Barnum Recreation Bowling (Gone)
Stratford, CT
Photo courtesy Rick Ibsen

Check out the old faded sign hanging from the front of Barnum Recreation Bowling along Barnum Avenue in Stratford. The paint may be nearly gone, but the bowling ball and pins are still visible beneath the large “BOWLING” letters. This one looks like it had already spent plenty of years facing Route 1 traffic. 09-08

Although the old RoadsidePeek caption called Barnum a ten-pin alley, it was actually a duckpin bowling center. Duckpin uses smaller balls without finger holes and short, squat pins. Barnum opened in 1938 and remained one of Connecticut’s longtime strongholds for the regional game.

The building held 24 lanes on two floors, with 12 upstairs and another 12 in the basement. The downstairs lanes later hosted rock-and-glow bowling with black lights, disco lighting, and smoke machines. That must have been quite a change from the alley’s 1938 opening. Really?

Barnum also housed the Pinner Lounge and hosted professional duckpin tournaments. The bowling alley remained in operation for exactly 75 years before rising maintenance costs finally caught up with the old lanes.

UPDATE: Barnum Recreation closed on October 27, 2013. The building has been renovated for other commercial uses, and the faded bowling sign has been removed. 08-26

Callahan's Bowl O Rama
Newington, CT
Photo courtesy Rick Ibsen

Here’s the big old Callahan’s Bowl-O-Rama sign rising above the Berlin Turnpike in Newington. The open steel framework, stacked neon letters, and enormous round “O” make this one hard to miss after dark. 09-08

Callahan’s Bowl-O-Rama opened in 1959 and has remained in the Callahan family for more than six decades. For over 50 years, it was reportedly Connecticut’s only bowling alley open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Really?

That nonstop schedule ended in 2015, but the bowling continued. The center still offers ten-pin lanes, an arcade, cocktail lounge, pro shop, and Bubba’s Grille.

UPDATE: Callahan’s Bowl-O-Rama remains open. Its restored neon roadside sign survives and is still illuminated. 08-26

Bowl O Rama (Rem.)
Portsmouth, NH
Photo courtesy Rick Ibsen

Here’s another Bowl-O-Rama, this one sitting along Route 1 in Portsmouth. The big red letters stretched across the entrance canopy leave little doubt about what waits inside. 09-08

Bowl-O-Rama opened in September 1956 as a traditional New England candlepin center. Back then, leagues provided about 80 percent of its business. Today, that figure has completely reversed, with open bowling, parties, and family outings filling most of the lanes. Really?

After 62 years under the Genimatas family, Bowl-O-Rama was sold to Bart and Mary-Lynne Maderios in 2018. The new owners added an arcade and the Shenanigans restaurant and bar while keeping the candlepin bowling.

UPDATE: Bowl-O-Rama remains open. The entrance sign is gone and was removed around 2011 or prior. 08-26

T-Bowl Duckpin Lanes (Gone)
Berlin, CT
Photo courtesy Rick Ibsen

Check out the giant bowling pin sign at T-Bowl Duckpin Lanes along the Berlin Turnpike. A big neon-trimmed “T” sat right on top, just in case the pin itself wasn’t enough to get your attention. Although originally listed as Berlin, the alley was actually in Newington. 09-08

T-Bowl opened in 1961 and was a duckpin center, not a ten-pin alley. At its peak, it claimed to be the largest duckpin bowling alley in the United States. Really? Laser tag and an arcade were later added under the name Fun Squared.

UPDATE: T-Bowl closed in August 2015 after 54 years. The building was heavily remodeled for an Ashley Furniture HomeStore, and the giant bowling pin sign was removed. 08-26