Contributing Reporter

Ever find yourself longing to relive some of your favorite childhood activities? The venues where you spent hours with friends when you were a kid are still around; many are located within a few miles of Oakland University.

GameWorks is a two-story arcade, complete with a restaurant and bar. There is a wide variety of arcade games, ranging from racing to simulation and interactive video games of all kinds. It even has some of the classic games, like Pac Man and Galaga.

The main floor of GameWorks is where the restaurant and majority of the games are located. Located upstairs is a more quiet area with a bar and some pool tables.

“When I was younger I loved winning tickets to get prizes, but now I like to play racing games against my friends,” said junior Lindsay Kruszewski.

GameWorks even has a college night special on Tuesdays where it offers discounted game play. GameWorks is located in District 7 of Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills.

Main Street Billiards is another prime location to relax with friends and play some pool. There are 14 pool tables, and a variety of racing and arcade games. Food is available from 11 a.m. until 1 a.m., and the venue also features a full bar and dance floor.

 Main Street Billiards is located on the corner of 2nd and Main in downtown Rochester.

 Laser tag is another timeless game that’s fun for all ages.

“I like playing laser tag so I can compete against my friends,” said freshman Lance Gackstetter.

 With seven locations in Metro Detroit, Zap Zone is a great place to play laser tag with a group of people. Each location has enough equipment for up to 48 players. The arena uses black lights and has glow in the dark paint all over the walls, as well as all different kinds of levels and mazes to get lost in. And while you’re waiting for the game to begin, there’s an arcade available in the lobby.

“Zap Zone is great because the arena is big with plenty of great hiding places,” said Gackstetter.

Go-kart racing is usually thought of as a warm weather activity, but now you can race your friends year round. Race Rochester is an indoor go-kart race track located on East Tienken past Main.

“I loved racing go-karts when I was a kid because it gave me an opportunity to drive,” said freshman Kwaku Owusu.

For the experienced driver, Race Rochester offers leagues that meet once a week and give you the opportunity to meet new people and record your lap times. There also are classes available that teach new riders about the karts, how to drive and how to improve track times.

Even if you’re all grown up, you can still enjoy all the activities you did when you were a kid in a more age-appropriate atmosphere.