Yeah, snowbanks are a wintry distant memory I've kept after living down here in sunny, hurricaney South Florida almost 2 decades now. They were maximum fun though, when I played my winter broomball games on our "lake" by the Student Activity Center Memorial Union, surrounded by snowdrifts and banks sometimes 12 feet tall. The party the night before with putting brooms in water buckets outside were quite an event. And there're few joyful things in life, like planting your good friend and roommate into one and seeing his cartoon outline on the snowbank, the rest of the game.
And yes, most bowling lanes still have an amusement center or arcade... probably the last places around to have them, for the babysitting value. And many have foosball tables already. Our bowling lane venue, Strikers, draws the players with children, AND even the younger couples, who feel better in the family atmosphere. The trick is to convince the management how it helps bring people in. Strikers has the snackbar & grill at one end, right next to the coin-op pool, games & foosball arcade, right next to the liquor bar with the big TV screens.. it's perfect. The crusty ole drinkers have a classic bar with TV and popcorn to sit at and get their beer for local play, and THEY BEHAVE A LOT BETTER with the kids around. The couples love the fact that the place is built for both families and serious players. And smokers go through the classic bowling alley bar entrance to benches outside. The parking is never a problem, of course, and beer and soda and burgers and everything else are naturally cheaper for all.
We just had the Florida State Championships at Strikers last week, from last Thursday to Sunday. And part of our highlights included 14 yr old Dakota Diaz (semipro) and his 11r old sister, Shay Diaz, play along with 14yr old tour veteran Midori Kimura, who all FIT RIGHT IN. Of course Dakota and Shay are several time worldchampion Bobby Diaz' kids, and Midori has been going on tour with her two sisters and dad, Orlando/St Pete's own Jason Lurie, the past 2 years. The environment was very very good for them at the bowling lane, and although several of our grownup beginners were slightly embarassed by how good the kids (there were several others) were, it was also with a lot of pride by their parents and all of us, and a wonder to the whole crowd, that we showed our own foos community.
May you grow yours as well. We get our "Friends" type collegiate, 20-30something recruits from our other venue, at Bud Murphy's Downtown Saloon in Boca Raton, but we also value our solid arrangement at Striker's Family Bowling Center.