Find feather bowling, darts, pinball at these Denver-area bars

Past the taps at Monolith Brewing on South Broadway, brewery-goers will find something unexpected: a custom-built feather bowling lane.

If you’re unfamiliar with the game, you’re not alone. Unlike bocce or cornhole, feather bowling is far more niche. Originating in Belgium, the game is played by rolling cheese-wheel-like balls toward a feather at the end of the lane, according to Stephen Monahan, owner and brewer at Monolith Brewing. It combines elements of curling, shuffleboard and bocce, he said.

To make the learning curve less intimidating, the simple rules are posted directly on the wall next to the custom-made lane, which was crafted by Denver-based furniture maker Fin Art. Monahan recently demonstrated, rolling his six wooden wheels down the lane — some landing impressively close to the feather, others strategically placed to block his opponent’s path. But his challenger’s wheel settled right next to the feather.

The idea to bring feather bowling to Monolith came after Monahan played the game at Pryes Brewing Company in Minneapolis during a craft brewers conference. Since then, it’s taken off at Monolith with curious rookies and serious competitors. It’s free to play, though the brewery now hosts feather bowling leagues, with teams of two facing off against one another.

As Denver’s eatertainment scene has exploded in recent years, a number of places offer food, beverages and games. Punch Bowl Social helped pioneer the trend here in Denver when it opened on South Broadway in 2012. The restaurant-fun zone is a spot where you can roll a few frames on the bowling lanes, test your aim with auto-scoring Dartsee darts, lean into nostalgia with pinball and Skee-Ball, and belt out some tunes in the private karaoke rooms.

In the Stapleton neighborhood, FlyteCo Tower — a brewery, bar, restaurant and entertainment hub that took over the former air traffic control tower of the defunct Stapleton Airport — is an entertainment zone with mini golf, ping pong, arcade games and bowling lanes. At OverFlyte, you can channel your inner lumberjack and try your hand at ax throwing or perfect your swing on a high-tech golf simulator.

Here are five more spots in and around the city where it’s game on.

Bocce at Rhein Haus

Location: 1415 Market St., Denver

Cost: Bocce is $5 per person per hour and is available on a walk-in basis only.

What’s the game plan? A pair of bocce courts anchor the first floor at Rhein Haus, a German-themed beer hall on Market Street. Bocce — an ancient Roman sport that evolved into a popular Italian lawn-bowling game — has rolled into breweries and bars, too. Played between two teams, the rules are simple: one player tosses a small target ball, the pallino, and teams take turns throwing larger balls toward it. The team closest to the pallino wins the point. At Rhein Haus, a tape measure settles the close calls.

What’s on the menu? Brats and beer are the power couple here, and the Bavarian comfort food also includes giant pretzels to dunk in cheddar fondue and spätzles. Share a giant pretzel with cheddar fondue.

Darts at Flight Club Denver

Location: 1959 16th Street Mall, Denver

Cost: Starts at $15 per person for 90 minutes of Social Darts

What’s the game plan? Barroom darts may be familiar territory, but Flight Club Denver elevates the pastime into a sleek, high-tech experience set in a space that feels like a British pub meets a Victorian fairground. Flight Club’s Social Darts offer seven game modes, perfect for multiplayer groups looking to mix things up beyond the classic format. Games like Killer challenge players to hit their assigned number on the board three times before targeting opponents’ numbers to knock them out. Best of all, no one has to keep score because the system automatically tracks everything for multiple players.

What’s on the menu? Elevated bar snacks like lobster elote and mini poke tacos, along with wings and flatbreads. Rotating selections of cotton candy deliver on the fairground vibe. Flight Club also serves weekend brunch with unlimited deals on flatbreads and mimosas.

Bocce-Golf at Lob

Location: 1755 Blake St., Denver

Cost: $18 for adults; $10 for children 10 and under

What’s the game plan? Lob reimagines bocce, borrowing from golf with nine distinct tracks, each with its own layout and challenges. Like chasing a hole-in-one, players aim to land their ball as close to the stake as possible. Points are awarded by zone, from 0 to 5; gutter balls subtract a point, while a ball that kisses the stake earns a perfect 10.

What’s on the menu? Burgers, sandwiches, tacos and some indulgent appetizers like the Texas Twinkie, which are jalapeños stuffed with cream cheese & our smoked brisket, wrapped in bacon and served with a side of our apple barbecue sauce and ranch.

Mini golf reinvented at Puttshack

Location:  2813 Blake St., Denver

Cost: $14 per player per course for adults and $9 for kids 12 and under; plus $25 per player all-you-can-putt deals for adults and $15 for kids 12 and under

What’s the game plan? This colorful RiNo-based indoor putting spot puts a playful twist on mini golf by layering in challenges that test more than just your putting skills. Expect curveballs like trivia prompts and moving targets, plus creatively themed holes, like one that sends balls up ramps and into giant red plastic cups and another that weaves in arcade basketball. Puttshack has four, nine-hole courses, with each taking about 30 minutes to complete. Each ball is equipped with proprietary Trackaball technology that automatically tracks your progress as you play.