There's No Age Limit on Fun
Grown-ups can have fun at several fun-centric places around the New Orleans metro.
From adult-only skating rink nights at Airline Skate to City Park's Carousel Gardens Amusement Park's seasonal nighttime events, people from 18 to 100 can let loose their inner child and run wild.
Game On Social Hub in Metairie boasts 10-minute laser tag games, axe throwing, and over 100 arcade games. Check out the augmented reality bowling. In Metairie, Surge Entertainment by Drew Brees is steps away from another Drew Brees owned entertainment business. Pickle N Pins focuses on pickleball, but you can also enjoy duckpin bowling, Krazy Darts, padel, axe throwing, shuffleboard, and more. Pickle N Pins also has a full food menu and bar.
NOLA Motorsports is known for high-powered race car experiences, but the go karts at Throttle & Swing are just as thrilling. The adult-sized gas-powered go karts can get up to 40 MPH, while the junior karts top out at 25 MPH. You can compete against others or just use the extra racing experience to improve your own times. There are also handicap and two-seater karts available. Go karts aren't the only attraction there. Throttle & Swing also features an 18-hole mini golf course, which gives you plenty of time to sip, craft cocktails delivered to you right on the course. Or, you can challenge your friends to some arcade games over piping hot pizza.
K1 Speed in Elmwood is an indoor electric go kart experience that has tight turns and heart-pounding straight tracks where you can really rev the engine. The Paddock Lounge is the perfect place for a post-race beer and stone-fired pizza and then indulge in some arcade games.
The Marigny/Bywater is home to two arcades that are perfect for spending hours enjoying wholesome games. Emporium Arcade Bar is for adults 21 years of age and older who want a craft cocktail while challenging others in Skeeball or pinball. Sea Cave Arcade is for all ages seeking retro arcade games in an immersive atmosphere. Check out their social media for special nights with live performances and vendors.
Head upstairs at Loft18's Old Metairie location for virtual golfing and other games while eating exquisite food and enjoying high-end cocktails. The balcony overlooking Metairie Road is perfect for your in-game breaks and scoping out your next culinary adventure.
Five O Fore is a towering three-story stationary golf facility with a lively vibe, huge screens for sports, and an upscale bourbon lounge. On Five O Fore's first anniversary, Manager Lee White explained how the entertainment complex has grown, saying, "We've made a lot of strides. We've worked on customer service, improving the kitchen, trying to have that Louisiana flair to our food since this is not a national chain. It's a locally-owned place." The "kicked-up bar food" menu is loved by those who come to play or just watch their favorite games on the giant 68-foot screen. "Usually, we do one big section as the main game and six to eight different games on the side, not to mention all the TVs around the bars, and every golf bay has a little TV," White said.
Golfers can play one of numerous games at their assigned bay. Using the Trackman Range system, every ball is monitored for speed, distance, and location, and those metrics come up on the screen. "There are games that are like video games. Or, you can play real golf courses. We've started the Fairway VIP Membership program. They get unlimited play, and they get other perks like 20 percent of food and beverage. We have tournaments on Tuesdays and a lot of the VIP members do the tournaments," he explained.
High-tech players may prefer full virtual reality gaming to analog gaming. Be forewarned that there's nothing passive about free-roaming virtual world gaming places, though. Players are equipped with a helmet that displays a totally immersive realm and a weapon to take down the bad guys before being let loose into a space where they are required to walk around.
There's Another World in Harahan. This virtual reality gaming place lets you enter one of many other worlds to roam and to game. The games range from light-hearted to scary and intense.
At Zero Latency in the Warehouse District, you can travel to all sorts of strange and wondrous places once you strap on a helmet and enter the gaming floor. First, you can see your real surroundings through the VR goggles, but, then, your reality turns fully digital.
Owner David Garifo explained, "All of our games are person vs. environment games, except one, Sol Raiders, which is player vs. player and incredible with a large group of competitive people. We hope to start a league night for it soon. This experience, while accessible to teens, was crafted with adults in mind. For many adults, particularly those who have never played video games or stopped at a young age, this is a revolutionary experience."
You don't have to worry about running into walls or each other. "The software has systems and warnings in place to prevent collisions, particularly with walls, and then you can see each other, including proportional distance, in VR. A lot of games and controllers have gotten very complicated and take practice to master; we eliminate all of that. The games don't feel childish; it's a full workout," he continued.
Garifo said it best: "Since when do you have to be a kid to have fun? We don't think kids should have a monopoly on having a good time, and we're here to prove it." Defeat the doldrums of adult life by challenging yourself to some gaming.
