We visited Sports Connection on 12/31/24, and it's an amazing place to take kids when they're out of school! They offer so many activities: * Laser Tag * Bowling * Arcade Games * Jump-N-Play * Esports Gaming Center (Roblox, Minecraft, and more) * Sky Trail Ropes Course * Spin Zone Bumper Cars * Rock Climbing For parents, they also have beer, wine, and concession-style food. The staff, mostly young adults or late teens, were friendly, attentive, and did a great job ensuring everything ran smoothly. There's even a dedicated pickleball area, which adds a unique touch to the facility. This place truly has something for everyone, and my kids and I had a blast. Highly recommend for family fun days or group outings! read more

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Great experience for kids! We did the deal for kids bowl free, you only pay for shoes in the summer on certain days. They have several bounce houses, which is an extra fee and worth it. They also have an arcade and the games are great. read more

I took my Grand...Evie here for her friends birthday party. There must have been 100 + people there at 1030a on a Saturday morning. They started out bowling which she was a little skeptical of at first but once they wheeled in the metal stand and aimed it down the alley at the pins, she couldn't miss and she changed her tune. They had lots of video games and physical games they could play and get points/tickets for and then exchange them for prizes. Does this sound familiar? The kids really like them, parents find them easy so it's a successful formula. read more

In love with this place! We had a small birthday party for my 3 year old today. They have bounce houses for big and little kids, a small tot area my 9 month old throughly enjoyed, and big and little kid bowling. I was so happy there were activities for the little kids to play, as I've found a lot of indoor adventure places cater to older kids. They also have tons of arcade games, a rock climbing wall, bumper cars and laser tag. Really fun place for families. They also had an extensive food selection, and I was pleasantly surprised with the quality! Staff was pleasant and friendly too. All in all a fantastic, family friendly, clean place! read more

So much things to do while inside, video games, laser tag, arcade, bowling, food and so much more.

First time we came we had fun with our two kids in the play area but we came tonight and were asked to leave after 18 minutes when we thought we were paying for 30 minutes. After telling them we got there at 7:30 told us we had 10 minutes left at 7:45pm. Didn't feel comfortable though after seeing the same employee arguing with a 2-3 year old in play area about him having to leave also instead of talking to his parent. I wish they would write time on your wrist band and let you stay the full 30 minutes. Also was 10 dollars per kid and the train carousel was broke and didn't know until after we paid. Time to find a new place to take the kids!!! read more

Overall a great place for kids as young as 2 and all the way up to adults. The bounce houses were the main draw for a 4 year old birthday party early Saturday morning and the kids did do some video games (much to the chagrin of the parents). Food is meh (not sure if there are more options we were not aware of, especially during evenings). Not cheap, but fair for the quality. Facility was clean and the party rooms looked to be organized with groups rotating efficiently. read more

I didn't realize how much stuff is inside this building . I've been there several times for other reasons but last month I brought my son for a birthday party . It was neat, clean, staff were helpful and the food was decent . We will be back when my son gets a little older to enjoy more stuff . read more

We had a great time, things functioned smoothly and we had a great lunch! We plan to have a membership there soon! read more

We had a great birthday party for our kids. The guest had a blast playing all the activities.

This place is cool, my family has been before in the past before our son was even a thought. We purchased a Groupon and did bowling (no food or drinks as they didn't look appetizing) which was cool. The place wasn't crowded and it wasn't as smelly as other bowling alleys so we were happy. The shoes were not extremely old and super smelly, we felt lucky to obtain newer looking shoes. After bowling, our youngest daughter wanted to rock climb in which she did and it was a fun time for her. I will say that when it's not busy (every time we've been there) the staff aren't ready and available at their post. We nearly had to hunt down a guy to get her prepared to climb. FastForward from 2013 to 2016 and we have a toddler son, it was a pleasure to find out that for $5 you can go and jump as long as you want in the various jump houses which is a plus plus for me and popped this review from a 3 to a 4. It's great networking and time to relax and read while out son play around and socialize with other children UNLESS you decide to jump with which I usually do often LoL.. read more

Sports Connection - The right side of the playroom - Bowling Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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My grandchild had such a wonderful time playing here. I can't wait to take him back again.

