There's nothing better than bowling...unless it's bowling and beer, and the best of both is right here.
Wisconsin has more small, old-fashioned lanes than any other state in the union - the no-frills kind where rumbling strikes roll down wood lanes, scores are marked by hand and balls speed back on above-ground returns. You can shoot the bull with the owner, who just might buy you a cold one, since he's probably tending bar.
Visit these gems now before they all disappear...
MILWAUKEE
The Holler House (2042 W. Lincoln Ave.) is as famed for its feisty 83-year-old owner, Marcy Skowrinski, as it is for being the nation's oldest bowling alley. She'll tell you about the time her father-in-law hid the booze underneath the crib during a Prohibition raid, "because the Feds wouldn't touch a baby!" She'll grin and pull out a dictionary of Polish slang - she's got the pages with "dirty" words marked for easy reference. Marcy likes things just the way they are in her establishment. "We don't have pool tables, we don't have gambling machines. I want people to talk to me," she says. Call ahead if you want to bowl on the 101-year-old pair of lanes downstairs - she'll find a neighborhood kid to set pins for you. Sports writer Frank Deford, professional bowler Earl Anthony and musician Joe Walsh have all felt the draw of the Holler House..
NORTHEAST
Next stop, Fond du Lac, where the Elks Club (33 Sheboygan St.) celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2009. "When they put in the lanes," says Kelly Brzezinski, bowling manager, "they actually dug up a human body!" Skeletons aside, the bowling alley has been nicely maintained, but there are no plans to install auto-scorers. "We do it old-school," says Brzezinski. "I think a child should be able to use his brain." Indeed.
NORTH CENTRAL
In nearby Rib Lake, check out the classic set of four lanes inside Little Bohemia (806 McComb Ave.). Family-owned for some 30 years, the lounge used to be part of the bank next door - look for the old vault door. Don't miss the photo op down the street: Pose for a picture with the 8-foot -tall Ice Man "Ugh." For real.
NORTHWEST
Black & Orange Lanes in Webster (7462 Main St.) is a funky, happening place, starting with the carpeted walls, adorned with florescent balls and pins. Owner Tim Vasatka is ramping up the business: he's added a poker room, horseshoe pits and a volleyball court. And then he went and bought the nearby Webster Motel, where there's a free drink chip in every room. Visit soon - auto-scoring machines are on the horizon.
Read about these lanes and more in the Wisconsin Trails Nov/Dec issue out Nov. 12!
