Sun City AZ Activities: Bowling, Billiards and Craft Shops

Sun City AZ activities go well beyond golf. Sun City, Sun City West and Sun City Grand all have real hobby rooms: bowling centers, billiards rooms, woodshops, ceramics studios and lapidary shops. Each one sits in a specific rec center building, so the hobby you love can help you pick which community, and which streets, to shop.

See 55+ homes for sale Call Terry: 602-483-4665

I am Terry Day, REALTOR® with DeLex Realty. When buyers tell me they bowl in a league, turn bowls on a lathe or cut cabochons, my next question is which building holds that room. The three Sun Cities are separate communities with separate rec systems, and the shop you want is not always at the center closest to the house you like. This guide is about the rooms themselves. For how clubs are chartered and how many there are, read my Sun City clubs and activities guide.

Sun City: bowling lanes, woodworking and craft rooms

The Recreation Centers of Sun City (RCSC) run several rec centers across the original Sun City. Here is what I could confirm from Sun City Independent reporting:

• Bowling: RCSC runs two bowling centers, Bell Lanes and Lakeview Lanes, and has a Director of Bowling who coaches bowlers.
• Woodworking: The Fairway Woodworking Club, at 10600 W. Peoria Ave., is a nonprofit club with a shop that now includes a CNC machine.
• Jewelry and lapidary: The Fairway Sterling and Stones Club is in the Fairway Recreation Center, 10610 W. Peoria Ave. Members work in wire wrapping, lost wax casting, lapidary, enameling and glass fusion, with equipment for tumbling, cabbing, faceting and carving.
• Ceramics: The Bell Ceramics Club is at the Bell Recreation Center, 16820 N. 99th Ave.
• Crafts: Bell Crafts is a group of 20 individual craft clubs at the Bell Recreation Center, with classes that have included bead weaving, candle making, copper enameling, knitting and crocheting, macrame, miniatures and polymer clay.

Billiards is popular in Sun City too, but I could not open the RCSC pages this round to confirm which centers hold the pool rooms. Ask the rec center, or ask me, and I will find out before we tour.

Sun City West: the Sports Pavilion and the shops at R.H. Johnson and Kuentz

The Recreation Centers of Sun City West (RCSCW) put most of the indoor sports under one roof. The Sports Pavilion is on the R.H. Johnson Recreation Center campus, and RCSCW describes it this way:

• Bowling: a 30-lane bowling center, Johnson Lanes, with a pro shop.
• Billiards: a billiards room with 27 pool tables, a billiards table and a snooker table.
• Food: Lizard Acres Pub and the Pavilion Grill are in the same building.

The craft shops are spread over two centers:

• Woodshop: at the Kuentz Recreation Center, 14401 R.H. Johnson Blvd. The club stresses safe, proper use of power machines and hand tools, and completing its Orientation Program is a condition of membership.
• Ceramics West: meets at the R.H. Johnson Recreation Center, open weekdays and Saturday mornings.
• Johnson Lapidary Club: also at R.H. Johnson. The Sun City West Independent reports cutting, shaping and polishing equipment, six-wheel cabbing machines, plus dichroic glass, metal clay and faceting equipment. The club offers beginner and advanced classes.

If you are a serious bowler or pool player, the Sports Pavilion is a strong reason to look at Sun City West. For a side-by-side look at the three communities, see my Sun City vs Sun City West vs Sun City Grand comparison.

Sun City Grand: Village Center studios and the woodcrafters shop

Sun City Grand is in Surprise, and its association site now calls it The Grand. Its buildings and maps page lists these hobby spaces:

• Billiards: the Billiards Club in the Chaparral Center, 19781 N. Remington Drive.
• Art, clay and glass: Village Center club buildings on N. Remington Drive house the Art Club (Hedgehog Building), the Clay Arts Club (Golden Barrel Building) and the Glass Arts Club (Prickly Pear Building). A Photo Club is in the Saguaro Building.
• Sewing and needlework: the Grand Stitchers Club Studio in the Palm Center.
• Woodworking: the Grand Woodcrafters Shop, 15134 W. Mountain View Blvd.

The Grand's buildings page does not list a bowling center or a lapidary shop. If those are must-haves, Sun City and Sun City West are where I would start.

How rec cards work, in general terms

Each community issues its own card under its own rules. I do not quote fees on this page because they change; read the current cardholder or membership guide for the community you are buying into. A few general points:

• Three separate systems: a Sun City card, a Sun City West card and a Grand activity card are issued by three different organizations.
• Cards per home: at The Grand, the annual assessment provides up to two activity cards per household, and additional qualified occupants can get added cards. Members show their card to use the facilities.
• Guests: RCSCW has members buy guest passes, and guests get a wristband for each day. Guests come with the member on the first day, and visiting children are treated as guests signed in by a cardholder.
• Shop training: woodshops and similar rooms commonly require an orientation before you use the equipment, as the Sun City West woodshop does.
• Age rules: all three are age-restricted communities, and occupancy rules are set out in each community's CC&Rs and governing documents.

My tips for hobby-first buyers

1. Name the hobby first. I will focus the search on streets near the center that has that room.
2. Visit the shop or the lanes during open hours, not just the model home.
3. Ask the club whether you must join, and what orientation is required, before you use the equipment.
4. If family will visit and want to bowl or play pool, read the guest rules for that community.
5. If you also want a shop at home, ask Terry for the floor plan so we can check garage depth and workspace.

Still deciding between communities? Start with my Arizona 55+ living hub.

See 55+ homes for sale Call Terry: 602-483-4665

Questions buyers ask

Where can I bowl in the Sun Cities?
In Sun City, the Recreation Centers of Sun City run Bell Lanes and Lakeview Lanes. In Sun City West, Johnson Lanes is a 30-lane center inside the Sports Pavilion at the R.H. Johnson Recreation Center. The Grand's buildings and maps page does not list a bowling center. Check current hours with each rec center before you go.

Where are the woodshops?
Sun City West's woodshop is at the Kuentz Recreation Center. In Sun City, the Fairway Woodworking Club is on West Peoria Avenue. At The Grand, the Grand Woodcrafters Shop is on West Mountain View Boulevard. Expect an orientation or safety training before you use the power tools; the Sun City West club makes its orientation program a condition of membership.

Is there a lapidary shop for cutting and polishing stones?
Yes, in two of the three. In Sun City West, the Johnson Lapidary Club meets at the R.H. Johnson Recreation Center and has cabbing, faceting, dichroic glass and metal clay equipment. In Sun City, the Fairway Sterling and Stones Club at the Fairway Recreation Center has equipment for tumbling, cabbing, faceting and carving.

Can I use my Sun City rec card in Sun City West or The Grand?
Plan on three separate systems. Each community issues its own card under its own rules, so ask the rec center you are buying into what your card covers and how guest access works there.

Can Terry help me find a home near a specific rec center?
Yes. Tell me the hobby first and I will focus the search on homes near the center that has that room. Call me at 602-483-4665.