We got here at two and order food right away they said it would be 25 minutes. After 45 minutes we went to see what was taking so long. They brought out my daughters chicken sandwich and was supposed to be a chicken club. When I brought it back to her and told her it was supposed to be the chicken club wrap she told me we'd have to wait another 40 minutes for a new one. We threw out the chicken sandwich and we're not giving another sandwich read more

Sports Connection - Bowling Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

The place itself is clean and has the potential to be fun the arcade games are well priced(not the prizes though) the main concern is the ropes course and other additional attractions they are pricey but not very good the employees that were helping us with the ropes course were casually talking about how a kid broke his collarbone on that ropes course which is very scary I looked at the ropes course no supports for the arms even on the wobbly ones I was terrified and I usually don't get scared on these type of things, even the employees are scared of it. Though it's fun I think you should be aware of the un attentiveness to safety at this place. read more

This place is a lot of fun for the kids, but complete chaos for a parent. It's super overcrowded and when we went, we paid to play in the arcade and the arcade games were down. read more

We've been here on several occasions for both fun and birthday parties. Overall, the place is a lot of fun with tons to do for the kids. They have mini-bowling, which is great for the younger kids, full size bowling with child bumpers and ball ramps, a climbing wall, laser tag, a bouncing room with inflatables, and a large arcade area. The inflatable area is great for the kids --they simply love it (yes, so did I --well, I had to take my daughter on there, I had to ensure it was safe. The outcome of that? --it kicked ass!!). There are around 6-7 large inflatable devices all of which have ramps, slides, and other obstacles. There is also a smaller enclose one for younger children. At the end of the large room there is a small area where you can sit and watch the kids from the outside while eating/drinking --which is nice if you don't feel like being in the trenches. The mini bowling is only $2 which I thought was very reasonable. I did think the full sized was a bit on the expensive side, though. If I remember correctly, it was $40 for 2 adults and 2 kids both under 5. The location has a small cafe inside that serves a variety of food from pizzas, salads, and hot dogs to coffee, pop and alcoholic beverages. The food isn't priced too bad and it almost tastes like food. As you can probably imagine, this place can get quite loud with a ton of kids running around like lunatics. Whenever we've been, we're typically there 2-3 hours on a weekend afternoon, which is plenty of time for the kids to exhaust themselves and enough time for you to loose your sanity. The venue is very clean. When you use the arcade or other activities, it doesn't look and feel like that nasty Chucky Cheese on the off side of town that probably hasn't seen a good cleaning since its grand opening. Everywhere is kept neat and tidy by their army of staff. If you've never been here, and have kids, give it a try; its a lot of fun. I will disclaim that this review is only for the fun 'kid side' of the place. There is also another side to this that has a huge fitness center what I haven't ever used. read more

Sports Connection - Photo taken from Google maps - Bowling Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Writing my review as I'm still here at the place. We order a ultimate "loaded nacho" it's load from the outside layer as you get into it, it's just plain chips!Nothing "loaded" about that!!!!!! And our wings, how do you burn a pre cooked wings?!?! It was dried and some were burnt! The worst wings I've ever had! We asked for a small side of chili to finish the nacho, they were going to charge us for the side chili for us to add on the "loaded" but not so loaded nacho! Smh! How can something this simple be messed up, seriously?! Food for worst from the last time we came last year in August! read more

Sports Connection - Bowling Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Fun Times!! This place is huge & has so much activities to keep yourself well entertained. We had our company team building here and did bowling, lazertag and played arcade games! The food was great, service was excellent and the staff who helped us plan everything was extremely accommodating! Best tip about his place: in the arcade area they have skeeball : ) read more

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This feels like a 7-10 Split. Almost a strike, but just enough to give you that oh crap feeling. Usually we will stop in on a week night, last time we were there it was just $20.00 for 2 games, which included shoes. It must have been a special, as this time was a whopping $7.50 per game and $4.00 ea for shoes. ($36.66 for less than an hour for 2 people). I am not much of a bowler, and I am sure I could not last more than 2 games, but it just seems a little steep for the time it takes to play. The lanes were pretty busy, so apparently I am just out of the "how much it really costs to bowl" but assumed it was cheap as it has always been regarded by me as a "redneck sport". The place was clean, the staff was friendly, and has a lot of cool things to do if you are younger. From video games, to laser tag, to the climbing wall that probably couldn't hold me due to the weight restrictions, but the Sports Connection could be considered a "Chucky Cheese on steroids" Of course, I will be back as I did not do that well, and need to prove that I am a man of all sports, and will not allow a neon glowing bowling ally to defeat me. NCFoodGuy read more

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Me and my daughter love the wings there. My daughter plays on the arcades and trampoline,even sometimes me! Sports connection is really fun. My son loves the laser tag so much. He does it for his birthday too, sometimes though. I rate it a 5/5. Thank you. read more

Maps said they're open, their Facebook page said they're open, their website says they're open. Drive all the way there to find they're closed. Thanks guys, maybe update your online listings. Won't be coming back. I'll take my business elsewhere. read more

My kids had a great time at Sports Connection. It was my son's birthday, so we jumped from laser tag to bowling (so the kids could cool off a bit before driving home) and the whole event was lovely. The staff were great with kids and it also wasn't too expensive. Would definitely recommend! read more

I took my grandson there to entertain him and use up some of that energy he has bottled up. He loves the jump area.

