Shelburne Falls Bowling Alley

Awesome A/​C. Full bar. Cool owner. What else is there to say? Just go.

It was our first time candle-​pin bowling and it was very fun! We asked how to play and they explained it to us — very easy. It is a very local place and everyone is very nice. Cost is similar to other bowling places, but the bar is cheap. $ 3-​$ 4 for 1 beer. Would highly recommend

I have tried coming to this bowling alley on three separate occasions. Different days, different hours, and different groups of people with me. I felt like an outsider every time I went in. People kinda stop what they are doing to look at you. It’s that much of a local place. I have left disappointed all three times as every time I went it was ‘league hours’. Well, when is it not league hours?! Kinda sucked each time to disappoint my friends that we could no longer go bowling. I finally gave up on the place.
I also heard from a local that they don’t operate in the Summer due to not having an air conditioner. Not sure how true that is…

My wife and I accidentally got to Shelbourne Falls 2 hours before our dinner reservation and didn’t know what to do. We’re not really the bowling type but it was too cold to stay outside and we thought, «wtf maybe it will be fun?» What a pleasant surprise! This place was friendly and clean. We got setup with all the bowling stuff and got a quick explanation of how candle pin works. Bowled a few rounds. Drank a few cheap delicious beers. Chatted with the owners. Maybe had a better time bowling than at the dinner we had actually planned on going to? We’ll be sure to stop by next time we’re out in Western MA!

What’s not to love about a 100 year old original candlepin bowling alley?
It’s the second oldest bowling alley in North America!
Cheap beer
Good lanes
Cheap bowling weekdays

My rock climbing adventure at Rose Ledges got rained out. So there we were, three dudes that just got drenched from walking around for a few hours waiting for the rain to let up but never did, coming back from a failed adventure when I knew this place was what we needed to save our day. We bowled and forgot our troubles amongst the crackle of the pins, the savoring of a cold beer, and the taste of a freshly cooked pizza. This was candle-​pin bowling in all its bowling lounge glory. The place is a refuge for local families and guys just wanting to get out of the house. But for us, it was an oasis from the unrelenting rain and dashed hopes. We bowled 3 games for something like $ 12 with shoe rental. The beers were something like $ 2 and a full pizza was about $ 12. The scoring is manual and the pinsetter had to be reset after each bowler but man, this was exactly what we needed at exactly the right time. Thank you Shelburne Falls Bowling Alley. Thank you.

Bar choices in Shelburne Falls are pretty limited; you can go here, or you can stay home. Luckily this place is pretty awesome.
It’s tiny, with only eight or so stools and one and a half tables, but there’s usually not too many people in there anyway so it doesn’t really matter. I usually go on Saturday nights when I’m out visiting my mom, and I’ve never had trouble getting a place to sit. They’ll have the game on — or if they don’t they won’t mind putting it on for you — and the beers are stupid cheap: $ 3.50 for a Guinness, $ 2 and change for a Coors Light if you’re my lame brother-​in-​law who doesn’t want to get drunk. And you can order a pizza if you get hungry. The bartender’s always fun; you will definitely end up in a weird conversation with someone much older and drunker than you. It’s that kind of place.
There’s a bowling alley on the other side of the bar and I guess the kids go there or whatever… last weekend some kid stole my seat while I was in the bathroom but he was little so it wasn’t a problem. This isn’t a review of the bowling alley; bowling sucks.
I don’t know if they’re still doing it, but a couple of years ago they were in the habit of closing down every summer. I guess no one bowls when it’s hot out? So you might want to call and make sure they’re open before you go planning your rehearsal dinner there.
Back in the day, the only way you could get to the place was by squeezing down an incredibly narrow, poorly marked alley. This was awesome because it made you feel like you knew a secret, and also it kept the fatties out. Unfortunately the building that formed the right wall of the alley burned down, leaving this place shamefully exposed. Bummer, but at least people have left bizarre religious icons in the ashes.