Two new entertainment destinations bring the fun family to Tucson

This spring brought two new entertainment centers just in time for summer to Tucson: Bada Bing Bada Boom and Roadies.

When you hear the name “Bada Bing Bada Boom”, you could first think of “sopranos” or “The Godfather”. Elvia Sanchez, the owner of the new entertainment center in South Tucson, thought the same when she asked the children she takes care of to name her new business.

“They had a competition for the name of the place and found many names. One of them proposed” Bada Bing Bada Boom “, said Sanchez. She said that the children, who loved a cartoon character from the film Ice Age who repeated the sentence throughout the film, all agreed that the new establishment should be crowned Bada Bing Bada.

Before opening the entertainment center, Sanchez has led three local My Little Angels local day care centers for over 30 years.

“I told children that I was going to do something special for them, because many of them lived on the low income side of the city,” she said. “I discovered during outings on the ground that parents cannot afford to bring them to things that some of us hold for acquired, such as going to bowling or films.”

Now, her children from daycare in South Tucson will be able to enjoy the pleasure in his new center of family pleasure.

“This is phase one. Always to come is a water stamp for them, a battle of the group scene so that local groups compete and play, laser tag, a merry -go -round, stamp and more arcade games,” said Sanchez. “It will only be a large park.”

Bada Bing Bada Boom, located on South Fourth Avenue and 34th Street, currently offers a food area with items ranging from $ 7 to $ 18, an arcade still using real tokens at 25 cents each and a bar, a billiards and a dance area for adults.

The location presents a showcase of life-size characters, so that families can pose with the favorites of the Batman and Superman superheroes or characters of idiots such as the Simpsons or Despicable Minions.

Typical arcade food choices, such as pizzas, wings and hot dogs, can be found on the menu alongside certain articles with a touch of southern Tucson, including Sonoran dogs or Asada Carne pizza.

And with regard to arcade games, they are old school.

“I did everything retro. You can see Pac Man, Tetris, Centipede. You can see all these old games that parents have played,” said Sanchez. “So when parents play with their children and say they go back to their adolescence, it makes me happy.”

The location is the only one in the square city of South Tucson, and Sanchez said that she had collected a ton of support from city officials and residents. Sanchez celebrated the great opening of Bada Bad Bada Boom on May 2 by organizing a ribbon cup with the mayor, members of the municipal council, the municipal director and members of the community.

“I understand the difficulties that accompany a business here in South Tucson,” said South Tucson mayor Roxanna Valenzuela. “I had a hair salon here, and in 2009 during the recession, I felt so alone.”

Valenzuela said that she did not have many business people to fall back to get support and saw Sanchez crossing some of these same difficulties.

“I wanted her to know that as a woman, as a Latina, she had a safeguard,” said Valenzuela.

She said that the community was also enthusiastic about the new jobs and the pleasure that the location brings to the city.

Bada Bing Bada Boom, 2331 S. Fourth Ave., is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays; And from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. The location is closed on Tuesdays.

Call (520)622-9889 or visit in person for more information.

Going towards the arcade or the films and the bowling alley or the ax launch remain locally popular interior activities while time is starting to warm up. What was once a bed, a bath and beyond two years is now one of the last entertainment destinations in Tucson, bringing six different activities to one place.

Roadies, an extension of the Cinemas Roadhouse, based in Tucson, includes an arcade, bowling alley, a launch of ax, a laser label, “krazy darts” and miniature cinemas.

“Our location of Colorado Springs (Roadhouse) has a train project, which is a family entertainment center attached to it,” said Faith Oliver, Managing Director of Roadies. “When this space was opened (in Tucson), it was just an opportunity that arose and we adopted it.”

The location of 35,000 square feet is conveniently on the other side of the Roadhouse cinemas on Grant Road, having the film and the larger dinner three minutes on foot. For those who want a more intimate space, the same films playing in Roadhouse are in the miniature cinemas of Roadies, which adapt to around 10 to 15 people.

The bowling alley uses interactive technology called Spark increased reality bowling, adding “amazing visuals, immersive animations and customizable gameplay”, ” According to the website.

Darts and ax launch experiences also offer interactive target cards.

“Our bowling spark has a ton of different games and themes that you can add to your experience,” said Oliver. “There is a mode that I like there where you can play against someone and try to drop your person from the way.”

According to the website, Spark Bowling also offers popular additions to Angry Birds and Boombox to improve gameplay.

Andres Silva, a first boss of Roadies, said that he and his friends thought the interior looked unique.

“It’s a little different from many other city arch areas,” said Silva. “It looks really cool.”

He said Bowling’s experience was distinctive, even his bowling ball resembling an 8 ball. “I liked the creations on them, it was a really pleasant experience,” he said.

The entertainment center also offers a selection of food reflecting the Roadhouse menu, with a bar and a lounge area near a small scene for live music on Friday and Saturday evening.

“The kitchen makes all the food for both sides now,” said Oliver. “It’s always a kitchen.”

She said that burgers and pizzas tend to be the favorites, but the location also offers fried food, desserts and cinema popcorn buckets.

Prices tend to assess the average compared to other local locations offering similar activities. The ax throw tends to operate at around $ 20-25 for 80 minutes; Bowling tracks cost about $ 30 to $ 40 per hour; The laser tag costs around $ 9 to $ 10 per person per game; And Krazy Darts costs around $ 40 to $ 50 per hour. All prices vary depending on the day, time and size of the group.

Roadies, 4811 E. Grant Road Suite 131, is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Visit The website For more information.