I can be myself.....a huge big kid here. I normally go during the day with my lil 5 yr old girlfriend. We crush the bounce house!! The video games rock. Very nicely done so everyone can win great prizes. Have to go back to check out the awesome looking bowling, laser tag and I think they just finished a 3D game. You can grab a bite during all this fun as well. But the best of things, but the kids love it. read more

The food is great . and it good for young kids they have a Laser tag and a bowling and arcade. It is very fun you guy should go.

Horrible place to take your children, run mainly by teenagers who could care less about customer service, much less about child safety or creating a fun experience for children. We used to bring our kids here often before CoVid, and the experience was great. But the place has changed drastically since. Our kids would play in the bouncy houses for 2 hours and then do laser tag or bowl before finishing off with video games. However since CoVid, they now only allow kids to be in the bouncy house for 30 minutes, which means for small children they have to stop as soon as they have gotten in to it. There is usually a melt down or two from the kids who don't understand why they can't bounce for longer. They have also done away with half the attractions in the bouncy houses. Since my children are 4, 5, and 7 that means the only thing that they can all do together is video games which end up costing a fortune because the staff never tell you about the combo pricing, or simply don't honor the advertised pricing. During our most recent trip, I loaded $40 each on my children's game cards, however when they wouldn't work, I was told that sometimes the cards don't read because of a loss in signal to the company. When I asked for new cards, I was told it would not fix it, and when I asked for our money back for the games they had not played, the kids working the arcade acted as if I was crazy, and told me they couldn't do that. Finally I did find a young adult who was in charge, who told me they couldn't do anything about it, but gave us 1 free billiards game, to make up for the $120 we lost in the game cards. Needless to say not a very family friendly environment. read more

Bowling alleys are nice . They have good food and drinks. Staff is friendly and helpful. They are trained well to serve their guests.

Updating my previous 3 star review. Which is still posted below because it's relevant. Now they have improved the food here without a doubt. The kids ordered a club sandwich with house chips (which my wife and I stole most of because they were crispy and perfectly cooked). Son ordered nachos which again were very good bowling alley nachos. This place used to have like Chuck E Cheese level food and now it's certainly elevated well above that. Bowling Saturday was a little bit of a mess between reserved lanes and little kid birthday parties but still had a blast. OLD REVIEW Sports connection is a lot of things. For many hours in the day it is a kids birthday party Mecca and rainy day play outlet. On Saturday nights it because more of a bowling alley. The pizza is decent and they have some good beer choices on draft including OMB. The bowling alley can be very busy and it's not cheap but you will have fun. read more

Worst place for a birthday, staff is extremely unfriendly and not helpful. Can proudly say we will never be returning. read more

Sports Connection - Bowling Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

This is the best place for kids of all ages. There is an arcade, bouncy house, laser tag, bowling, and dining. You can also have a birthday party. read more

I don't think I've ever walked out of this place and said to myself "Wow, what a great experience". I have been for mostly little kids birthday parties. The party experience at Sports Connection just lacks imagination and soul IMO. For one thing it's expensive to have parties here. Next, the bouncehouse area is neat, in concept. But the staff here are basically uncaring teenagers who do nothing and are not managed properly. They slam the kids into the bouce house area without a care for the kids that are participating for example if you have 2 parties of kids that are 5 years old and you allow some 13 - 14 year old kids in the same place that are entirely too old and big for the bouncehouses someone is going to get hurt. Kids of all ages running around like lunatics hurting each other and dominating the bouncehouses without any form of control is a recipe for disaster and does not make for a fun time. Kids are crying, falling and unhappy because there is nobody in control of the room. True, the parents should be watching their kids, but you know how that is which is another rant on a different site. They have "party coordinators" which again, are uncaring teenagers that should be more motivated to ensure that a good time is had vs. just rushing people through the motions. Next, the food. YUCK. Hungry Howies must make a mint off this place, but if anyone other than a 4 year old who doesn't know any better eats this crap I'd be dumbfounded. It is terrible. You might as well serve the box it comes in since they both taste the same. I've been here numerous times and am done with this place. read more

