A 1972 advertisement for Holiday Lanes in Lansing, Michigan, proclaimed, “The Automatic Scorers Are Here!” The ad also listed the center’s amenities, which included a cocktail lounge, billiards, snack bar and — extremely important in south-central Michigan in the summertime — air conditioning.
Holiday Lanes opened 10 years before that ad appeared, and during bowling’s boom years the 40-lane center was packed with leagues. Fifty years after it opened, the center was sold and rechristened Spare Time Entertainment — no relation to the chain of the same name operated by Bowl New England, but with a similar business model.
The 40-lane center became a 32-laner with a private boutique bowling area called “The Capital Room.” A large arcade and a laser tag arena were added, and the restaurant and bar were completely revamped.
While the original owners focused almost exclusively on bowling, the new owners — Nancy and Michael MacColeman and their children — knew that the future was in family entertainment, and that meant offering an array of attractions. Today, Spare Time features a 7,000-square-foot arcade, escape rooms and axe throwing.
And now, the family has converted part of its parking lot into an 18-hole miniature golf course, complete with three ponds, two waterfalls and three fountains. Volleyball courts were torn out to make way for the course, which is ADA compliant.
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