Searching for some off-campus fun? Look no further than our own town of Wallingford, which offers activities from movies to escape rooms.
Located at 970 North Colony Road, Holiday Cinemas Stadium 14 is showing newly released movies such as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Avatar: The Way of Water. Nighttime tickets are $10, while matinee pricing is $8. Teniola Obayomi ’25 visited the cinema with the Black Student Alliance to watch Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and noted, “They had unlimited drinks, and it was a nice atmosphere … we had a good experience.”
Down the road from the cinema is Bowlero Wallingford, a bowling alley at 980 North Colony Road. For under $20, a party of six can bowl and rent shoes for two hours. In addition to 40 bowling lanes, Bowlero also has private rooms, an arcade, an on-site pro shop, a sports bar, a lounge, and free Wi-Fi. To book lanes or host an event, simply book a reservation on the Bowlero website. “The facilities were very nice. The music was good. Their auto lights didn’t break when I was bowling … overall, a very nice place,” said Zach Starr ’24.
Just a seven-minute drive away from campus, the Toyota Oakdale Theater is at 95 South Turnpike Road. The multipurpose venue seats 4,803 and has a domed theater and an auditorium. Popular celebrities like Dua Lipa and Kevin Hart have performed at Oakdale Theater, which hosts a variety of performance types from dance to drama. Upcoming events include ABBA The Concert – ABBA Tribute on April 8 and a stand-up comedy show by Chelsea Handler on May 14. Tickets are still available on the Oakdale Theater website.
At Quandary Escape Rooms on 342 Quinnipiac Street, guests have 60 minutes to puzzle their way out of a private escape room. The two adventures currently offered are the “Son of Zodiac” murder mystery and “Operation Gambit.” Quandary requires at least two people for an escape room but recommends parties of four. Online reservations can be made for groups of up to eight, and prices are upwards of $30.
Right next to Quandary Escape Rooms is Rock Spot Climbing: Prime Climb at 340 Quinnipiac Street. This indoor climbing facility includes two sections for a combined 14,000 square feet of climbing: Mountain Fun, for beginner climbers and children’s birthday parties, and Prime Club, for regular climbers. Shoes, harnesses, belays, and other equipment are up for rent at the location. Membership is available, but students can purchase day passes for $29 and rent required climbing shoes and harnesses for $5 each.
Aspiring go-kart racers can head to On Track Karting to use gas-powered karts on a long and winding indoor track. Located at 984 North Colony Road, customers have eight minutes to complete as many laps around the track as possible. For $25 dollars, On Track Karting will provide an all-inclusive go-karting experience, including safety equipment and optional race suits. “They have a course that you go through and it times you and you play among your friends and it’s cool to see. They have all these televisions up so you can watch replays,” noted Alexa Scarlett ’24.
Life at Choate can sometimes feel confined to campus boundaries, but entertainment and enjoyable pastimes await in the town of Wallingford.
