On a lovely sunny summer’s day, there’s no end of fun things to be doing outdoors in Bournemouth. But what (and this is England we’re talking about) if it rains? Or when your day at the beach is over and you’re looking for some evening entertainment? How about some indoor crazy golf, a visit to the cinema or maybe some axe throwing at BH2 Leisure; an entertainment complex in the heart of Bournemouth.
How to get to BH2 Leisure
BH2 Leisure backs onto the Lower Gardens, just a 5 minute walk from either Bournemouth Beach or Bournemouth Square. Most Bournemouth buses stop at Bournemouth Square, a couple of minutes walk away from BH2 along Gervis Place.
Parking
The complex has its own Car Park in the basement. Parking costs £1.50 for an hour. Further details can be found here. Alternatively, Eden Glen Car Park is just across the road. Here, parking costs slightly more at £2 for an hour. Further details here.
Opening Times
The complex is open daily from 7.30 am (8 am on Saturday, 9.30 am on Sunday) until very late – at least 12.30 am, even later at weekends. But it’s worth checking with the venue as opening times may vary between venues within the complex.
Entertainment
There are a number of entertainment options at BH2 Leisure:
- Boom Battle Bar
- Escape Hunt
- Mulligan’s
- Odeon Cinema
1. Boom Battle Bar
Boom Battle Bar is a bar, where you can take spending an evening of drinking and dining with friends to a whole new level, with a selection of fun games to keep you amused for hours. As well as the usual food, drink and music you’d expect in a bar, you can challenge your friends to the following:
- American Pool
- Augmented Reality Darts
- Axe Throwing
- Beer/Prosecco Pong
- Ping Pong
- Shuffleboard
- Shuffleboard Bounce
- Karaoke Booth
Opening Times
Boom Battle Bar is open daily from 12 pm (11 am on Saturdays) until late – at least 11 pm, even later at weekends.
Prices
There are a total of eight activities on offer, each priced individually so you can ‘build your own battle‘:
- American Pool: From £10 per table (for 2-4 people)
- Axe Throwing: From £35 per lane (for 2-10 people)
- Augmented Reality Darts: From £40 per lane (for 2-8 people)
- Beer/Prosecco Pong: £30 per table (for 2-6 people)
- Ping Pong: From £10 per table (2-4 people)
- Shuffleboard: From £15 per table (for 2-6 people)
- Shuffleboard Bounce: From £15 per table (for 2-8 people)
- Karaoke: From £6 per person (for 1-10 people)
Axe Throwing
We were invited by Boom Battle Bar to sample some of their activities, starting with some Axe Throwing. Once we had signed the relevant disclaimer, we joined our host in the axe throwing cage for an hour of competitive fun.
Similar to a traditional game of darts, you take it in turn to throw three axes, scoring more points the nearer to the bull’s eye you manage to hit. Some of us were better than others! But it was great fun regardless, and the hour long session seemed to be over in a flash. Once our time was up, we finished off with a group photo Charlie’s Angels style. (I’m not sure Karen has ever watched Charlies Angels?)
Note: You are not permitted to throw axes if you have been drinking, so if you’re heading to Boom Battle Bar for a boozy night out, put axe throwing first on your itinerary.
Shuffleboard
We rounded our evening off with a game of Shuffleboard. I was unfamiliar with shuffleboard, but have watched curling on TV during the Winter Olympics, and it’s pretty much the same. In miniature. With no one skating in front of the puck with a sweeping brush!
You compete in pairs to try to get your puck between the scoring lines at the end of the table, without overshooting. Or you can play dirty and attempt to knock your opponent’s scoring puck off the table…
A new addition is Shuffleboard Bounce, where you can bounce the puck off the rear wall and back into the scoring zone.
Augmented Reality Darts
Augmented Reality Darts is darts brought right up to date with immersive technology. Which is great if you don’t like counting…
American Pool
No augmentation here, just good old fashioned American Pool tables.
Beer Pong
If you didn’t have a misspent youth, then Beer Pong involves endeavouring to throw ping pong balls into cups, with beer forfeits for your opponent if you are successful. Here, the game has been brought right up to date with digital beer pong tables. Prosecco Pong is another option.
Ping Pong
Or Table Tennis as the British usually call it. Unless you’re Boris Johnson, then it’s whiff-whaff.
Karaoke
Why not round your evening off with a session in the private Karaoke booth? Obviously, you could partake in karaoke at any time during your visit, but personally, I would have to be very, very drunk to sing in public!
Food & Drink
There is a bar with a very extensive list of reasonably priced drinks. We played early evening during Happy Hour (between 4 pm and 7 pm from Monday to Thursday) when cocktails were 2 for the price of 1.
