For the most part, recreational destinations offer only a single activity for guests to do. Humdingers in Paramus, however, offers a plethora of activities, including batting cages, futuristic bowling, arcade games, virtual reality (VR) rides, and more.
I discovered Humdingers on a Thursday night a few weeks ago, when my brother, my wife and our cousin wanted to go bowling. We were disappointed when our usual bowling spot informed us that their lanes were completely booked. So, we did what seemed like the only sensible thing left to do: We Googled “bowling places near me.” To our delight, there was a result nearby for bowling at a place called Humdingers. We decided to give it a try.
The entrance to Humdingers is deceiving, with a facade that makes it look like a small store, but once we entered, we realized that it went deeper and was much larger than expected. We headed towards the front desk where we requested a vacant bowling lane. They told us that the lanes were all booked for the next 30 minutes, but we could enjoy the other amenities until a lane freed up. We purchased a Humdingers play-card that kept track of our tokens and tickets; we were excited to try out the wide variety of activities offered.
My brother and I decided to head for the batting cages first. There we saw 12 lanes, nine with baseball pitching machines and three with softball pitching machines. Each lane had a different pitching speed ranging from 35-78mph. Outside the cages, there were helmets and bats of different sizes, weights and colors. I chose a pink helmet that fit well and a red metal bat.
I stepped inside the cage and got into position. My brother swiped the Humdingers card, spending $2.50 worth of tokens. For the next few minutes, I had fun swinging at about 10 pitches thrown at me, hitting mostly ground balls. My brother went next, hitting the ball much harder, causing the ball to soar. Seeing how powerfully he hit, I was reminded of why he had made the softball team at TABC, while I was cut.
Next, we headed to the arcade, where we played some games. There was a choice of dozens of arcade games, and even a prize stand for ticket redemption. We played “Basketball Connect 4,” where each time you scored the basketball in one of seven hoops, it dropped a virtual token in the hoop’s respective column on a virtual Connect 4 board. What appeared simple was more than challenging, especially when you would aim for one hoop, and it would bounce off, going into another hoop and messing up your game strategy.
We then did a VR roller coaster called “Virtual Rabbids.” The ride had two seats with a VR headset dangling in front for us to wear. Adding to the realism was a lap bar in front for us to hold. We put on our headsets and were prompted by the screen to pick one from about 10 roller-coaster track options. I selected an alpine winter track.
The machine simulated a real roller coaster experience. Our seats tilted down for drops, shaking us left or right on sharp turns, and a fan in front of our seat made us feel as though the cold alpine air was actually blowing on us. The VR graphics were impressive: I especially enjoyed turning my head backward to encounter the full 360° view that the VR program offered. As we rode, a monitor showed onlookers the video that we were seeing in the VR headset, offering them our exact views. There was even a second VR game with King Kong, which we didn’t have the opportunity to experience.
After the ride, the front-desk person informed us that it was our time to bowl. I was expecting a regular bowling game, but Humdingers takes bowling to the next level. The lanes at Humdingers are not your typical lanes; instead, graphics are used, showing special video effects such as bowling pins dancing, shooting stars, disco lights, or displaying words like “gutter,” “strike” or “spare,” depending on your score. In order to accentuate the on-lane graphics, the main lights were dimmed. It felt as if we were simultaneously bowling in real life and through a video game.
Additionally, there were two giant TVs above the lanes, showing different live sports games. We ended up having the opportunity to bowl for only 30 minutes (one-and-a-half games) because the Humdingers Bowling League had previously reserved all of the lanes. Still, it was a great time; for me, it was easily the coolest bowling game of my life.
To cap off the evening, we attempted the laser maze. The maze basically required us to hit various buttons around the room while avoiding lasers that beamed throughout the room. In my attempts to avoid the lasers, I felt like François Toulour from the movie “Ocean’s Twelve” as he nimbly dodges the lasers during his heist. I wasn’t as successful and ended up losing by triggering one of the lasers, but my wife and cousin succeeded!
Recommendation:
I would rate Humdingers a 7 out of 10. Undoubtedly, its best feature was the wide variety of entertainment options that were offered. The bowling lanes, however, were physically thinner than the usual ones, detracting from my enjoyment. Additionally, as compared to going to a regular batting cage, arcade or bowling alley, Humdingers is more expensive. Yet the fact that so many activities are offered under one roof makes it a worthwhile trip. We had a great time and definitely hope to return soon, especially since Humdingers ends earlier than we expected, not giving us a chance to cash in our tickets. I will return—I want that stuffed teddy bear!
Price of Bowling: $35-$45 per lane per hour for up to six people, plus $5 shoe rental for each person.
Location: Paramus, New Jersey
Unique Feature: Bowling with special effects on the lanes.
Zachary Greenberg is a health and benefits consultant analyst at Mercer, as well as the TABC track coach. He is the founder of the hit Zoom talk show “Good Shtick! With Zack,” which can be found on his YouTube channel. Zachary recently watched the movies “12 Angry Men” (1957) and “Psycho” (1957) for the first time.
