My name is Blake Pierce Howse, and I’m the owner of the website – The Virtual Reviewer – where I review various virtual reality experiences. My family and I recently visited the Main Event entertainment center in Austin, TX, and let me tell you, it was quite an adventure!
When we were planning our spring break vacation to visit some friends in Austin, I came across Main Event while searching for some fun local activities. It’s a huge family entertainment center with bowling, laser tag, arcades, mini golf, rock climbing, and more – right up our alley! The closest location to our friends was the one right off Highway 183.
Bowling Experience
When we first walked into the place, I was impressed by how massive it was. The bowling section itself spanned about half the venue, with over 50 lanes decked out in funky neon lights and blasting music. It felt like the kind of ultra high-tech modern bowling alley that’s trying extra hard to seem cool to attract families like mine.
We had to wait about 20 minutes for a lane to open up since we came at dinnertime on a Saturday night. In the meantime, the kids amused themselves playing arcade games while Patty and I shared some cheesy bacon fries and watched people attempt trick shots from the bowling alley bar. Not a bad way to kill some time!
Once we finally got to our lane, the kids were bouncing off the walls with excitement. We opted to take advantage of their “Disco Bowling” feature, which basically amounted to tacky dancing lights and music that I’m too old and uncoordinated to properly appreciate – but John and Jenette were eating it up!
The bowling itself was just okay. The balls and lanes seemed worn but usable. However, the bumpers on our lane were uneven, so the ball would always veer slightly to the left. We asked the staff about it, and they just shrugged and said that lane was having issues. No offer to switch us or anything.
Aside from the faulty bumpers putting a damper on things, we all had a blast bowling together as a family. The kids demolished Patty and me, which they proceeded to gloat about for the next 3 days. Little brats. I will say the bowling prices were reasonable and we got our money’s worth.
Overall bowling rating: 3 (out of 5)
Arcade & VR Experience
No trip to a family fun zone would be complete without testing their arcade and virtual reality offerings. Main Event boasted “cutting-edge VR technology,” so I was keen to be the judge of that.
The arcade section itself was massive with everything from classic skeeball to modern shoot-em-up games to giant claw machines. Most games cost between 50 cents to $1 per play, which I think is fairly standard.
Some of the shooting games were definitely rigged though. John must’ve sunk $10 trying to win a silly plushie but to no avail. I told him the claw strength on those things is intentionally weak to minimize prizes being awarded. Ah well, lesson learned, I suppose!
They had around 8 different virtual reality stations which were constantly occupied by enthusiastic kids. We waited about 20 minutes for an opening so John and Jenette could try this hyper-futuristic mech warrior VR game.
I watched them from outside the station, and honestly, the graphics were pretty underwhelming, and their movement tracking seemed glitchy. For all the hype and next-gen claims on Main Event’s website, the VR tech was not much better than my Oculus Quest 2 at home.
And at $6 for 5 minutes of playtime, it was terribly overpriced in my opinion. I feel they bank on parents not wanting to disappoint their kids once they’ve waited that long, so they reluctantly fork over the cash. Sneaky bastards!
The kids still had a blast with it, visions of grandeur untarnished. But as both an engineer and self-proclaimed VR expert, I was wholly unimpressed.
Arcade & VR rating: 2 (out of 5)
Other Attractions: Mini Golf, Rock Climbing, Laser Tag
Aside from bowling and arcades, Main Event boasted quite a few other family-friendly attractions.
We didn’t get a chance to try the laser tag since the wait was over an hour. The kids were bummed but perked right up when they saw the glow-in-the-dark mini golf course!
It was surprisingly challenging with obstacles, tunnels, moving parts, and neon artwork everywhere that made it tough to get a clean shot. But therein lies the fun! We had an absolute blast teasing each other over bad shots, silly poses, and unexpected hole-in-ones.
Another big hit was the rock climbing wall at the back of the facility – three stories high! It looked intimidating, but with encouragement from her dear papa, Jenette decided to face her fears and give it a try.
We had to gear up in stiff harnesses which took some adjusting to get comfortable. But up Jenette went, slowly making her way to the top while John and I spotted her from below.
I’ll admit, I was nervous the whole time watching my little girl scale that wall. But the pride I felt when she rang that bell at the top brought tears to my eyes. She was walking on air after her triumph!
They also had a little ropes/obstacle course suspended above the arcade section. It wasn’t anything crazy but offered some fun physical challenges as you made your way across. One section was just swings you had to jump between, which required coordination neither John nor I possess apparently!
Seeing my kids push their limits and grow in confidence makes these rides 100% worth the price. We’ll be talking about Jenette’s brave rock wall adventure for years. What a fun memory!
Other attractions rating: 5 (out of 5)
Food & Drinks
No family outing is complete without copious amounts of sugar and caffeine! Main Event had a huge dine-in area that transitioned into a sports bar-type setting at night. They served the typical greasy arcade fare like pizzas, burgers, wings, and such.
We sampled a bit of everything throughout the evening when we needed a quick break between activities. The best thing we tried was these loaded bacon & cheddar fries – sinfully delicious with creamy cheese, crispy bacon, sour cream, and chives. A nice salty, savory counter to the barrage of sugar the kids were ingesting!
Speaking of…the desserts looked incredible but ultimately tasted just OK. We made the mistake of letting the kids order the humongous s’mores brownie with extra ice cream, figuring it would serve all 4 of us. Yeah right! Those bottomless pits devoured the whole freaking thing in minutes. So much for saving us money by sharing.
In my genius, sugar-addled state, I decided we should obviously chase the brownie with root beer floats. Because more sugar was the right call! The floats hit the spot but were small for the price. By the time we paid for bowling games, VR sessions, and enough snacks to feed a small army, I had a bit of sticker shock on the final bill. Ouch.
John did try one of Main Event’s funky cocktails called a Skittle Bomb, which was…interesting. Sprite, grenadine, and three Skittles dropped in to melt at the bottom. He was buzzing after that mammoth sugar/caffeine combo!
All in all, Main Event’s food and drink selection covered the basics. Typical kid pleasers, done reasonably well, if not excellently. Just be aware that arcade venue pricing means you’re paying more for the convenience and the atmosphere than culinary quality.
Food & drink rating: 3 (out of 5)
Conclusion
Well, there you have it friends, a blow-by-blow review of Austin’s Main Event entertainment venue from this virtual reality nerd dad! It was quite a memorable whirlwind visit with my family.
I was pleasantly surprised by Main Event’s variety of activities, tech offerings, and focus on customer service. At the end of the day, Main Event Austin delivered exactly what I wanted – good old-fashioned family bonding and making memories that will make us smile for years. Watching my kids push their limits, encourage each other, work as a team, and have genuine, unplugged fun is truly priceless.
Despite minor quibbles here and there, our epic visit flew by because we were having such a blast together. We’ll definitely be back next time we visit Austin to recreate that magic.