Playing Local

Fun spots for date night or family get togethers.

TommyHawks Ax Throwing

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TommyHawks on College

TommyHawks 1631 W. College Avenue in Springfield Missouri is a veteran owned company and the largest ax throwing venue in the Midwest.  Much more than ax throwing, TommyHawks boasts 2 corn hole games, foosball, ping pong, kid friendly games such as tabletop Jenga® and a massive Connect 4®.  Tom and Kacey opened the 12,000 square foot facility, TommyHawks in 2018.  Beginning his journey as an ax craftsman after leaving the service in 2015, Tom began crafting his products in 2016 selling to ax throwing enthusiasts and military personnel.  He also designs all the cool T-shirts and other merchandise for sale up at the counter.  The photo op area is one of the best I’ve seen and helps balance the large space, making it look less cavernous.

Part of the photo op and game area

My coworkers and I headed over one Friday night (open at 6:00 p.m.) to give ax throwing a try.  Let me tell you the folks who throw axes regularly make this sport look easy.  It is anything but.  I was concerned that I would waste my shoulders on this adventure and was hesitant about paying the fee for a full 2 hours of throwing a heavy ax at a target.  Turns out the ax really isn’t that heavy and you use much more than your shoulders to be accurate.  Whether you throw one handed or two, ax throwing is definitely a challenge.  Kacey gave us all training and practice time to perfect our technique (LOL) before we were split into teams to compete against each other, 4 on each team.  Lining up one by one with different weight axes and attempting to at least hit the wood around the target was an exercise in frustration and hilarity.  We are not used failure.

Oh the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat

As I stood there watching my coworkers struggle knowing a few of them had actually done this before, I couldn’t help but think what a great date night this would make especially in the beginning stages of a relationship.  I have always maintained the idea that doing challenging things on dates is the key to understanding your partner’s mindset and level of maturity.  Ax throwing and how easy it is to be awful may just bring out the worst in that jerk who is not used to failing, or make you both laugh until you cry.  Pick the mate that can laugh at themselves.

There are tons of options while waiting for a lane.

TommyHawks has some rules like no open toed shoes, no cash, and no standing in front of the tables when others are throwing.  I recommend visiting the website:  www.tommyhawks.net for full rules disclosure, understanding the waiver you are going to sign, and for hours as they vary by day/weekend.  Also the alcohol policy was interesting.  You may bring your own beverages and food, no hard liquor so malt type beers and wine coolers only.  An alcohol monitoring fee of $5 is required for each person in your party, which is probably a good idea.  Ax throwing, accuracy and alcohol did not go together for me anyway so you might choose to drink water or soda and actually hit the target more often.

This venue would be excellent not only for date night, but team building within organizations, a teen birthday party, or even a bet between friends.  There are a lot of other free activities to take up time while waiting for a lane which I was impressed by.  All in all, this was money well spent and I will be heading back with my tribe, maybe making a friendly wager beforehand betting on how bad they will be.  Get out there, friends and challenge yourself.

Andy B’s

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Andy B’s Entertainment Center

Looking for some indoor fun this winter??!!  Look no further than the corner of National and Battlefield in Springfield MO.  Andy B’s https://www.bowlandybs.com/springfield offers bowling, laser tag, a virtual reality experience and more.  Their website is excellent and full of great information, prices, and menu options and also allows you to book a lane or plan an event online.

For my 51st birthday in 2021, I decided to go bowling…because I can still bowl!! LOL.  My husband was not amused.  I think he’d rather hit is fingers with a sledge hammer than sit in a bowling alley with dozens of loud people including children having their own bowling birthday party.  But he was my designated driver for the event and it’s not every day you turn 51.  He gave in fairly gracefully.

Andy B’s on the corner of National and Battlefield, Springfield MO

I invited the usual suspects-the kids and my mom-to come along and join in the fun.  On weekends it’s a good idea to reserve a lane for at least 2 hours.  I had reserved a lane in the general bowling area for one and a half hours and it wasn’t long enough to bowl 2 games like I’d hoped.  We had 5 people on the roster.  Andy B’s also has a semi private 10 lane area with an attached private bar for a slightly higher price.  They can also set you up with bumpers, lightweight bowling balls and bowling ramps if you have children or physical limitations.

