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    Main Event Columbia

    2.4 (346 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)
    Updated 2 weeks ago

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    MAIN EVENT COLUMBIA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Loud
    Classy
    Casual
    Good for groups

    Recommended Reviews - Main Event Columbia

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    Hammed A.

    I visited Main Event Columbia for a teen's birthday party and had a good time. I wouldn't put the experience on the level of a well-run Dave & Busters, however it is a step above other children's entertainment centers like Laugh Out Loud, Chuck E-Cheese, etc.. The birthday party was scheduled in advance, however, it took a while before our designated seating area became available. Also, there was a delay in fulfilling the food order. Some of the food came out piecemeal, even as the party was coming to an end. The staff were polite, but I chalked up the deficiencies to the venue being short staffed for the day. The games were entertaining and the prize redemption shop (Winner's Choice) was adequate for children. Overall, an OK experience. I'll give it another shot if I have the opportunity.

    I visited Main Event to celebrate a special occasion, and unfortunately the night got off to a very rough start. An employee named Joshua told us that a coupon we presented was "false advertising" and claimed the email it came from was not actually from Main Event. I showed him that the same coupon was listed on the company's website, but he insisted it was invalid and something that needed to be discussed with management. It felt like he was trying to upsell us to a different promotion so we would spend more. I immediately asked to speak with a manager, and Phil completely turned the situation around. He confirmed that the coupon was valid and handled everything professionally, exceeding our expectations. However, shortly after we started enjoying our time, Joshua approached me again and asked, "Why did you play me?" which I found inappropriate and uncomfortable, especially as a female customer. I reported this to another employee, Madison, who was very understanding and empathetic. She promptly involved a manager again, and both of them apologized sincerely. After that, the rest of the evening improved, and we were able to enjoy ourselves and make good memories. I truly appreciate the professionalism of Phil and Madison, but the behavior of that one employee negatively impacted the experience and does not reflect well on Main Event as a whole. I am only leaving one star due to the negative experience with Joshua.

    James C.

    Seven of us arrived and ended up waiting in a long line just to purchase wristbands and cards--it took an hour and a half to get through. The place wasn't crowded, but it was clearly understaffed. We then waited another two hours for our turn to bowl. On the positive side, the facility is clean and the food is good.

    Austin G.

    After falling in love with the Main Event in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Main Event Columbia broke my love affair. My eight-year-old daughter and I went around 4pm on a Saturday in February and left with a headache. Here's why: 1) Cost: We can't knock them on the price because we willingly paid, but it is expensive. To maximize our stay, we got a lot of credit for the arcade. Many of the games are rip offs. Your money is thrown at them. 2) Arcade: More than ten games were out of order. A number of them took our credit away and then didn't activate. We had to wait in a long line to get a staff member to help us out. 3) Lines: Despite having many staff, efficiency is NOT their middle name. We literally waited one hour to check out at the prize store. There was one worker despite another cash register and many staff just standing around. Each customer took around 15-20 minutes. It was wild. I'll never go back to this location, but I will return to the on in Grand Rapids.

    Tables
    Sam C.

    Not the best experience. So my family and I came here for my son's 16th birthday. He loves bowling and we hadn't been here before so we figured let's try something new. We were greeted by a friendly team member and given our lane. Once we got to our lane we noticed that there weren't any tables set up. We eventually got that corrected but it took about 20 minutes for our server to come take our orders. When she arrived she was super nice and attentive. The down side was 4 things we tried to order were unavailable due to the oven being down. And the 6 sprites that were ordered were just soda water. These things were not her fault, it just put a damper on our experience. The games are pretty pricey as well. So you can get a 300 credits for $60 but the fun games that you get kids want to play are between 10-19 credits. So two kids will play about 6-7 games a piece. Thats about $5 a game. Also my daughter order a burger and it looked nothing like what was pictured in the menu, she was super disappointed.

    Double bacon cheeseburger for the win.
    Chris S.

