The temperature is rising … and you feel like retreating! Fortunately, with all the indoor entertainment options available this summer, there’s no need to go outside to have a good time. So forget the sunblock and head indoors for some fun — we’ve got you covered.
Battle House Laser Tag – Wake Forest
“We’ve seen parents at a teenager’s birthday party, and the mom has a stack of cell phones,” says owner Darek Huckbody about Battle House’s high-intensity, fast-paced indoor tactical laser tag. Darek says he often jokes with parents that “we’re the only thing that can get them to put their cell phones down for a full hour.”
During that hour, players compete on teams to complete missions and score points. But Battle House isn’t “the kiddie laser tag with plastic vests and 15 minutes running around in the dark,” Darek says. All 100-plus missions of varying complexity are designed to test tactical skills and teamwork, and 4–6 can usually be completed within a typical one-hour game time (though Darek says a lot of kids would “play all day if you let them,” and multiple-hour increments are a popular option).
All laser tag weapons are designed to provide unique stats and capabilities, allowing players to choose the right weapon for them and their playstyle.
With over 15,000 square feet of space, Battle House offers a variety of obstacles and multi-story buildings that provide an array of strategic vantage points for players to take cover and plan their next move. The armory boasts a wide selection of laser tag guns, the all-metal weapons providing a realistic battlefield experience without messy or painful projectiles.
Anyone older than 7 is welcome to play, though 6-year-olds can participate with a parent. It’s recommended that younger players come out earlier in the day and leave the later game times for teens and adults.
Weekend birthday parties are always popular, as are team-building and other corporate events. Sports teams and youth and summer camps also make good use of the space. “It’s a great way for kids to be active,” Darek says.
Missions range in complexity but always incorporate teamwork, as with the battle for glowing domination cubes positioned throughout the arena.
The veteran-owned business opened at The Factory entertainment hub two years ago. People waiting for kids or just passing through can play a video game in Battle House’s arcade room or enjoy a beer, cider, or hard lemonade. Outside food is also welcome, so corporate events can be catered, and parents appreciate being able to bring in whatever they like to one of the party rooms.
Darek has been known to talk parents and grandparents into playing, and “next thing you know, grandma’s shooting everybody from behind because she’s in the right spot …” Once, a bachelor party group showed up for the 11 a.m. game, which is usually 8-year-old birthday party time. Although there were three or four kids’ birthday parties going on, everyone jumped in and played together. “It’s amazing how people can come together and have an awesome time,” Darek says.
battlehouselasercombat.com
@battlehousewakeforest
Giant Robot Fight Club – Raleigh & Durham
“The first rule of Giant Robot Fight Club,” announces referee Fudge Shemp to a raucous audience from inside the ring, “is please talk about Giant Robot Fight Club. Tell your friends. Tell your enemies. Tell your weird cousin …”
“Your weird cousin’s gonna love this,” interjects Hot Dog Henly, the show’s emcee and creator. He describes the experience as “a bunch of different things. At its heart, it’s an independent comedy wrestling show. It’s a community. It’s an art show. It’s a performance art piece. It’s immersive theater.”
After living in New York City and working as an actor, playwright, and stand-up comedian, Hot Dog moved to Durham, where he knew he wanted to produce something. He just wasn’t exactly sure what it was going to be.
The show’s emcee, Hot Dog Henly, works the crowd into a frenzy.
Hot Dog had become what he describes as “super obsessed” with wrestling, so he was thinking about a show that centered on some kind of fight. It was at The Common Market Durham that things clicked into place, as the upper level of tables and lower-level bar evoked a Colosseum setting.
Hot Dog’s theater background helped him recognize that wrestling is theater distilled to its bare elements. “The most simple story you can tell is in a wrestling ring,” he explains.
To tell the story of a post-apocalyptic wasteland, Hot Dog and Fudge — who coordinates the fights and works with the venues — set up each show with jokes and satire. The running narrative has been told for over 18 months now, and the goal is to ensure that every show feels different for a returning audience but is easily followed by newcomers.
Ace Venterminator, left, and Frankenbot battle it out in the GRFC ring.