Snacks are also available; burgers, wings, nachos, loaded fries and various street food options. We went with the jackfruit nachos, which were really tasty, but sadly no longer on the menu.
We spent a thoroughly enjoyable few hours at the Boom Battle Bar, playing, eating and drinking. I thoroughly recommend it as a night out.
2. Escape Hunt
Escape Hunt offers six different immersive Escape Rooms:
- Journey to Atlantis
- Alice in Puzzleland
- Blackbeard’s Treasure
- Aladdin and the Magic Vault
- Curse of the Pharaoh
- Escape the Wild West
We opted for Escape the Wild West. In this ‘lock & key’ style escape room, you must work through the clues and challenges in a series of rooms, collecting as much gold and coal as possible along the way. Then, you can use the coal to fire up the locomotive at the end to escape with the gold. We enjoyed this room, although it was quite challenging and we escaped with just a minute to spare. Yeehaw! There are plenty of props in the foyer for that post escape selfie.
Games are suitable for 2-6 players and cost £24 to £33 per adult (concessions available), depending on the number of players. A game lasts 60 minutes.
City Hunt
There are also two City Hunt games, which involve solving clues on a trail (approximately 2 km) around Bournemouth:
- Return to Wonderland
- Time Cops
Games are suitable for 2-6 players and cost £15 per person (under 8s free). A game lasts 90 minutes.
3. Mulligan’s
Mulligan’s is an entertainment centre focusing on an 18 hole indoor crazy golf course. Their full entertainment offering is:
- Crazy Golf
- Electro Darts
- Pool
- Ping Pong
- Shuffleboard
Crazy Golf
The main draw here is the the Crazy Golf. The course consists of 9 regular holes, followed by 9 ‘Apocalyptic’ holes. It’s great fun, particularly the second part. The bar is conveniently placed in between the two parts, although there are places to put drinks at each hole. Food is also available; pizzas, hot dogs, nachos, chicken and dirty fries.
There are plenty of props for a fun photo op as you make your way around the course.
A round of crazy golf generally costs £12 per adult, although a range of packages and special offers are available.
4. Odeon Cinema
The Odeon is a ten screen cinema with a range of seating and viewing options.
The cinema also serves food and drink and has its own Costa for all your refreshment needs.
Food & Drink
There is a wide range of food and drink options available within the BH2 Leisure complex. Here, you can find the following bars and restaurants:
- Ask Italian
- Brewdog
- Five Guys
- Fridays
- Miller & Carter
- Nando’s
- Pizza Express
- Prezzo
- Shark Tail Sushi
- Slim Chickens
- TGI Fridays
- The Real Greek
- Yogoo!
BH2 Leisure for Children
All entertainment venues have something to offer for children as detailed below. All the restaurants offer a children’s menu.
boom battle bar
Most games are suitable for children aged 11 plus, with the exception of Axe Throwing, which is only for adults. (Obviously, Beer Pong would be with a soft drink option).
Children are welcome in the Boom Battle Bar during the afternoon, but the following age restriction apply in the evening. They are a 12 and over venue after 7 pm and an 18 and over venue after 9 pm. The bar is a popular place for hen and stag parties and the atmosphere is very much of a bar – I personally wouldn’t bring children here.
Escape Hunt
In theory all the escape rooms are suitable for aged 8 and over, although some games may be more suitable for children than others. Adults must accompany under 16s in the room.
The City Hunt games are suitable for all ages. Under 8s are free with two paying adults.
Mulligan’s
There are no age restrictions for playing crazy golf, although Mr Mulligan’s is a strictly 18 and over venue after 8.45 pm.
Odeon Cinema
The Odeon offers Odeon (Kids) sessions on Saturday and Sunday mornings showing children’s films. Adults paying children’s ticket prices i.e. £2.75 per person.
They also have a special crèche screen, which features a play area at the front for children, providing a more relaxed setting where children can move around. Odeon (Newbies) screenings are on Tuesday mornings and are aimed at children under 2. The sessions feature lower sound and brighter auditorium lights. And parents don’t need to worry if their baby cries or their toddler starts wandering around, because everyone has brought a baby/toddler. Note: Although the films at Odeon (Newbies) are family friendly, they are aimed at the adults, rather than the children.
Food & Drink
All of the restaurants in BH2 Leisure offer a children’s menu, with the exception of Shark Tail Sushi. Some also offer kids eat free deals, particularly during school holidays.
- Updated: May 2025
I hope you found this information useful. For more inspiration on things to do in and around Bournemouth, check out my 101 Things to do in Bournemouth here.
For more inspiration on things to do in and around Bournemouth with young children, check out my 101 Things to do in Bournemouth with Babies and Toddlers here.
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