This experience was kinda disappointing. I swear the lanes are shorter than A REAL bowling alley. It could mess up someone's game actually. But they make up for it in the price of the game and shoes, even on a weekend, it's a little less than other area bowling alles. They have a kids area for the youngones and if they are young enough they can have a blast, safely, in a kids area. A little older tweens may be asking their parents for outrageous sums of money to play in their miniscule and sparse arcade. read more

Best bang for your buck on a rainy winter break day. My kids love it here and the food is okay for a gym/bounce and play/arcade/bowling alley. read more

Went to this facility for a work function after a long day with a very large group. They had a buffet of food set up for us. Most of the food was ok. The artichoke dip was great! There are many things to do here such as laser tag, bowling, rock climbing, bounce houses, and an arcade. It was fun, but looking at the prices a day here might cost a pretty penny. The one thing that was main reason for only 3 stars was that the bathroom was totally disgusting. read more

The first time we came here we loved it, however on visiting again today with our little ones there was a summer camp with teenagers, we were not informed before payung and entering that there would be teens playing in the bounce section that is for under 12yr olds, our kids were all but trampled and we were told they make an exception to allow the older kids in with the little ones which I think is ridiculous, won't be coming back here read more

The Sports Connection facility is one of the few venues in Charlotte which has something to keep every member of the family entertained under one roof. Typically, family oriented places tend to lean toward catering a specific age group (ie: Chuck E. Cheese is mainly for the little ones while teenagers and parents stand by desperately trying to clutch their sanity). This is not the case here whatsoever - the center features games areas for the little ones and big ones, bowling alleys, laser tag and a bounce house room. Youth sports programs are offered as well. Let's start with the adults. There is a fully functional restaurant on premises which features more than just nachos and pretzels; they also offer sandwiches, salads, etc. - some "real food" if you want something substantial to eat. Adult beverages are offered as well which, must have something to do with the full-sized bowling lanes. There are a handful of us out there who simply do not know how to throw a bowling ball without having a beer so it was thoughtful of them to take that group into consideration. There is an area of games and rides suitable for teenagers and adults alike which featured basketball games, arcade games and virtual rides. There is a laser tag center which, while I was there, had a line of about twenty teenagers at any given time waiting to enter the laser tag area. For the really young ones, the games were in their own space so it is easy for a visitor to figure out which ones are more suitable for younger children by where they are placed. Very nice. In addition there is a Jump N Play area geared toward the younger ones which was overstaffed with employees making sure they were all playing safely. There is also a long bar area for the adults to sit and grab something to eat or drink or just relax while keeping an eye the children. Even as an adult I was very impressed with the great time we had there. The atmosphere was safe as well as fun. read more

We had a fabulous experience at Sports Connection Ballantyne this evening. We were visiting from out of town and were looking for something to do with two teen boys that was out of the crazy heat. Sports Connection came recommended to us and it did not disappoint! We bowled, played laser tag, and then the boys played some arcade games. Everyone was pleasant and accommodating, the facility was clean and well-stocked, and we even got to say hello to the owner who was present on-site. Top notch experience! read more

Great place to take kiddos. I like how it's structured here. Simple arcade, bowling, laser tag, bounce houses. I will say I think bounce house activity is overpriced... $10 to bounce..nah. Let my little one do mini bowling and the arcade. Laser tag looks like a lot of fun. The food bar looks like they have a lot of options and beers! Great rainy day spot! read more

Sports Connection - Bowling Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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I am writing a review of an employee who went above and beyond. His name is Douglas. In being a regular, I know games malfunction. And it's often hard to prove if something doesn't give you what it's supposed to. Well, I went to Douglas, explained I actually hit the jackpot on a game, and it didn't give me a single ticket. He took my card, saw I was a long time customer, and made the situation right. I couldn't have been happier, and really makes me want to visit more often. Good Work, Douglas. read more

So much FUN! I brought my family here when they came to visit me from out of town, and they had a blast. Originally we came so that my nieces (ages 4 and 5) could bounce in their Jump-N-Play inflatable zone, but in the midst of all that excitement, the adults found themselves running around the arcade room like children! Needless to say, they had an amazing time and can't wait to come back! read more