As Hot Dog admits, however: “If there are details that they miss, it really doesn’t matter because they’re here to see people in cardboard robots fight.”
You read that right. Otherwise respectable people dress up as cardboard and duct-tape robots to fight each other.
The louder the ringside crowd when showing their support (or disapproval), the better.
While Hot Dog writes the story of the human characters and directs the show to the extent it’s possible, everything else is up to the people doing it. “I get mad at the robots if they tell me what’s gonna happen in their fights,” he says. “I like to go in knowing as little as possible because that’s where the fun and surprises are.”
That fun and those surprises are best witnessed in person.
Before a less-than-official panel of judges, robots enter the personalized GRFC ring (recently upgraded from a taped-on GRFC lettered mat) to fight. As described by Fudge in his referee intro: “Rule number 6: Two robots enter. One robot leaves.”
What happens between involves a lot of physical comedy and some great music.
While GRFC’s participants fight to win “cash, prizes, and the love of the audience,” Fudge might best express the real goal when he says, “Rule number 7: Don’t die.”
And so far — 20 and counting sold-out shows — so good.
@giantrobotfightclub
iSmash – Wake Forest
Smash add-ons include powder and confetti bombs.
Are you looking for a unique way to unwind and have some fun? One innovative solution is iSmash, where people can engage in some serious stress relief by breaking objects in a controlled environment.
“It’s everybody,” shares owner Aaron Wright about who is visiting The Factory location of iSmash. There are the 24-year-olds celebrating a birthday, the groups of mature women who have a Prosecco smash session before heading out for lunch, or the divorce parties and grief sessions where people work through their emotions.
The facility is designed to accommodate groups of varying sizes, with rage rooms that hold anywhere from 2 to 15 people and are available for participants 8 years old and older. Splatter paint rooms (for anyone 3 and up) offer another option for making a mess, without any of the shattering. Whether smash session or splatter paint, safety is the top priority, as all participants are required to wear protective gear, including goggles and face shields. Every person who comes in to smash must also watch a safety video.
Inside the rage room, weapons await. Baseball bats, crowbars, and even sledgehammers can be used to smash items ranging from glassware and ceramics to electronics and even car windshields. The speaker inside every room allows for personalized Bluetooth playlists, and smash session videos are available for purchase afterward.
In the splatter paint rooms, art isn’t just created on canvases, and literally nowhere is off limits.
The atmosphere is further enhanced by the option to enjoy beverages like beer, wine, and Prosecco, which attracts visitors who are waiting for their kids at nearby sports practices, allowing them to relax and socialize while keeping an eye on the action. “We can stream the hockey rinks on our TVs,” notes Aaron, providing a fun twist for parents who want to make use of the bar — without breaking any glasses or bottles.
“Word of mouth is spreading more and more,” Aaron says, reflecting on iSmash’s first year of business. “Every month it’s getting busier and busier.” A second location opens in Charlotte soon, with long-term aspirations for up to 10 more locations across the state in the coming years.
Whether for a date night, birthday celebration, corporate event, or just a fun outing, iSmash provides an opportunity to let loose and have some smashing fun. “Ninety-nine percent of people who walk out of here say I’ll be back,” Aaron says, and they indeed do come back, as he already has a number of repeat customers.
ismashusa.com/locations/nc-wake-forest/
@ismashwakeforest
Smash Social Club – Downtown Raleigh
Ping pong is having a moment at Smash Social Club, where players can drink, eat, and play in multiple spaces to include outdoor terraces.
Summer is smashing in Smash Social Club, the upscale social playground and restaurant from LM Restaurants. The almost 10,000-square-foot venue, open since November in the former Carolina Ale House space in Glenwood South, combines interactive games like table tennis, shuffleboard, and electric darts with craft cocktails, elevated bar bites, and a vibrant nightlife atmosphere — plus one of the best patio experiences in Raleigh.
The highlight of the main barroom, which features multiple TVs and a 26-seat bar, is a showpiece table tennis table accompanied by banquette seating for eight. An adjacent room features three table tennis tables, a projection screen, TVs, and additional banquette seating.
