Durango’s premier [indoor] family fun center

As we all know, Durango is an outdoor winter Wonderland. Whether skiing at Purgatory, taking a snowmobile tour near Silverton, riding the Polar Express, or enjoying the many festivities of Snowdown, there is always something to do outdoors around Durango. There is so much to do in the great outdoors that we sometimes forget we also have great indoor activities.

In fact, the premier family fun center in the Four Corners is just a short drive from Durango, past the airport. Adjacent to the spectacular Sky Ute Casino Resort, the Rolling Thunder Lanes is a 24-lane AMF bowling alley perfect for family fun, birthday parties, and much more. Recently, I visited the Rolling Thunder Lanes with my two teenage sons, and we were delighted to learn that it is far more than the Durango area’s best bowling alley.

Anyone who has visited the Rolling Thunder Lanes knows it is an impressive bowling alley that is maintained meticulously. An 18-hole mini golf course is available for all ages in the summer. Although we were there for the evening, my sons wanted to bowl immediately, so we got our lanes and shoes. Upon signing into the computerized scorekeeping system, it is evident that this is not your average bowling alley. As each player bowls, the lane tabulates individual scores on a screen above the lane. It all seemed par for the course to young bowlers who have known this technology their whole lives. But this scoring system is a modern wonder of science for old guys like me who can still recall being given a tiny pencil and a piece of paper to record the scoring. After my sons were sufficiently humiliated that their father was impressed by the technology they had known their whole lives, my job was complete, and it was time for dinner.

Patrons can purchase Rolling Thunder Grill food through the bowling alley or enjoy a sit-down dinner at the grill adjacent to the Sky Ute Casino gaming floor. During our visit, I could sample classic appetizers such as the onion ring tower, artichoke and spinach dip, and chicken quesadilla. These appetizers were so good that I could have been satisfied with nothing more. However, I was there to do a job and bravely continued eating.

The excellent main courses at the Rolling Thunder Grill include a variety of burgers (I sampled three and approve of each of them), homemade beef stew (highly recommend), ribeye steak (excellent), and grilled salmon (also excellent). Having sampled many others of these main courses, I can attest that they were all delicious. What made the main courses more impressive was that they were also reasonably priced. Nowadays, in which rising food prices seem out of control, it is nice to eat good food for a reasonable price. 

As I finished dinner, the teenagers said they wanted to return to the bowling alley. Only they didn’t intend to bowl. Instead, they bummed a bunch of quarters off dear old dad and headed off to the arcade. After finishing my dessert, a heavenly cheesecake, I hurried off to the arcade. I was delighted to return to a world where arcade games were controlled not by credits recorded on plastic cards but by teenagers depositing quarters into each machine. I was equally delighted to learn that the arcade games were reminiscent of an earlier time. For example, my boys played Jurassic Park (a two-person game), Big Bucks Safari, Guitar Hero (a two-player game), Dance Dance Revolution, Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift, and many more. 

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t address the elephant in the room. Adjacent to the family fun center is the premier Casino in the Four Corners: the Sky Ute Casino. So, if you are comfortable, as my wife and I are, leaving your responsible teenagers to bowl and play in the arcade, you can escape for an hour or two in the Casino, which offers exciting, Las Vegas–style gaming. It boasts hundreds of slot machines, five blackjack tables, one three-card poker table, a roulette wheel, and even a two-hundred-seat bingo hall.  

The Rolling Thunder Lanes is open Monday through Thursday, 1 p.m. until 9 p.m., and Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. The Rolling Thunder Grill is open Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. until 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, noon until 10 p.m. Sky Ute Casino is open 24/7.

by Phil Brown