City Cast Portland logo

Side Quest: You Can Play These Games

Posted on June 7
Ben McBee

Ben McBee

A retro style bowling alley with four lanes. Above the pins on each lane sits a retro Western painting in a golden frame.

Your journey to the PBA Tour starts now. (Punch Bowl Social)

Want to experience the thrill of competition for yourself? Just a few hundred feet from Pioneer Courthouse Square (and one story below ground), you’ll find Glowing Greens Indoor Mini Golf, the perfect place to challenge your friends to a round of putt-putt under the blacklights.

If neon pirates aren’t your thing, Wicked Axe Throwing is also on site, offering the chance to show off your hatchet-hucking skills. Or, if you seek a more cerebral sport, there’s also Mental Trap Escape Room, which has two puzzle experiences on offer — “Hotel: No Vacancy” and “The Fortune Teller.”

Around the corner, the fun hits another level at Punch Bowl Social, the sprawling amusement emporium on the third floor of Pioneer Place mall. With a massive bar and New American gastropub fare, it’s the ultimate playground for grown-ups (Fridays and Saturdays are 21+ from 10 p.m. to close). Test your mettle at ping pong, billiards, floor shuffleboard, giant Scrabble and Jenga, corn hole, interactive Dartsee boards, and four retro bowling lanes.

Can karaoke be competitive? We’ll leave that up to you, but Punch Bowl Social also has rooms to rent for groups up to six as well as open mic nights that are just calling for your best rendition of “Purple Rain.” Now, assemble your crew.

Share article

Hey Portland

Stay connected to City Cast Portland and get ready to join the local conversation.

Can't subscribe? Turn off your ad blocker and try again.

The Weekly Wander by City Cast Portland

See All
The Weekly Wander by City Cast PortlandOctober 25

Side Quest: A Bubbly Backstory

Which backstory of downtown Portland’s Benson bubblers do you choose to believe?

A four-armed drinking fountain pedestal, known in Portland as Benson Bubblers, squirts water. Yellow leaves cover the bricks and some leaves have even landed in the bowls of the bubbler.
The Weekly Wander by City Cast PortlandOctober 22

Your Guide to Downtown Portland

Last caw! Don’t miss out on “Follow the Crows,” an interactive art trail in downtown Portland celebrating Laika’s upcoming film, “Wildwood.”

Downtown Portland’s skyline sparkles during blue hour. The perspective shows the view from Pittock Mansion, facing eastward.
The Weekly Wander by City Cast PortlandOctober 18

Side Quest: Drawing Nature into the City

Every award-winning park starts with a sketch. See the history behind one of Portland’s most famous green spaces.

Landscape design sketches from architect Lawrence Halprin show the vision for a tree-lined promenade in downtown Portland’s Open Space Sequence.
The Weekly Wander by City Cast PortlandOctober 18

Your Guide to Portland State University

There’s always something to do around the South Park Blocks, from the PSU Farmers Market to cultural celebrations like Catrinas en la Calle.

Two passengers walk onto the yellow and green Portland Streetcar beneath a leafy green canopy at the South Park Blocks stop on Portland State University’s campus.
The Weekly Wander by City Cast PortlandOctober 11

Side Quest: From Beyond the Grape

Frightful festivities from beyond the grapes await as Willamette Valley wineries host Halloween events. Throw on your costume and get rea...

Fog sits low among the fields and trees of Willamette Valley wine country. In the foreground, green grape plants show signs of fall as leaves begin to turn yellow.
The Weekly Wander by City Cast PortlandOctober 11

Your Guide to Tualatin

Don’t rock the gourd or you’ll miss Tualatin’s West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta when it returns Oct. 18. Join the fun and see what else t...

Two costumed people — one dressed as an aviator and the other in a squirrel suit — paddle their giant pumpkins toward the finish line at the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta in Tualatin. Crowds of people cheer them on in the background.
The Weekly Wander by City Cast PortlandOctober 4

Side Quest: A Smile That Can’t Be Bleat

Need a mood boost? Portland's goats deliver. Here's where to visit, feed, and hang out with the city's most charming herds, from St. John...

A black and white goat stands elevated on a stone and wood tower outside of the Sellwood Goat House in Portland, Oregon.
The Weekly Wander by City Cast PortlandSeptember 20

Side Quest: Go Big or Gourd Home

It’s almost pumpkin patch season on Sauvie Island, that time of year when caravans arrive in search of colorful squash to carve, and appl...

A pile of orange and green pumpkins at the entrance to The Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie Island. In the background, there’s a large red barn and farm store.

The latest in Portland

Local CivicsOctober 29

Your Guide To the Fall 2026 Election in Portland

We’re closing in on Election Day 2026, so here's your guide to the key races and how to vote in the Portland area.

hand putting ballot into mailbox
Food & DrinkOctober 5

The Best Fall Foods in Portland

A fall festival at Bauman's Farm apples at a Hood River orchard (Kiyokawa Family Orchards, ideally), and a Sauvie Island pumpkin patch (B...

A pulled pork sandwich, soup, and apple cider slushy at Sugarpine Drive-In.
Neighborhood GuidesOctober 4

Your Guide to Parkrose

Petting zoo, line dancing, and live music: Portland Fall Fest hits Rossi Farms on Oct. 4. Here’s how to make a day of it in Parkrose, plu...

A mural at 10721 NE Sandy Blvd. in Portland’s Parkrose neighborhood depicts farmers working in fields colored orange, red, and green. The blue-hued figures load yellow crates onto a blue truck.
Portland Life HacksOctober 2

Tips for a Better October 2026 in Portland

You know what’s coming: The next six months in Portland involve a lot of rain and colder weather, so let's get ready for it.

River with the steal bridge in the background, I-5 on the right side, downtown showing on right
Portland's BestOctober 1

What To Do in Portland in October 2026

Check out these classic October outings in Portland, including corn mazes, fall foliage viewing, and Halloween celebrations.

Tree leaves turning red.
Neighborhood GuidesSeptember 27

Your Guide to Kerns

When members of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral moved into the large church at the corner of Northeast Glisan Street and 32nd A...

A street view from the corner of Northeast Glisan Street and Northeast 28th Avenue of the Apambichao Building, a cream and white colored Victorian apartment building that sits above Pambiche, a Cuban restaurant painted a deep blue.
Food & DrinkSeptember 27

Take a Tour of Franz Bakery in Portland

There are some things you knead to dough (sorry, seasonal allergies are the worst) about Franz Bakery, a fifth-generation, family-owned b...

Loaves of Franz bread tumble off of a conveyor belt at Franz Bakery in Portland, Oregon.
Portland's BestSeptember 1

What To Do in Portland in September 2026

September brings migrating swifts, Comic Con, Geek Week, and the start of apple-picking season, with plenty of ways to enjoy Portland’s f...

church with a purple blue sky and birds in the air above a domed church with swifts