July 14, 2020

The new indoor attractions at Thunder Road are weeks away from opening.

The 30,000-square-foot entertainment center and restaurant being added at 201 N. Kiwanis Ave. is entering the final stages of construction, according to general manager Ryan Friez.

“Our bowling is installed, most of the party room stuff is done … we have our ax throwing in, and we’re starting to build our bumper cars as well,” he said.

Staff trained on the bowling system last week. Hyper Bowling incorporates a video game element and eliminates gutter balls.

“When you see the lighting system above the bowling lanes and the mini bowling, it’s going to be awesome,” Friez said, adding that entire lanes can change color and a 44-foot-by-12-foot screen will allow for TV watching while playing.

“We’ve put in seating behind it so you can get served there as well, so we’ll have full service to the bowling alley or you can go in the restaurant where we’ve got four other screens.”

Thunder Road has hired a restaurant manager and is in the process of naming the restaurant, which likely will have a broader menu than originally planned, he said.

“We definitely do need people still. We’re looking to hire especially on the restaurant side … and we’re looking for people to be attendants and sports staff for the operation.”

The dome for the 7D theater – an immersive eight-person experience – is in, though staff still need to be cleared to travel in order to install it.

Arcade games will start installation in the next couple of weeks, including a mix of video and redemption-style games.

“We’ve got some cool new ones that are brand new,” Friez said, adding that more than half the games allow players to accumulate points toward prizes.

COVID-related delays also affected the two-story laser tag, but it’s expected to be ready by the time the center opens in early August.

“It’s looking like how I envisioned,” Friez said. “It’s impressive.”

The park itself got off to a slow start this season, “but people have become a lot more comfortable, and we’ve been shown strong support from the community,” he added.

The outdoor attractions have drawn visitors from as far as Omaha and part of Minnesota, where people chose to come to Sioux Falls instead of visiting the Twin Cities, he said.

“And they said the city is just nice and they saw Thunder Road and thought they’d check it out.”

An online reservation system will launch soon for the indoor attractions.

Thunder Road details attractions for new indoor entertainment center