big 20 bowling center

Have been several times with the entire family and also with my charges as a nanny. Always a terrific time...lots if laughter and best if all...wonderful exercise, without feeling like you are working out. My family goes often as we have a competition in play for the last 3 years. Of course, my sons want to keep going as me the mom, wife, grandmother, and sister is and has been the current leader! It is definitely a friendly family competition. Within the last year, Big 20 has completely redone their parking lot...it's large and readily accessible. Staff are helpful and friendly. ..Restrooms are clean. Prices are very reasonable. So great to have a candlepin bowling alley so close to home. ..they are few and far between these days.

Balls and lanes were in good condition. Well lit. I liked the seating arrangement - 6 seats for your group plus a row with a table behind it where you can put your food and drink. Had the combo plate of popcorn chicken, mozzarella sticks, fries, onion rings. Couldn't finish it all between 2 people but it was good. Not much chicken to the popcorn chicken. Woman who took our order and dropped it off was very friendly.

We absolutely loved the fun we had at this place trying to learn how to candlestick bowl. Coming from Houston we had never experienced this form of bowling. Big 20 has a great atmosphere and great service. We plan to go again while we are here and give the food a try along with trying to knock down all 10 pins with one roll.

Bowling (in general) probably isn't as big as it once was - which is why it's great to try candlepin bowling. The balls are smaller, the pins are smaller, everything is smaller. Even the crowds - at least when we were there. We were actually the only people in the place. In fact, finding an employee to help us get our game on was a bit of a challenge. But sure enough, he was there - he just didn't really seem to want to be anywhere near the place. Or perhaps he didn't want to be near us. Whatever.Once we managed to secure a game, we picked it up easily enough - you are, after all, simply rolling a ball down an alley and trying to hit pins. Scoring is close to what you do in "standard" bowling. The bad part is that the scoring is manual, rather than the automated variety most of us are used to. It's done on a computer-like terminal, rather than the old scorecards, but it's still manually entered, so figuring out just how many pins you knocked down can be a challenge at a distance.Perhaps the best part is those balls - they are small enough that you can hold them in the palm of your hand. Good thing, since there aren't any holes in them. Well worth a stop if you're in the area.

Great staff, friendly people and wonderful fun for the whole family!Rainy days are the best in summer

This place is great! It's a vintage bowling alley with a vintage feel, but still in great shape and tons of fun! We make it a point to visit every summer while on vacation to Higgins Beach.

I like bowling here. I bowled in a TV roll off here about 10 years ago. It's one of the few places around that doesn't use a bunch of silicone or grease on the pindecks. One of the candlepin bowling alleys around where it's still candlepin bowling as it was meant to be.

A unique bowling experience that you don't get to have every day. Candlestick bowling and a different kind of keeping score. If you love bowling this is a must try. Staff was very helpful and friendly and the rules were posted on each score table to help you along..

besides the few people smoking outside we had a great experience here. We went in and the man at the desk was very friendly and helped us get set up and made sure we understood everything. There was even a little place to get food. There was a league on one side and there were families with small kids on the otherside, everyone was very nice

Staff was pretty friendly, we had no problem getting a lane. The facility is a bit dated, but they have done a good job updating it with current technology for scorekeeping and events.

fun time had by all, it was a real crappy day rainy so what else was there to do with the family but to go bowling nice place.

Had my son's 8th birthday party here with his friends. Great service for us and lots of fun for him and his friends. We had a bumper lane which makes it more fun for the kids. We have also bowled here with family and would recommend it for any rainy day if you're in the area. Good inexpensive family fun.

Not much has changed here since it was built in the 1950s, but that's ok. If you're a New Englander who has never (horror of horrors) gone candlepin bowling or you're on vacation in the greater Portland area, I don't think you can consider your Maine experience complete without visiting the Big 20. Candlepin bowling requires a different set of skills than "big ball" bowling. The pins are taller and the balls are smaller, making it more difficult to knock down a lot of pins and really easy to knock down just one or two. Candlepin is unique to New England (and some parts of Maryland, I hear) and the Canadian Maritimes, but fewer and fewer of these lanes exist now. If you're in the area, Big 20 offers the perfect opportunity for you to have this quintessential New England experience.

The Big 20 bowling alley in Scarborough has 20 candlepin lanes all equipped with bumpers for the kids and has a fun filled time written all over it. Candlepin bowling is what most people call "The Little Balls." but is just as much fun as any time of bowling. As you walk in you can feel that 1960's feeling, as you look around be sure to notice all the original signs and posters from those years which gives it a nice historical feel. They always have music on during the day while you bowl and on Friday and Saturday evening they have rock and bowl where they turn the lights off, put on black lights and loud fun music. Your family is sure to have a "ball" at the Big 20.