    (9/30/25) The experience starts from the phone call. I understand people speak negatively about customers in private. However, Terry failed to hang up properly and proceeded to make fun of my inquiry about an open lane. Upon telling the "manager" (who never shared his name) about telling Terry to be more aware of her actions. It was accepted as a minor issue, after he unnecessarily pointed out who Terry was as if I knew her personally. Bowling, this is an entertainment spot, don't take your score seriously. Yes you're rolling a ball on a floor at pins, but it's not a true bowling experience. Food was surprisingly food. I felt bad for the single serving taking care of the whole bowling lanes area alone. Her co-workers nor the manager could be bothered. This made food and drinks come SLOW. Granted it was a Tuesday evening, but it got busy. The team failed her, and I'm sure revenue suffered.

    Shari D.

    Great experience here! Took our students here for an attendance incentive and it was awesome. There are TONS of things to do here, and the packages are very affordable. We opted for the pizza for lunch and it went down without any issues. I would definitely chaperone a trip here again, the staff were very friendly and helpful when students needed support with games and the gift shop.

    10.22.22
    Carroll N.

    8.10.24 Five of the machines (i.e. skee ball and photo booth) were out of order. When I went to inform the staff to get credit back, he informed me that the equipment was five years old. He said that he could look up which machines were out of order by looking at the details on my game card. My hubby said to me afterwards, that's not our concern. That's their issue and that they should repair them. At the very least they should put signs up to let patrons know. It was very frustrating and inconvenient. It makes us not want to return given the number of equipment that are inoperable.

    Rachel S.

    Came here for a group event. We took up 2 lanes with about 5 people in each lane. Shoe rentals are a little under $5 per person. Hubby and I ordered their pretzel sticks and fried pickles, which came out to approximately $24. What's hot - Layout. Pretty easy to find your way around from the entrance to the food court, to the arcade, to the bowling lanes. Each bowling lane is equipped with its own booth. Behind the booths are high tables and chairs with enough room to eat. This also allows you a place to eat after you've finished bowling. - Cost. Pretty reasonable shoe rental cost. Less than $5 per person. Cost of a bowling lane per hour was around $50 per hour and each lane can hold up to 6 people. - Location. Conveniently located at the mall in Columbia, which is helpful, because there are so many other amenities close by. - Food. Pretty good quality. The fried pickles we ordered were not too thin and not overly battered. The pretzels come with a cheesy dipping sauce. For $24, pretty good value for money. If you order food, you can also ask them to bring it to your bowling lane, which is helpful. What's not - Noise. It's very loud in here. They play very loud music. It's a large space, including food and arcade. However, it makes having conversations with those in your group very hard. Defeats the purpose of having a group event when the whole point is to talk to others, as well. This alone makes me not want to return. - Website. It's not very helpful, because it doesn't provide the price breakdown of cost of rental for shoes, the bowling lanes, etc.... Not very good customer service. - Customer service. I had called ahead to ask for a price breakdown for booking a group event, which included food catering from Main Event. Whoever I spoke to didn't ask me questions to help guide me and give me a better idea of what factors to take into consideration, such as cost of shoe rentals, price per bowling lane, making reservations, etc.... Furthermore, when we were there and ordered food, no one brought napkins and silverware when the food arrived. Not helpful, especially since the booths by the lanes don't have napkins and/or anything conducive to eating. Recommendations - Reservations. Definitely recommend to make reservations for bowling lanes, regardless of the size of your group, even if you plan on only bowling for an hour. This guarantees you a spot, including getting lanes next to each other for your group. Final answer Would be willing to come back, but not a first choice, especially because it's extremely loud inside.

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    Page 1 of 9

    Main Event Columbia Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Main Event Columbia

    Is there a coin game here such as the stark trek game at dave & busters or any game that pushed coins over the edge to win tickets? Also, is there a catch to the $20 unlimited play deal?

    Yes! They have a wizard of oz one and a superhero/marvel one!

    Does this place show pay per view boxing matches?

    No it does not

    My friends and I signed up our emails on mainevent.com and it said we would get $10 in free play per person, but none of us have received the coupon after we filled out the survey. Not in spam either. Is this promo still going on?

    My bartender told me about the survey at the bottom of the receipt that I should complete and take to the bowl desk with the code to get a $10 fun card if that's the same promotion you're talking about

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - Main Event Columbia

    Brian was patient with our large group, even though we came in waves and were constantly ordering food and beverages.

