‘They were in a hurry’: TikTok users blown away by abandoned bowling alley with lanes still set up for players who will never arrive
An urban explorer has found an abandoned bowling alley that appears to have been ditched in a hurry – with the pins still set up ready for play – leaving TikTok users mesmerised.
Gabby, 24, from the US, found out about the property via a fellow explorer and decided to visit it with her boyfriend, Sonny, also 24.
While she has chosen not to disclose the location, they entered the property connected to an old theatre that has been out of use for decades.
In the theatre they found the original upholstery on the chairs and old popcorn bags scattered across the floor.
Above the bowling alley – which was decorated in an under-the-sea theme – they found the ceiling partially collapsed and the area decaying.
Despite the debris, Gabby was amazed to find the bowling alley set up and ready for games, with the pins arranged near the bowls, just waiting for new players.
“The bowling alley was not vandalized but had a fair amount of natural decay,” Gabby told Jam Press.
“There was a lot of dust and debris covering the ground and the wood that made up the bowling lanes was very water damaged and risky to walk on.
“There were lots of spiderwebs and bugs on every surface and the ceiling had partially collapsed, with the only thing keeping it from completely falling to the ground was a long plank of wood holding it up.
“But in my opinion this decay made the location feel much more magical and unique, almost like I was stepping into a post-apocalyptic world.
“Many of the pins and bowling balls had been left behind, but they were quite unique compared to typical bowling alleys as this location specifically had candlepin bowling.
“This is a variation of the traditional sport where the bowling ball is a smaller, handheld size and the pins are more narrow and resemble candles.
“Additionally, all of the bowling shoes had been left on the shelves, still labelled and categorized by size. We even found smaller children’s shoes.
“I was really excited while looking around this location as I hadn’t been to too many abandoned bowling alleys before this and it was also cool to see a more unique style of candlepin bowling here, as I didn’t know that form of the sport existed.
“I also enjoyed the general decor and style that the bowling alley had, as it was an under the sea theme.
“Each wall on either side of the lanes was painted with reefs, fish and they even incorporated the bowling pins into the murals.
“What we didn’t know about the location initially was that it actually had more than a bowling alley inside, and we discovered this because the roof of the bowling alley had actually partially collapsed.
“When Sonny and I looked up, we realized that above the bowling alley was a historic older theatre that had been out of use for decades.
“When we went upstairs to check it out, we saw that all of the chairs had the original dated upholstery and there were even old popcorn bags scattered on the ground.
“That is something that I love so much about exploring these places, as you so often never know what you are going to come across.
“It was amazing to see something so dated from decades ago and to imagine what the people who attended this theatre were like and what their memories of the place once were.”
Gabby shared a clip of the explore on TikTok, where the post racked up nearly 30,000 likes and was viewed 315,000 times.
One person commented: “Am I the only one that gets sad looking at these it’s so sad to just see it all left behind.”
“Imagine that place in it’s full glory. Must have a lot of stories to tell,” another user said.
Someone else added: “Just imagine all the stories there all the memories and all the laughes that place held over the years.” [sic]
“Themed bowling alleys are always ELITE,” said another follower.
Another person agreed: “This is so cool.”
“HOW DO U GO THERE ALONE?” another user asked.
Someone else commented: “Looks like they were in a hurry kinda.” [sic]
“These places feel like something out of Fallout; the way it’s just frozen in time,” said another follower.
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