America’s Second Oldest Bowling Alley is Located in Massachusetts

One thing I enjoyed as a kid and even as a young adult was going bowling with my friends. I particularly enjoyed candlepin bowling. I remember sometimes I would jokingly ask the staff member at the desk if we could use the bumpers since candlepin bowling was such a challenge.

It wasn't until I was a little older that I discovered traditional bowling ball sizes and thought "Wow, now this is fun." My friends and I would either go to Valley Park Lanes (candlepin) or Greylock Bowl & Golf (traditional bowling ball and pin sizes) both located in North Adams. When I moved to Lee in my mid-20s I discovered the now-defunct Lee Lanes which offered both types of bowling which I thought was just awesome. Working in Great Barrington, I also spent some fun nights out at Cove Bowling and Entertainment (traditional bowling ball and pin sizes) on Stockbridge Road which was also really fun, especially with the miniature golf attraction that was available.

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Did You Know that America's Second Oldest Bowling Alley is Located in Massachusetts?  

One interesting fact I discovered is that the second oldest bowling alley in America is located in Massachusetts...Shelburne Falls to be exact. The name of the bowling alley is Shelburne Falls Bowling Alley and it has been operating continuously since 1906.

New England.com included this quote from then-owner Joanne Gaulin in a 2014 article that featured the Shelburne Falls Bowling Alley.

We get a lot of people [specifically tourists and leaf peepers] who come in and say, ‘How cute! It’s toy bowling!’ They think that means it’s going to be easy, But once we get them into shoes and out there, they quickly realize that it’s a lot harder.”

I know from my years of going to Valley Park Lanes in North Adams that candlepin bowling is no easy feat but still is very fun. If you're up for a challenge and some fun you may want to check out the Shelburne Falls Bowling Alley.