Bowlway (Gone)
Elgin, IL
Photo courtesy Don Gardner

The Bowlway in Elgin paired streamlined lettering with a distinctive Art Deco appearance. Even without knowing whether the neon still worked, the sign deserved a closer look. 10-08

Opened in the early 1940s, the center offered sixteen lanes inside a clear-span building without columns interrupting the view. It hosted leagues, school events and neighborhood gatherings for nearly eighty years before closing in 2020.

UPDATE: The building was converted into an event center. It survives, but the vintage Art Deco marquee was removed during the remodeling. 06-26

Western Bowl
Cincinnati, OH
Photo courtesy Emily Steele

The oversized arrow and stacked lettering at Western Bowl have attracted attention along Cincinnati’s Glenway Avenue since 1958. With 68 lanes, the center became the city’s largest bowling destination.

Long associated with the Hoinke family, it earned a national reputation through the Hoinke Classic amateur tournament. Thousands of visiting bowlers came for the competition, while roadside fans could appreciate the marquee without picking up a ball.

The interior retains retro details, including colorful décor and wood-paneled counters. Outside, refreshed panels and LED tubing have updated the old sign while keeping its familiar shape.

UPDATE: The center remains open as Strike & Spare Western Bowl. Its mid-century marquee survives, although LEDs have replaced the original neon. 06-26

Plaza Bowling
Celina OH
Photo courtesy Mark Hackett

Bowling alleys have always had some of the best roadside signs, and Plaza Bowling Lanes is no exception. Rising above the shopping center in Celina, this classic marquee is topped with the familiar bowling pin and ball that instantly lets you know what's waiting inside. Even with much of its original neon gone, it's still a great reminder of the days when nearly every town had its own neighborhood bowling alley.

Plaza Bowling Lanes opened in 1960 as a 16-lane center and spent decades under the ownership of the Cisco family. Like many independent bowling alleys, it became much more than a place to knock down a few pins. It hosted league nights, birthday parties, family outings, and today serves as the home lanes for the Celina Bulldogs and Parkway Panthers high school bowling teams.

For a while, it looked like the story might be coming to an end. When the Cisco family announced their retirement in 2024, many locals feared another longtime business would disappear. Fortunately, two local families stepped in to purchase the alley, updating the scoring equipment before reopening it just a few weeks later. It's always nice to see a community rally around a place that's meant so much to so many people.

UPDATE: Plaza Bowling Lanes remains open under local ownership, and its vintage roadside sign continues to welcome bowlers, even if much of the original neon is no longer in operation. 06-26

Golden Pin Bowling (Demolished)
Cleveland OH
Photo courtesy Steve Felder

An oversized bowling pin topped the Golden Pin Bowling marquee on Cleveland’s Harvard Avenue. It offered a familiar welcome to generations of neighborhood bowlers.

Operated for many years by the Szyszkowski family, the center hosted local leagues, including the Union of Poles Junior Bowling League. In 1982, Jerry Gucanac rolled an impressive 803 series here, which was quite an evening at the lanes.

UPDATE: Golden Pin has closed, much of the building was demolished, and the marquee was removed. The property has been repurposed, ending another neighborhood bowling tradition. 06-26

Rainbow Lanes (Rem.)
Warren, OH
Photo courtesy Steve Felder

Back in the 1950s, it seemed like every town had its own bowling alley, and Rainbow Lanes was Warren's. Besides offering a place to knock down a few pins, it also featured a live-music lounge, making it a popular spot for an evening out. Like many neighborhood bowling centers, it became a gathering place for leagues, friends, and families for decades.

The roadside sign was every bit as memorable as the bowling alley itself. Its large, multi-paneled design advertised both the lanes and the cocktail lounge, making it hard to miss while driving down Parkman Road. Bowling alleys always seemed to have some of the best signs, and this was another great example from the era.

Over the years, Rainbow Lanes was renamed Freeway Lanes, but the business continued operating at the same location. Unfortunately, the vintage marquee didn't survive the transition into the modern era. By 2018, the original sign had been removed and replaced with a standard backlit sign, bringing an end to another classic piece of roadside Americana.

UPDATE: The bowling alley remains open today as Freeway Lanes of Warren, but the original Rainbow Lanes sign has been removed. 06-26

Fountain Square Bowling
Indianapolis, IN
Photo courtesy Emily Steele

The vertical Fountain Square Bowling sign points visitors toward something different in Indianapolis: duckpin bowling. Smaller balls without finger holes and shorter pins give the familiar game a different challenge. Don’t assume the smaller equipment means an easier score.

Bowling has been part of the Fountain Square Theatre Building since 1928. Fourth-floor Action Duckpin Bowling offers vintage equipment, manual scoring and surroundings that recall an earlier evening out. Keeping your own score adds another old-fashioned detail to the experience.

Downstairs, Atomic Duckpin Bowling takes a different approach, surrounding the game with neon and mid-century décor. Between the two spaces and the historic theater building, there’s plenty to admire before the first ball reaches the pins.

Outside, the tall “DUCKPIN BOWLING” sign makes the attraction easy to find and adds another memorable feature to the neighborhood.

UPDATE: Both duckpin bowling areas remain open inside the restored Fountain Square Theatre Building. The familiar vertical sign continues welcoming visitors looking for a few frames with a little history included. 06-26

Colonial Lanes (Demolished)
Canton, OH
Photo courtesy Mark Hackett

The Colonial Lanes marquee in Canton combined a large “BOWL” topper with diamond-shaped panels advertising the snack bar and Starlite Lounge. The neon had disappeared by this view, but the sign still had enough character to deserve a closer look.

Opened in 1963, the center welcomed league players, families and weekend crowds for more than fifty years. The marquee offered a complete evening’s invitation: a few games, something to eat and perhaps a stop in the lounge afterward.

When Colonial closed in 2017, equipment, lockers, ball returns and wooden lanes went to auction. Some of the hardwood was reclaimed for woodworking projects, giving part of the old bowling center another useful life.

UPDATE: The building and marquee were demolished in 2017, and retail development replaced the lanes. Little remains to suggest how many games and gatherings once took place behind that familiar roadside sign. 06-26