Live music and bowling? The combination is a match made in heaven at Rock 'n' Bowl, the best bowling alley/music venue on the planet. Kick up your heels to live rock, R&B, swing, jazz and blues with the clamor of rolling balls and falling pins for added syncopation.
Thursday is Zydeco night at this Mid-City classic, a hugely popular dance event with a legion of local fans. An institution since John Blancher opened in 1988, Rock 'n' Bowl changed locations in 2005, taking over a former grocery store across from Ye Olde College Inn, a homey Creole restaurant also run by the talented Blancher family. Locals wax nostalgic about the original, but the spirit of Rock 'n' Bowl still has plenty of funk to spare. It’s also one of the few music venues where kids are welcome and can get in on the action.
This place is so popular that the Blanchers are branching out: look for the popular music venue and bowling alley to open a two-story kingpin club in Lafayette, the capital of Cajun Country, later this year. The family has roots in Vermillion Parish, so it’s a homecoming of sorts. New Orleans is just lucky enough to be home to the original.
3000 S. Carrollton 504-861-1700
http://www.rocknbowl.com/
Rock ‘n’ Bowl, 3016 S. Carrollton Ave., 504.861.1700, rocknbowl.com
Ye Old College Inn, 3000 S. Carrollton Ave., 504.866.3683, collegeinn1933.com
Beth D'Addono is a food and travel writer based in New Orleans. Her new book is 100 Things to do in New Orleans Before You Die.
Contributor USAToday.com/10Best
SATW Twitter:@bethdaddono
