Twedt's Lanes (Demolished)
Largo, FL Photo courtesy Steve/Back on Tack
Twedt's Lanes was easy to spot along the road thanks to its giant bowling pin marquee. One look at the sign and there was no mistaking what waited inside, unless you happened to think it was advertising a very large milk bottle.
The Largo bowling alley opened in 1967 and became a neighborhood favorite for generations. Inside were league bowlers, casual games, and the popular Cue Ball Lounge. Even the original wooden lanes found a second life when they were turned into tables after newer synthetic lanes were installed.
Twedt’s and the Cue Ball Lounge closed on Labor Day in 2013 after the property was sold for redevelopment. The bowling alley and its oversized pin sign were subsequently removed, and a retail center took their place. Another longtime neighborhood gathering spot disappeared, leaving photographs to preserve that unmistakable roadside welcome. 07-26
Rip Van Winkle Lanes (Gone)
Sarasota, FL Photo courtesy Steve/Back on Tack
With a name like Rip Van Winkle Lanes, you might expect a quiet place for a nap. Instead, this Sarasota bowling alley greeted motorists with a colorful sign advertising a considerably noisier pastime. The roadside display supplied plenty of character along U.S. 41, where a memorable sign could become as familiar as the business beneath it.
The bowling center opened in 1958, during the great postwar expansion of recreational bowling. Known in its early years as the Rip Van Winkle Bowladrome, it became part of Sarasota’s bowling scene for decades. The storybook name gave the place an identity all its own, even if falling asleep was probably difficult with bowling balls rumbling down the lanes.
UPDATE: Rip Van Winkle Lanes closed in 2004, ending approximately 46 years of bowling. The former bowling-alley property was purchased in 2012 for conversion into Bayside Pet Resort & Spa, giving the site a very different purpose. The old bowling sign is reportedly gone, leaving photographs to recall its years of welcoming motorists and bowlers. 07-26
Orange Bowl Lanes
Kissimmee, FL Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Check out the roadside sign for Orange Bowl Lanes in Kissimmee, Florida. The bowling imagery and colorful lettering leave little doubt about the entertainment waiting inside. It’s the sort of display that makes an ordinary bowling alley worth a second look before you’ve even picked out a pair of rental shoes.
Orange Bowl opened on December 1, 1960, giving Kissimmee a twelve-lane neighborhood bowling center. That was before Walt Disney World transformed the surrounding area into an international vacation destination. While the highways filled with new attractions and larger entertainment developments, this modest bowling alley continued offering a familiar night out for local residents.
UPDATE: Orange Bowl Lanes remains open, still operating with twelve lanes and offering open bowling, leagues, and food. More than six decades after its debut, the business continues serving its hometown crowd. Good to see this longtime Kissimmee stop still giving people a reason to lace up their bowling shoes. 07-26
Ten Pin Lanes
South Pasadena, FL Photo courtesy Steve/Back on Tack
The pink exterior and distinctive lettering make Ten Pin Lanes in South Pasadena, Florida, an easy place to notice. Its sign sits above the entrance canopy, giving the building a classic bowling-alley look before anyone rolls a ball. Sometimes the lettering alone is enough to bring back memories of league nights and rented shoes.
Opened in November 1950, Ten Pin became a recreation stop for the growing communities near St. Petersburg’s beaches. An early account describes twenty lanes operating until two in the morning, accommodating bowlers long after many other businesses had shut their doors. The canopy sign is believed to date from the alley’s early years.
UPDATE: Ten Pin Lanes remains open, offering daily public bowling and organized leagues. The vintage sign survives, although individual lettering beneath it was removed by 2017. After more than seventy-five years, this neighborhood bowling alley continues doing the job it was built for, a welcome survivor along the Florida roadside. 11-26
Rip Van Winkle Lanes (Gone)
Orange Bowl Lanes
Ten Pin Lanes