Andy B’s offers lane side service and has a full restaurant and bar.  I was impressed with the menu choices, though the service could have been quicker and more attentive.  Again, it was a very busy Saturday afternoon and I was not unhappy with the service or the food. 

Fun with family!!

I do want to share the best part of the experience though, and that was taking my 70 year old mom and getting her into the VR experience.  Neither of us had any previous experience with virtual reality and this was very cool.  We hopped onto a game with 2 young boys who picked the Zombie Attack (eye roll here, I hate Zombies) which turned out to be awesome because at some point the employees figured out one of the boys VR equipment was not working so we went through the scenario for extra time!  Soooo cool!!  They slipped the eye shield and headphones over my head and I was in a completely different world.  I couldn’t hear the bowling alley noise AT ALL.  They warned us to stay put on our spot and that we could turn but not to move too far.  I would definitely pay to do this again and again, it was that much fun. If you want to check out the video of the kids VR experience, head over to the YouTube Channel at: https://youtu.be/0PnFt1BLKTI

I must admit, I did spend some money on this event, but I paid for a few drinks, appetizers, bowling, VR experience and shoes.  Next time I go, I will scale it back a little.  For my birthday, it was worth every penny.  For a few people to share a lane for an hour or two, have a few drinks, it would be pretty affordable.  So get out there and see what indoor adventures await in the Ozarks!

Check out the Facebook page How to do the Ozarks and Instagram htdto2020 for more pictures and places to visit!

Date Night with Mom at Getaway Golf

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Getaway Golf Mini Golf

United States Course

Looking for a fun and somewhat educational activity?!  Getaway Golf on East Sunshine in Springfield Missouri https://www.getawaygolf.com/ may be what you’re looking for.  Recently, I took my oldest son, Bruce and his girlfriend, Cheyenne out for a quick 18 holes of mini golf.  We had a great time though I didn’t realize it would involve so much profanity on Bruce’s part.  With the possibility of small children playing near us, even at that time of the evening, we shushed him pretty quickly.  Unable to swear like the Army veteran he is, he had fun tossing his putter around when he couldn’t make par.

Cool nights, fun with family

A trip throughout the US with fun facts at each hole.

Open ‘til 10 p.m., Getaway Golf has two courses.  The United States course is the easier option and The International is the more challenging.  We stuck with the United States as it had been years since any of us had putted our way around any obstacle.  I liked the option of going later in the evening as it is cooler. The course closes promptly at 10 p.m. so it would be a good idea to get there by 9 p.m. to begin play and have enough time to get your money’s worth.  There were also fewer children to trip over or wait for.

The course is challenging enough to cause a lot of ribbing about needing more than 6 tries (6 is the limit to decrease the likelihood of holding up other players) for a few of the holes and they are interestingly displayed.  The Statue of Liberty, Old Faithful, and the Golden Gate Bridge are just a few of the well thought out obstacles winding around the park.  Cheyenne managed a hole in one, which was impressive as it took her close to six to sink most of the others.

Fun date night or with the kids

Getaway Golf, Springfield Missouri

Adults are $10.50 for one course and $18.50 for two.  Children 12 and under are $8.50 for one course and $14.50 for two.  Kids 2 and under are free and they may enjoy batting the ball around some. Knowing my 4 year old granddaughters, and how little they were likely to enjoy mini golf, we left them home with a sitter.  They are both at the age where if they can’t get something right the first try they are more than likely to just give up and sit in a corner to sulk.  Or dive into the water obstacles that dot the playing field.

Mini golf is one of those date nights that can give great insight into your current romantic partner’s reaction to challenge!  If they sulk, swear or throw their putter at you, it may be time to rethink this particular relationship!  Bruce and Cheyenne laughed at each other, me and most importantly, at themselves throughout the course.  It was great fun and I will be back!

Check out the Facebook page How to do the Ozarks and Instagram htdto2020 for more pictures and places to visit!