Full-service food and drinks, like handcrafted cocktails, can be brought right out to players no matter where their game is located.
Outdoor terraces offer even more play areas, with two technology-enhanced shuffleboard tables; five additional table tennis tables; beer pong tables; and a dart garden with two electric dartboards. The roof also pulls all the way back and the windows come down, “leaving such a fantastic and unique view of downtown,” says LM Restaurants President Amber Moshakos. “It’s definitely a vibe that is hard to match here in Raleigh.”
The food menu focuses on shareable bar fare, including cornbread bites with honey butter, barbacoa or chicken tinga nachos, sweet heat Korean wings, and much more. According to Chef Rob Miller, the most popular dishes are hot honey pepperoni pizza, Smash sliders, garlic parmesan fries, and cornbread bites. Other elevated items include salads, pizzas, sliders, taco flights, and dessert.
The drink menu includes a wide selection of cocktails (check out The Matador on page 87), craft and domestic beer, wine, and nonalcoholic drinks.
“We have created a food menu, a cocktail menu, and a space that really allows you to enjoy all of these things simultaneously,” Amber says. “It’s a really different venue and menu created to be enjoyed in any of the gaming or dining areas,” she says, as each area features an accompanying dining table and lives up to Smash’s “Drink. Eat. Play.” motto.
As to whether people come to drink, eat, or play, Amber explains: “It’s hard to pick just one of these as a choice, and I think that is the point.”
Guests can reserve a table for full-service dining and handcrafted cocktails; reserve a game — ping pong, electric shuffleboard, electric darts, or beer pong — with full-service food and drinks brought to them while they play; book both; or grab a seat at the bar with full service. Private events of varying sizes can also be accommodated. There are no cover charges or entrance fees, and guests can walk in or reserve ahead to lock in their spot.
smashraleigh.com
@smash_raleigh
Strike & Barrel – Wake Forest
Despite the abundance of activities offered at Strike & Barrel, traditional bowling remains the most popular, or the “anchor attraction,” according to owner Dave Carmichael.
After buying the space in 2019 alongside Steve Lewis, and with Katie Carmichael managing anything that requires a reservation, the event destination was doubled in size, to 24,000 square feet, after a complete renovation and expansion.
Strike & Barrel’s ability to accommodate up to 600 people makes it a prime spot for parties and corporate events. According to Dave, the open concept allows people to “float between the different attractions. … They can go from bowling to axe throwing to playing on a golf simulator to playing pool to playing video games.”
Despite numerous indoor attractions, bowling remains the most popular activity at Strike & Barrel.
Then there’s the 48-seat bar, which boasts the largest range of bourbons in Wake Forest. People will forego activities altogether and stop by in the afternoon for a drink, or large groups come in just to enjoy meals from a chef-driven restaurant menu.
While “old school” chicken tenders and pizzas are a hot commodity for kids during activities, Dave describes the wings as “insanely popular.” The full restaurant menu also includes a wide variety of sandwiches, salads, and other offerings.
Since there is always competition for the entertainment dollar, Dave says that what separates Strike & Barrel is “a staff that cares” and a variety of activities offered: “A staff that really wants to serve our customers and providing an open, fun environment with lots of options is what really draws people.”
While traditional bowling still beats out the other attractions, many women (who like not having to wear bowling shoes or place their fingers inside a ball) are taking to duckpin bowling. The lighter and smaller balls also appeal to older adults and young children; duck pin birthday parties are rising in popularity, as kids get to roll fast.
While the details are still top secret, some technology-focused mini-renovations are being undertaken to prepare for the very busy summer months and give “a little bit of pop to the center.” Although there’s restaurant and bar competition, Strike & Barrel is the premier event destination, yet Dave asserts, “We think that continual improvement and evolving is important, and we can’t just sit on our laurels and hope that people come in.”
Giving back to the community is part of the culture, as Dave says Strike & Barrel has donated to over 200 charities in the past year. “We look at it like we’re a community club,” he says, “and we’ve got to support the community.”
strikeandbarrel.com
@strikeandbarrel
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