £7.95 booked online, a summer offer of two games for £10 has been running, and parties are £13.99 a child. Tuesdays are half price. Parking is free.

Know before you go

Walk-ins are allowed but the lanes go first at weekends and in the school holidays. Book the lane, then decide about laser tag when you are there.
Tuesday is half price on bowling. If your week has any flex in it, use that day.
It sits inside Ocean Plaza with the cinema and Playtown, so a rained-off beach day gets rescued without moving the car.

Worth knowing: Bumpers and lighter balls make bowling workable from about three. Laser tag suits older children.

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