Bowlero, a posh take on the traditional bowling alley, is coming to Tysons Corner.
The former Macy’s department store in Tysons Galleria mall shut down in early 2019, but construction has been going on throughout the pandemic on many new retailers, restaurants, and entertainment venues within the space. Construction on Bowlero began in late March of this year, and it is slated to open this November.
The Bowlero in Tysons Galleria will be the national bowling and entertainment chain’s fifth Washington, DC–area location. Most recently, its Arlington and Annandale locations opened last July and February, respectively, and its other outposts are in Bethesda and Centreville. This one will occupy 39,851 square feet on the first floor of the former Macy’s, and will feature 36 bowling lanes, several interactive arcade games (ranging from modern Mario Kart GP DX to classic games like billiards), a full-service kitchen, and a sports bar.
Brookfield Properties, which owns the Tysons Galleria mall, likely saw an opportunity to earn more revenue by replacing the shuttered Macy’s space with several businesses rather than one department store, and the addition of Bowlero adds a family entertainment option in the area. There are other movie theaters in the area (including the soon-to-open iPic movie theater, also within the same former Macy’s space in the Galleria), “movies in the park”–type entertainment, and outdoor concerts at Boro Park, as well as tons of restaurants and other retail between Tysons Corner Center, the Galleria, and The Boro. But bowling? That isn’t something in the area. In fact, one of the closest bowling alleys to the Tysons area is Bowlero Bethesda, about 10 miles away.
And if anyone is concerned that COVID-19 has affected America’s outlook on having some family fun at the bowling alley, seeing as Bowlero opened its fourth location in National Landing during the pandemic, the company isn’t too worried about that, either. Upon its opening, rules were in place to allow for social distancing between lanes—as well as limiting bowlers to four to six people per lane—while staff wore PPE during shifts and all areas were regularly thoroughly sanitized.
Feature image courtesy Bowlero
For more stories like this, subscribe to our Things To Do newsletter.
