Are you already struggling to think of things to do this summer holiday? Week 2 and we had teenagers quite happy to sleep all day long. But we weren’t going to allow that! No, instead we took them along to Boom Battle Bar in Stevenage, so not far from where we live, to have an afternoon of family fun!
Boom Battle Bar is a pretty cool venue, with an industrial feel to it, that has elevated traditional bar/pub games to a new level. Before 7pm it is family-friendly. After 7pm it is strictly adults only. We visited at 3pm, and this is what we did …
Axe Throwing
You have to be over 18 to do axe throwing. So while Huw and I did this, the teens played American pool.
The axe throwing session (30 minutes) started with a safety briefing: strictly no drinking of alcohol during the session (in fact you wear a wrist band that alerts the bar to not serve you if you try!), no entering the throwing booth when someone is throwing, no removing the axes from the booth area etc. Ellie was our guide who explained that we scored points for the different zones marked on the huge chunk of wood on the wall that was our target. We take it in turns to throw 3 axes, and our scores went on a score board outside the booth.
It wasn’t as easy as it looked. Personally I think the axes were a little too blunt (my excuse anyway) – there is a definite technique to success that’s for sure. After the 3 axes were thrown, Ellie retrieved them, so the next person could take their go. And you basically carry on until your time is up.
I have no idea what was wrong with Huw, as he was rather hopeless at axe throwing – so I won! Well, apparently my DNA analysis claimed I am 17% Viking, so my axe throwing ability is clearly in my genes!
American Pool
You can’t have ‘pub games’ without having a pool table or two – and Boom Battle Bar had a few of them. As I popped back to see how they were getting on, I definitely sensed some competitive vibes from half the teen camp, while the others worked on their technique and playing confidence. They were all happy and laughing – and that’s the main thing really isn’t it!
AR Darts
AR (augmented reality) darts was probably my favourite activity of the afternoon. We all know the game of darts, and usually when I play I’m always competing against someone that is really good so I never stand a chance! But AR darts offers a variety of different games, based on a typical dart board – we all competed as equals. Rather than it being a numbers game (you do have this option if that’s what you want), we picked a game where you had to hit your marked zone 3 times, and then you became a ‘killer’. As a killer you could hit the zones of other players, eliminating them.
We played a single game that lasted 30 minutes. Time flew – we could easily have stayed another 30 minutes to try one of the other games too.
Shuffleboard
I’ve seen shuffleboard tables before, but never realised how difficult the game actually is! It’s table-top bowling, on a very long, narrow, slippery table. It takes a lot of practice. My efforts either failed to reach the half-way mark or shot off the end like a missile! The teenagers loved this game – though at the end they all claimed victory (so I called it a draw)!
Beer Pong
With teenagers we obviously couldn’t have ‘real’ beer pong. Rather than the various alcoholic options, we picked a jug of mixed juice, with ice, and we were each given a cold glass. The rules of beer pong are for two competing teams to bounce a ping pong ball into an opponents cup. If you achieve this – and it’s a lot harder than it looks – then the opposing team needs to take a drink, and the beer pong cup that the ball landed in is removed from the board. The winning team is the one that wipes out all the cups in their opponent’s end of the board.
Downing a drink is usually the penalty in beer pong … but we were so hot and thirsty after the previous games that we were begging the other team to be accurate so we could have a drink!
Karaoke
Our final activity was 30 minutes in a sound proofed karaoke room. Out of our group of 6, one is a competent singer … but do you think she jumped up to take control? No! The novices grabbed the mics and were belting out Oasis renditions. I really did question the sound-proofness of the room when all 6 of us screamed out Delilah at the end (well, the Welsh contingent in the family do love a sing song!)
To be honest, I was half dreading the karaoke as they kind of scare me, and I’m not a public singer. But guess what? I may not have picked a song, or stood up at the front with a microphone, but I sang along to every song – and I really enjoyed it. Maybe I’m not as tone deaf as I thought I was? Ok, I probably am!
What else?
We experienced many of the bookable sessions at Boom Battle Bar, but you can also go along to sit in the sports bar to have a nice meal or drink. There are comfy sofa seating areas, and also high bars and dining tables. The food looked good, and the menu was quite extensive. There’s also a huge TV showing live sport, which would be a great venue for any important England games.
Around the edge of the room I saw ping pong tables, ice hockey tables (I think it was called ‘What the Puck’, which made me smile), one of those ‘how hard can you hit this boxing ball?’ game, and an arcade basketball hoop game. I’m sure there were others that I missed.
It was a great afternoon spent with my family. We laughed – at each other’s lousy performances usually – but we all competed on equal terms. It rained outside – not that we knew until we left and saw the puddles.
We’ll definitely go back, especially to play more darts!
Disclaimer
We were invited along to experience Boom Battle Bar in Stevenage, but it’s important to stress that this review has not been influenced in any way. A great time was had by all – regret not staying for food and drink, which we will on our next visit.
