On a recent Wednesday evening, bowlers of all ages occupied the dimly illuminated lanes at the new Kings in Lynnfield.
Waitresses shuttled back and forth from the bar to replenish pink cosmopolitan martinis and glasses of pinot noir. Neon lights reflected off the glittery tables. The song “L.A. Woman” by the Doors played over the sound system.
Wearing red-and-black rental shoes, 10-year-old James Kirkpatrick carefully rolled a large green bowling ball down the lane and watched the pins fall with a clatter.
“This is fun,” said John Driscoll, as his grandson tried his hand at one of the oldest games in the world.
Bowling is enjoying a renaissance in Greater Boston’s suburbs, thanks to the enduring popularity of the vintage sport and the growth of “boutique bowling.” Upscale venues for tenpin bowling are drawing crowds in Milford and Dedham, with two more complexes slated to open in Foxborough and Burlington.
Meanwhile, aficionados of candlepin bowling — a New England favorite using smaller balls and thinner pins — can still practice their sport at classic alleys like the Needham Bowlaway, built in 1917, or the Woburn Bowladrome, which opened in 1940.
“I don’t mind new bowling centers popping up,” said Ed Gangi, the Bowladrome’s general manager. “The more bowling that’s out there, the better it is for everybody.”
Kings Bowl America LLC, which unveiled its16-lane bowling alley in Lynnfield last fall, plans to launch an even bigger bowling venue in Burlington within a year, despite a fire last month that delayed the opening date. Another new bowling complex, called Splitsville Luxury Lanes, is scheduled to debut at Patriot Place in Foxborough in July.
After watching so many neighborhood bowling alleys close down in recent years — the list includes Fairway Bowling in Natick and the old Wal-Lex Recreation Center on Waltham’s Lexington Street (hence the name) — enthusiasts welcome the new additions.
Today’s new bowling alleys do not offer just bowling anymore. That is what David Breen noticed when he decided to close the Skate Palace roller rink in Milford (owned by his family since 1978) and turn it into Pinz, a swank entertainment venue with 20 tenpin lanes, laser tag, an arcade, and a sports bar and grill.
“It was a big step to change,” said Breen, 42, who said he made the decision in 2005 when he noticed “bowling kind of reinventing itself.”
Pinz not only offers tenpin bowling but also corporate conference space (known as the KingPin Suite) and a full bar and food menu. Music plays and DJs come in on the weekends. But there are no bowling leagues — the focus is purely on fun.
“It’s not about the score,” said Breen, “it’s about the experience. We want people to come in and have a great time.”
There used to be a lot more places to bowl, in general. Baby boomers may recall the bowling boom that swept the country between 1955 and 1963, when the number of bowling alleys increased from 6,600 to 11,000, according to HighBeam Business research. During that time, the number of bowlers in organized leagues more than doubled, from fewer than 3 million to 7 million.
Since then, league bowling has declined and more than half of those facilities have shut their doors.
Today, there are approximately 5,000 bowling centers operating in the United States, according to the Bowling Proprietors Association of America, an 82-year-old organization based in Arlington, Texas.
But just because people are not wearing matching shirts and bowling for trophies does not mean they have given up on the sport. Plenty of people still bowl, just on their own terms. According to the association, bowling is the top participatory sport in the country and the world, and 70 million Americans bowl at least once a year.
The entrance of so-called “boutique” bowling centers like Kings and Splitsville has created a new culture of bowling. Whereas in the past, lanes would get booked solid by bowling leagues, today they are just as likely to be booked for birthday celebrations, bachelorette parties, and corporate events. People tend to bowl just for fun.
“Bowling is less about leagues than it’s ever been,” said Mark Gibson, one of Splitsville’s business partners. The public favors “more social bowling than league play.”
Kings and Splitsville are designed more like nightclubs, with hip, retro-chic decor inspired by bowling’s glory days of the 1950s and ’60s (think neon starbursts, boomerang shapes, kitschy geometric patterns) paired with high-definition TVs, full-service restaurants, and fully stocked bars that serve fancy cocktails.
Kings Bowl first introduced the concept of upscale bowling to Boston’s Back Bay in 2003, and has expanded to Legacy Place in Dedham and MarketStreet Lynnfield, as well as out of state.
The biggest Kings yet — a 30,000-square-foot building at 510 Market St. in Burlington — caught on fire April 13, just two weeks before it was scheduled to open. The fire caused so much damage that the building has to be demolished, but the company has promised that construction will start again soon on its replacement.
Meanwhile, Splitsville Luxury Lanes is getting ready to open at Patriot Place in Foxborough this summer. Since opening in Tampa in 2003, Splitsville has added multiple locations in Florida, as well as in Virginia and Texas.
Splitsville’s website offers catchy slogans like “Dine, dance, drink, bowl,” and “This ain’t your grandaddy’s bowling alley.”
The one at Patriot Place is expected to have 12 tenpin lanes, indoor and outdoor seating, live entertainment, an extensive menu, and a full bar that serves apple martinis, frozen daiquiris, and other concoctions.
The newer “boutique” bowling alleys seem to have it all. But one thing they lack is candlepin lanes.
Ralph Semb, 73, president of the International Candlepin Bowling Association, said he wishes that were not so, but he is happy nonetheless.
The growth of Splitsville and Kings shows “that bowling is alive. We’re excited,” Semb said.
“It’s great whether it’s tenpin or candlepin,” he said. Pausing a beat, he added, “Of course, I’d prefer candlepin.”
Candlepin bowling is unique to this region of the country and Maritime Canada. Invented in Worcester in the 1880s, the sport became a mainstay in New England, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. But for some reason, it never caught on anywhere else.
To devotees like Ed Gangi, the difference between candlepin and tenpin is huge.
“It’s two different sports,” said Gangi, president of the Massachusetts Bowling Association, which promotes his favorite form of the game. “Candlepin is a lot harder.”
Seventy-four years after his grandfather opened the Woburn Bowladrome, the 40-lane candlepin alley is still going strong, Gangi says.
In an effort to meet the needs of today’s customers, Gangi has shortened his league seasons — once upon a time, bowling seasons stretched for 32 to 36 weeks; now they are as short as 14 weeks — so they do not interfere with people’s other activities, such as golfing.
He also secured a beer and wine license, so now bowlers can buy bottles of Budweiser, Sam Adams, and Coors Light at the snack bar.
The bowling business “always seems steady, in a good economy or bad economy, because it’s affordable,” Gangi said. “It’s still a fun sport for everybody.”
Needham Bowlaway, an eight-lane candlepin center built in 1917, has a mutually rewarding relationship with the nearest Kings.
Owner Zach Sundberg said he does not view them as competition.
When people who want to play tenpins or drink alcohol show up at the Bowlaway, Sundberg sends them to the Kings in Dedham; and when Kings goes 21-plus after 6 p.m., they send young bowlers his way, he said.
“We are completely family-oriented and we always will be,” said Sundberg.
Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @emilysweeney.