Daily Update 4/11/10: Where to Mini-golf, play Paintball, and Laser Tag
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TODAY! The Harvard Crossword Tournament is for beginners as well as experts, come to the Harvard Science Center, which is on the Harvard Yard campus in Harvard Square, today from 1-4:30pm, in room C. It features Will Shortz, the New York Times crossword editor.
It’s not mini-golf season yet, but it’s coming up quickly. Unfortunately, land is so expensive near Boston that all the mini-golf courses are way outside the city. There’s just one that I can think of, and that’s Route 1 Golf & Baseball Park in Saugus. You see the orange dinosaur when you’re driving North on Rt 1; it’s on the left. I have personally been to Pirates Cove — it’s like a piratey theme park! — and they have ’em in South Yarmouth and Old Orchard Beach, ME. Crystal Caves in Auburn, MA is worth a mention, are as Monster Mini-Golf in Norwood, Seekonk, and Warwick, RI, which looks as if it might be indoors. Golf on the Village Green is in Natick, MA and find a whole bunch more here, and I’ll mention the Route 44 Recreation Center in Rehoboth, MA, because that’s where I grew up.
I haven’t played paintball in years, but
would love to go back. You have to get the anti-fog safety glasses for
it to be fun, I think. Again, the main places — which are basically
private forests — are way outside of Boston. They include: Boston
Paintball, which was in Somerville but moved to Everett, Ultimate
Paintball in Whitman, OSG Paintball in Center Barnstead, NH, and two places — Fox 4 Paintball and Friendly Fire in Upton, MA.
And just as violent, but less messy, are some local Laser Tag places. They’re all indoors, and brief, which isn’t as nice as spending all day in a forest, but they’re less expensive and come with rock music. I’ve been to and recommend LazerZone (Marlborough, Randoplh), and PiNZ Entertainment is in Milford, MA. Fun and Games in Framingham has Laser Tag too, as do a number of attractions that are not primarily about Laser Tag but are larger amusement parks, so I will discuss them separately. Finally, I highly recommend Patrol at MIT, which is every Saturday from 8-11pm in building 36 at MIT in Cambridge, MA. They use toy rubber dart guns to storm the corridors and take territory. I’ve done it many times and it’s always amazing, not just because it’s so visceral (no lasers needed) but because it’s happening on a respectable college campus. It’s also free and easy to get to on the subway, unlike all the other places.
I’m doing my best here to bring you good content. Please take 30 seconds and vote again. As always, the full Johnny’s List of Weird Boston Events is at www.WeirdBostonEvents.org. I’ll give up blogging daily and go back to weekly around May 1st. Thanks!