Looking for things to do to beat that suburban boredom? You’re in the right place!
Cool Spots You Didn’t Know Existed in Metro Detroit: Date Night, Ladies Night Out, or just Fun Things To Do w/a Group of Friends! This list is for people who want to get up, get out, and get moving!
In no particular order…although I tried to put the places that I thought would be the most “new/undiscovered” (to most people) first 🙂
There is a signature handy dandy Google Map for you at the end of this post too!
Feather Bowling
I haven’t been yet, but my friend Susan talks about feather bowling all the time! This is the next activity I would like to try 🙂
So what is feather bowling? It originated in Belgium. Some say it is best described as a cross between bocce ball and shuffleboard. Any number of people can play.
You have two options here: (Covid may have changed some details, so I recommend calling first.)
Cadieux Cafe (Detroit) The Original Home of Feather Bowling. (Used to be the first and only in the USA!)
You will get the full Belgian experience here…Belgian Food, Belgian Beer (Duvel & Chimay might be my favs!), and Belgian Feather Bowling!
The Café is a former prohibition-era speakeasy too 😉
The current cost for lane rental is $25 per hour per lane Sunday-Thursday and $50 per hour per lane on Friday and Saturday.
Reservations for dinner are accepted for groups of eight or more.
To reserve featherbowling lanes, please call (313)882-8560 to reserve your time in advance.
Call (313)882-8560 for more details.
They also have an outdoor beer garden! CANNOT WAIT to check it all out!
Bath City Bistro (Mt. Clemens)
You won’t get the full Belgian experience here, but it’s still a feather bowling option!
Tuesdays through Thursdays, the lane rental fee is $20/ hour and from Friday to Sunday, the lane rental fee is $40/ hour.
Walk-ins are welcomed, but lanes cannot be guaranteed. If you’d like to make a reservation, a deposit is required. For more information on booking lanes, please contact our events coordinator, Louise at louise@hannaventures.com
586.469.0917
Also a good spot for brunching on the weekends! (& they have a nice patio too!)
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Orleans Sports Cafe (Mt. Clemens)
Shuffleboard, Darts, Billiards
I have heard great things about their food too!
Closed on Mondays
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There is nearly 100 years of history here at this little spot in Mt. Clemens. I love the fact that this is such a chill spot for bowling, darts, billiards, music…I would love to bring a group of friends here just to hang out, have some beers, and play around.
From their site: “We bring people together over bowling, burgers, BBQ, beverages, billiards, live entertainment, darts, good clean fun and more.”
Call ahead for open bowling. They also have bowling leagues and dart leagues. There are some openings on the leagues too if you’re interested!
The outdoor patio area is awesome 🙂
They also have lots of Happy Hour Specials From 3-6pm.
Free Play Pinball Arcade (Fraser)
Open Thurs-Sun every week
5,000 square feet of pinball machines, arcade games, racing games, and much more!
The owner, Joe, has the super rare Hercules pinball machine. There are only 200 ever made, and there are only 21 available to play at public locations in the US.
He also has retro pinball from the 70s (and those are some of my favorites).
The entire back wall is all music pinball too!
He also has a bar 😉 You can have food delivered, and there are complimentary disposable utensils available for you to use with your carryout.
Thurs-Fri: $15 for Unlimited Play
Sat-Sun: $20 for Unlimited Play
Total Axe Throwing (Clinton Twp)
8 lane axe, knife, and small weapons throwing range. If you’re into throwing some unique small weapons (beyond just axe throwing) this is the spot for you!
Can bring snacks and drinks, order food, etc.
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Round 1 (Great Lakes Crossing)
The Great Lakes Location offers: Bowling, Arcade Games, Karaoke, & Billiards
People have complained about the rising prices, but I feel like it’s still worth checking out at least once.
I have also heard that there is a wider variety of games here that are not offered at other similar places.
Seems like a pretty kid friendly spot, but there is a bar for watching sports and drinking.
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This place is actually called Escape Room-Zone.
They have the rage room, but they also offer other escape rooms if you’re not in a raging mood haha.
The rage room costs $40 for a session lasting up to 20 mins.
Call 248.616.0050
There are other locations across Metro Detroit as well including: Farmington, Canton, Waterford, Chesterfield
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Rock Climbing Gym!
From their website:
At DYNO Detroit we offer four different climbing options: bouldering, auto-belay climbing, top-rope climbing, and lead climbing. Bouldering and auto-belay climbing require no prior experience but guests must join our staff in a brief 10-15 minute orientation. To top-rope belay and to lead belay, participants must pass a certification test.
To climb on our rope walls beyond autobelays, consider our Learn the Ropes climbing class. It’s a full hour, and it covers the fundamentals of top-rope climbing movement as well as top-rope belaying. Class space is limited, so we recommend securing your spot ahead of time online or by calling us!
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AR Workshop (Macomb, Ferndale, Rochester, Milford)
DIY Home Décor
Offering Ladies Nights Out, Showers, Parties, Teambuilding Events, Private Events, & More!
