Tri-State Speedway
We are always very excited to find a hidden gem in a small town in Massachusetts and did just that this weekend when we visited Tri-State Speedway in Dudley, MA. For those wondering, Dudley is south of Worcester, right on the Connecticut border. In an unassuming old warehouse, Tri-State Speedway offers a multitude of indoor activities including go-kart racing, mini golf, billiards, video games, Bowlingo, and many more.
Tri-State is split between two floors and is currently expanding to include some outdoor activities. The second floor of the building is where the 10-turn speedway is located. You must be 54 inches tall to drive the go-karts or 42 inches to ride as a passenger. An annual license must be purchased for $10 (good for the year), and each ride is $8.00 for kids under 12, $12.00 for adults, and $14.00 for a double seater. If your kids are into go-karts, we recommend taking advantage of their weekly specials, which give you unlimited racing for certain time periods (for example, Wednesday from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm for $30.00). In addition to the racing, the upstairs has a snack bar, a birthday party room, and a small arcade room.
Downstairs, which just opened in 2008, has a lot more variety of activities. This floor has its own birthday party room and is where you will find ‘The Islands Mini Golf,’ an 18-hole indoor golf course that is in perfect condition – no worn-out carpet here. The holes are not as long as some outdoor courses and don’t have the same diversity in hole layout and hazards, but it’s a fantastic indoor mini golf course and a great part of a day at Tri-State. Mini golf costs $6.00 per person with kids under 2 playing for free.
For the younger kids who don’t meet the 54 inch height requirement upstairs, a Kiddie Karts area for kids aged 4-8 or 36 to 48 inches is available. At $5.00 for five minutes, we weren’t sure this was worth it, but it’s hard to stop a dedicated race fan sometimes. There is also a train for the younger kids to ride on in this area.
If you haven’t seen Bowlingo, it’s an interactive, electronic four-lane, scaled-down bowling alley – the lanes are shorter and narrower than traditional lanes, but fully automated. The balls are a little larger than candlepin balls, and you have 10 minutes to throw 10 frames. This is a fun version of bowling that costs $2.00 per string.
The arcade, which is scattered throughout the entire facility, has a good variety of games, some of which reward you with tickets to be redeemed for toys and candy. Classics like Skee Ball and air hockey are available, as well as at least three different dance games and numerous shooting games. Tokens are used for all the games, and as usual, take a walk around before buying your tokens to gauge how many you will need. The games vary from one to four tokens per player. Three billiards tables are also available in the main arcade area. This is obviously focused more towards older kids and adults.
From the outside, Tri-State Speedway looks like a warehouse, but once inside it’s full of action-packed fun that would keep a family busy for several hours. We recommend doing some planning for your trip as buying everything a la carte will be expensive. The management at Tri-State seems to be constantly putting together new packages. They are also expanding soon by adding a bungee run, a trampoline apparatus, and a kiddie swing ride, as well as a bar for adult entertainment.
Mom Says: This is not a place to take a group of toddlers, but if you have one or two you can find something for them to do. Older kids would have a blast on their own or as a family outing. This would be a great birthday party place for tweens.
Dad Says: I have been to Dudley before and know it is a small town, so wasn’t expecting much, but boy was I wrong. Now that I have my license, I plan to go back for some more Go Kart racing for sure! Oh yeah, the kids love this place too!
Tri-State Speedway
35 Chase Ave.
Dudley, MA 01571
(508) 671-9030
Website: www.tristatespeedways.com
What did you do this weekend?