Striking out on a new venture

CAPE CARTERET - The finishing touches on Carteret County's new family entertainment center are happening out of public view, but the doors should swing open soon to give everyone a look of their own.

The opening for Mac Daddy's, located at the Golphin' Dolphin complex in Cape Carteret, is now slated for late August. And if all goes as planned, it will be just in time for the last holiday weekend of the summer.

"We should be open Labor Day weekend," said general manager Connie Nolter.

While an anticipated opening in early summer didn't happen, Nolter said there hasn't been any one reason for the delay - just a desire to make the facility the very best it can be.

"It is state of the art, and it takes time to get all the technology in place. It takes a lot of research and making sure it's just right," she said, noting the building comes complete with a laser light show and high-tech sound system.

Electrical wiring now hangs from the ceiling where more than 60 video and other games will make up the largest arcade along the Crystal Coast, and bowling lanes polished to a high sheen await their first games.

There is work yet to be done but the bold, bright colors of the walls and carpets are just one sign of what visitors can expect when they come through the doors.

"We're all about the fun," Nolter said.

Mac Daddy's will feature 24 lanes of bowling, including a boutique bowling area set apart from the other lanes - but don't call it a bowling alley.

"We're a family entertainment center that offers bowling as one of its amenities," Holter noted.

In addition to the bowling lanes and arcade, Mac Daddy's includes a sports bar and grill, snack bar, billiard room with three tables, three rooms dedicated for parties and a conference/meeting room where work can also be fun.

Mac Daddy's, the creative vision of local developer Mac Holz, sits adjacent to existing Golfin' Dolphin facilities, which include 18 holes of miniature golf, a driving range, an outdoor go-cart track, bumper boats and batting cages.

Contact Carteret County reporter Jannette Pippin at jpippin@freedomenc.com or 252-808-2275. View www.jdnews.com to comment on this report.