Check out their website (linked above) for the calendar of events! They also offer DIY To Go Kits!
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Dueling Darts Nerf Arena (Clinton Twp)
586.267.1150
Make a reservation for your next party!
You can bring in food and beverages.
1 hour & 15 mins = $275 for 10 participants ($15 per each additional participant)
2 hour = $350 for 10 participants ($15 per each additional participant)
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Total Sports Axe-perience (Harrison Twp)
When they say TOTAL SPORTS…they mean ALL OF THE SPORTS lol.
Bowling, Axe Throwing, Fowling (they call it Pins & Skins here), Cornhole, Wallyball, Billiards, Darts, Softball, Arcade, Short Court Basketball…
Any Party/Free Party Rooms.
Full kitchen & bars!
586.463.2000
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Whirlyball (Clinton Twp & Novi)
10am-2am Every Day
586.792.4190
I had a heck of a time finding good info on this place. The website linked above says “Welcome to Whirlyball Novi” when you click on it, but the site talks about the Clinton Twp location too.
Fowling Warehouse (Hamtramck, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids)
Open Play (Best for Smaller Groups): $12/person for UNLIMITED Play
Reserve a Lane (Large Groups Up to 40 People): $120 for 2 hours
There is a bar for drinks, and you can bring in food or order delivery at the Hamtramck location.
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The Hub Stadium (Auburn Hills & Novi)
Axe Throwing, Fowling, Golf Simulators, & More!
They have a mobile unit that you can rent! What?!?! So cool.
Per the website:
The HUB Stadium features: 10 Axe Stalls, 8 Football Bowling Lanes, 3 Topgolf Swing Suite Simulators, Four Private Event Rooms, Two Full Bars( Equipped with Bottoms Up Draft Beer System), Craft Cocktails, New American Cuisine
See their website (linked above for all of the different rates).
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Full Throttle (Sterling Heights)
Axe Throwing, Karting, Rage Room, VR, & More!
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You don’t have to make a reservation, but you might end up waiting longer during peak times.
Open Daily From 10am – 11pm
(Prices fluctuate depending on the day of the week and time of day, so check their website.)
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Great Shots Backyard Bar and Games (Clinton Twp)
Cornhole! They have a bar too.
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The Yard at Corktown (Detroit)
Bars, Taco Truck, Board Game Room, Axe Throwing, Pinball, Shuffleboard, Outdoor Firepits, Good Humor Truck, Cornhole, S’more’s, Hook & Ring Games
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You can join as a member and get two free lessons!
You need to complete a waiver form on the website before you visit too.
Rental rates are based on 6 guests.
Off-Peak Rates are $45/hour
Peak Rates are $60/hour
You can book a simulator on their website.
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Detroit Axe (Macomb, Ferndale, Corktown)
Make a reservation, walk-in, or join a league too!
Hours Vary By Location
Walk-Ins are $20/person for 1 hour (6-8 people per lane depending on location). If you walk-in, you may have to share your lane with others.
The Partridge Creek location does not serve food, so you can bring your own. They do have a full bar, so no outside beverages.
The Corktown Location is part of “The Yard Corktown” mentioned later in this post!
Open for walk-ins every day! You can also book your event here!
Axe Throwing & Games, Full Bar & Lounge, Small Bites & Photo Op
$20/person on Thurs & Sun
$25/person Fri & Sat
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Indoor Golf Simulator
Full Food Menu
Leagues & Lessons Available Too
Price Varies by day & time ($40-$70 per bay depending)
Closed on Sundays & Mondays
From their website:
Dining and bocce reservations for groups of 14 people and under are available up to one week in advance by calling the reservation desk:
For reservations, call: (248) 371-9987 ext. 0
All groups larger than 14 people should contact our events department to pre-order from our events menu by calling (248) 371-9987 Ext. 12
To reserve a reservation further out than one week in advance please call our events department to pre-order from our events menu by calling (248) 371-9987 Ext. 12
You can also stop in just to eat lunch or dinner any time they’re open!
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Coratti’s Pizzeria Bar and Bocce (Howell)
They have two indoor bocce courts! It would be a good idea to reserve one!
From their website: We accept bocce ball reservations and table reservations for groups of 10 and larger. Call us today to make a reservation. 517.236.8900.
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They have a full bar and lots of food options here!
You can also book private parties!
You must be 21+ to go in.
Tokens are $0.25 each
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Offworld Arcade at Checker Bar (Detroit)
From their website:
Open Wed – Sun from 4pm – 2am.
All ages are welcome until 8pm and after that we are 21+.
We pride ourselves on offering an authentic arcade experience and a well maintained collection of original arcade and pinball machines.
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Detroit Flyhouse Circus School (Detroit)
They have workshops and weekly classes.
Training for all ages and all experience levels.
You need to fill out a waiver.
There is a dress code (for safety reasons) too! Make sure you check out their site for all of the details.
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