Bowling is one of those activities that’s perfect for winter. It’s indoors, fun with friends, and a nice break after an exhausting stretch of school. If you want the classic bowling experience in Omaha, look no further than Mockingbird Lanes.  

Mockingbird Lanes is a place that can be described as the “archetypal bowling alley,” if there ever were one. It has everything that comes to mind when you imagine a bowling alley: a front desk shoe rental, cosmic night, pizza, weeknight leagues and lots of claw machines.  

This isn’t to say that Mockingbird Lanes is bad, just that it doesn’t do anything special. But there’s definitely an appeal in that, and you know what kind of experience to expect. Overall, it can be described in one word – classic. 

When I walked into Mockingbird Lanes on a Monday night, I expected it to be pretty much empty. However, the place was packed, and according to the staff, that’s not unusual because of leagues that come in regularly to bowl. Even though there was lots of people, a couple lanes (out of the total 31) were still open, so there was no waiting necessary. 

One thing I did immediately noticed about Mockingbird Lanes was how clean and well-lit everything was. It’s clear that Mockingbird Lanes puts in effort provides the classic, nostalgic feel of a bowling alley without falling into the trap of being dirty or extremely dated.  

As for prices, one game is set at five dollars per person, with a 25-cent increase on weekends. An additional $3.25 is charged if you need to rent shoes. I found these to be very fair, and cheap in comparison to some of Omaha’s other bowling alleys. 

Other than bowling, there’s a small arcade section with video games and claw machines. 

Mockingbird Lanes also has a dedicated dining room, but most customers that I saw just ordered to their lane. The food is very standard fare for a bowling alley. The menu mainly consists of pizza, fried food and pitchers of soda. It’s cheap, it’s quick and it fits the atmosphere, so there’s really not much to complain about. 

Overall, there’s not much that sets Mockingbird Lanes apart from its competitors. But, by relying in nostalgia it doesn’t have to be the most innovative or fancy establishment. Mockingbird Lanes does what it sets out to deliver: provide an experience that packages bowling consistently and well.