With colorful laser-light shows and music that permeates the space, Diversey River Bowl has the potential to transform into more of a concert venue than a bowling alley. And that’s entirely intentional. Groups of families and friends toss bowling balls down glowing blacklit lanes, erupting into rounds of high-fives after pins clatter to the floor. And to ensure kids' bowling balls connect with pins every time, the staff stuffs the gutters with bumpers and pillows and the balls with advanced GPS systems. These amenities are some of the reasons readers of Chicago magazine rated Diversey River Bowl the best bowling alley in Chicago in 2014.

In the onsite DRB's Pizzeria—which encompasses a dedicated seating area with flat-screen televisions, plush leather booths, and eye-catching exposed brick—a crowd gathers around the karaoke machine as the chords to “I Love Rock 'n' Roll” back up amateur vocals. Nearby, darts fly into an electronic dartboard, and a congratulatory ring sounds, as spectators indulge in pizza, pasta, and burgers—profiled on Chicago's Best.