Sacramento, CA - Here's the Country Club Lanes in Sacramento, CA that first opened its doors around 1960. This bowling alley is part of the Country Club Centre which is on Watt Ave. and has a bowling alley, hofbrau, pool hall, Tower Records, and other shops. The bowling alley has that space age look to it. The alley is open 24 hours a day and features a live DJ and glow-in-the-dark bowling 7 days a week, becoming a fun and available stop. 11-05

Country Club Lanes
Sacramento, CA
Photo courtesy John Flores

Rolling along Watt Avenue, check out the Space Age curves at Country Club Lanes. The soaring roofline, stone walls, and big roadside sign give the bowling alley plenty of mid-century personality. This looks like the sort of place where the Jetsons might stop for a few frames after work.

Country Club Lanes opened around February 1960 as part of the Country Club Centre. The bowling alley was designed by Powers, Daly & De Rosa, the architectural firm behind several futuristic bowling centers around California. Those dramatic overhangs and angular rooflines helped turn an evening of bowling into something a little more exciting before anyone even reached the lanes.

Close-up of the Candlerock Lounge
Sacramento, CA
Photo courtesy John Flores

The surrounding shopping center had its own collection of familiar Sacramento stops. There was a hofbrau, pool hall, assorted shops, and the first standalone Tower Records store. A visit could involve browsing through records, finding something to eat, and then wandering over for a few games beneath the Space Age roof. Plenty to keep everyone occupied along this stretch of Watt Avenue.

Inside, Country Club Lanes offered 48 lanes along with the Candlerock Lounge and billiards room. By the time of this visit, the place also featured a live DJ and glow-in-the-dark bowling seven nights a week. With the music playing and the lanes glowing, the old bowling alley had moved into a new century without losing its original roadside look.

Country Club Lanes
Sacramento, CA
Photo courtesy John Flores

Country Club Lanes began operating every day of the year in 1977 and kept that streak going for more than four decades. The doors were open 24 hours a day back in 2005, making this a handy stop whether the urge to bowl arrived in the afternoon or sometime well after midnight. The streak finally ended when the pandemic forced the business to close temporarily in March 2020.

UPDATE: The bowling alley went through a $700,000 renovation project in 2013 where its bowling lanes were replaced, and a VIP event room a new video screen system were added. It's good to see this mid-century delight reinvesting in its infrastructure, hopefully paving the way for many more years of bowling and family entertainment in Sacramento. More information can be found at this Valley Community Newspapers article. 11-13

UPDATE: Country Club Lanes remains open, although its posted hours are no longer consistently around the clock. The Googie roadside sign, angular canopy, Candlerock Lounge, and other Space Age details continue to welcome bowlers along Watt Avenue. 09-26

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