I live and work near various military facilities around the DC area. One thing that surprised me is that many of the facilities are open to the public with great places for ‘morale, welfare, and recreation’, even though they are geared for active and retired military, their families and guests. All you have to do is show an ID and let your vehicle be security inspected as you enter the gates.
For instance, Fort Belvior in VA has an archery range and outdoor club. I found out about it from a friend who is a competitive archer. Recently I was made aware of a bowling alley on Fort Myer in Arlington, VA.
The fees aren’t published for a lot of the facilities, but I’ve found they aren’t too bad. For a night of bowling at Fort Myer, it’s $3 bucks a game and $2 for a shoe rental. That’s $11 smackaroos for a full night. Compare that to a recent night of bowling at Bowl America in Burke for $20 for 3 games and shoes. The concessions at Fort Myer aren’t bad either. It’s $3 for a longneck Sam Adams or $7 for 6 ‘grenades’ in a bucket of ice. The burger was alright but I recommend dining before bowling. Like most other bowling alleys, Fort Myer also offers Cosmic Bowling with UV lights, glow in the dark balls and thumpy music. You can’t even compare to Lucky Strike in DC. Much as it’s cool to run into Michael Jordan bowling, I’d rather not pay out the nose for drinks while I’m bowling. (Or have a dress code to meet. eew.)
Check around and see what military facilities around you allow entertainment to the public. You might be able to find a good deal on family fun.
N.B. Per commenter, Tim, MWR facilities are meant for military personnel, so please check with your facility if they are open to the public. The particular facilities where I’ve been going don’t seem interested in my status. So be prepared to be turned away.
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Actually, MWR facilities are for the most part closed to the public (there are some things like golf courses open to the public or designated open to the public events like running races, etc). You are eligible to use MWR facilities if you are active duty Service Members, Reservists, the National Guard, retired Service Members, DoD civilian employees, their family members, visitors and guests, or assigned to or working within the Ft. Myer (or any other military facility) community. If you were able to access and use the facility, workers probably assumed you were a guest of an eligible member; however, they should have verified your eligibility. http://www.fmmcmwr.com/eligibility.htm. The way MWR programs/facilities are funded and subsidized and because they are intended for the MWR for the most part of the military personnel, I think it would be appropriate to consider editing this post. For example, some of the offset money is collected from within the military community which subsidizes the facilities/programs and which the general public does not contribute. Also, there is no tax charged, which is a military benefit that is counted as part of the military compensation. Public use of the facilities takes away from the intended purpose of supporting the military community. So, please consider changing this post.