    Mentioned in 9 reviews

    Read more highlights

    GameOn bar+arcade - Mambo wings

    GameOn bar+arcade

    4.4(79 reviews)
    0.6 mi
    $$

    In the heart of the Merriweather District is the GameOn Columbia location. This location has two…read morebars, and a ton of arcade machines. I remember there was a Dance Dance Revolution machine if I remember correctly and a Guitar Hero arcade machine. This one I believe has the largest selection of games and is possibly the largest location out of the 4 locations GameOn offers. The service, food, and cocktails are great and they provide a nice laid-back experience that makes a great date night or day activity with your family!

    This place is chaos in the best possible way…read more Game On in the Merriweather District is basically your inner child with adult money. The arcade selection is legit. Not a couple random machines tucked in a corner, but enough games to keep you busy way longer than you planned. The cocktails? Oh they're gimmicky. Fully. And that's the fun of it. They're colorful, dramatic, a little extra, and totally fit the vibe. If you want a quiet, serious cocktail moment, this isn't that. If you want something playful in your hand while you dominate skee ball, you're in the right spot. Now the food -- this surprised me. The cheesesteak egg rolls are a must. Crispy, cheesy, packed with flavor. Absolutely order them. The buffalo chicken sliders were also a win. Messy in the best way, saucy, juicy, and perfect for grazing between games. What really made it though was the staff. They genuinely look like they're having a good time working there. Not fake smiles. Real energy. That kind of vibe changes everything and makes you want to hang out longer. Game On knows exactly what it is and leans all the way in. Fun first, good food, playful drinks, great energy. We'll be back.

    Photos
    GameOn bar+arcade - Glow art inside the bar by the bathroom.

    Glow art inside the bar by the bathroom.

    GameOn bar+arcade - Rubber Ducky Machine.

    Rubber Ducky Machine.

    GameOn bar+arcade - Cold Ass Beer

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    Cold Ass Beer

    Monster Mini Golf - 7.29.23

    Monster Mini Golf

    3.7(133 reviews)
    5.1 mi

    We live right around the corner from Monster Mini Golf and had never been until we were invited to…read morea birthday party there. We had a great time! Monster Mini Golf is compact, but packs the punch in fun! The event room was well decorated. I had read that it's a women owned business, and it definitely shows! Each detail is thought out, and I can definitely see the care and love put into this place. We'd love to come again soon! This is perfect for bad weather! Come here on rainy, hot, or cold days!

    I had been to Monster Mini Golf twice. First time in Gaithersburg & 2nd time here at the Jessup…read morelocation. It's a creative concept that it can be very cold, rainy, etc., and it's a viable mini golf option. In fact, the time I went was windy & pretty cold out. This was a work Halloween team building outing in early November 2023, where we dressed in costume and enjoyed mini golf paid for by our company, which was a nice treat (or was it a Trick? to get us to spend our Thursday night with work folks...haha...j/k). I actually did have fun. The staff was cordial and instructed us how we needed to score to take the individual's best score to save time, which I thought was a bit unnecessary. It was a little chaotic and kind of crowded. If you have say 4 people on a team, then people are awkwardly standing on ledges while other players are trying to putt, meanwhile you have other teams on other holes that directly butt up to the hole you're on. And remember, this was a private event. Imagine when it's open to the public, you might be dealing with a crowded scenario. As for the course itself, it's glow in the dark, which is kind of cool, but given the limited space constraints, the course is kind of subpar compared with almost any outdoor course in central Maryland. And the price is about the same as an outdoor course; I'd prefer an outdoor course and waiting until weather warms up to do that. They also have some Arcade games, which we got a $5 credit for each employee. That was fun. I played some air hockey & other random games. Overall, I appreciated what my company was doing, had some fun, but with the pros & cons of Monster Mini Golf, I feel a 3-star review is warranted.

    Photos
    Monster Mini Golf
    Monster Mini Golf - 18th hole... colors in here was amazing

    18th hole... colors in here was amazing

    Monster Mini Golf

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    Main Event Columbia - bowling - Updated May 2026

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