The Rec Room

1 Comment / Entertainment, Restaurants/Bars/Cafes, St. John's & Surrounding Areas / By / May 18, 2021

My new favourite place to hang out with friends is The Rec Room St. John’s in the Avalon Mall. I love it for a number of reasons: they have loads of arcade games, they have other fun activities like bowling, axe throwing, and virtual reality, they have a nice restaurant, and they have a bar that serves drinks and delicious late night snacks. But my FAVOURITE part of The Rec Room is how very wheelchair accessible it is!

Before The Rec Room opened, it was not easy for me to go out and socialize with my friends. Most places they would go are downtown and in no way accessible due to stairs, cramped spaces, and washrooms that mobility aids can’t fit into. Now we can go out at night for a few drinks in an establishment that is just as easy for me to get around as it is for my friends.

Here are some of the accessibility features you will find at The Rec Room:
– Aisles that are wider than regulation size so there is more room for people using mobility aids to get around.
– Wheelchair accessible counters throughout.
– A lift to the stage so that people with limited mobility have stage access.
– A specific railing and tactile floors near stairs to indicate that there are steps for those who are blind or visually impaired.
– Two wonderfully large and accessible gender neutral restrooms with plenty of space to get around and hydraulic change tables. My only issue with these rest rooms is that several times I have been in there and the door has detached from the automatic door opening mechanism. There are also accessible stalls in the main washrooms as well.
– Ramps to all areas of The Rec Room.

– Accessible bowling lanes with adaptive bowling equipment.

One thing to definitely keep in mind about The Rec Room is that it’s a high sensory area. There are blinking lights from arcade games, loud noises from some games, at certain times it is crowded with live music or sporting events on big screen TVs.

Lisa is standing with her white rollator in front of a brick wall with a neon sign that reads: That's How I Roll.
Image: Lisa is standing with her white rollator in front of a brick wall with a neon sign that reads: That’s How I Roll.
Lisa sitting behind the steering wheel at a racing arcade game.
Image: Lisa sitting behind the steering wheel at a racing arcade game.
An accessible washroom door. On the left is an automatic door button that is lit green because the washroom is vacant.
Image: an accessible washroom door. On the left is an automatic door button that is lit green because the washroom is vacant.
The interior of the accessible washroom which shows a large white room with railing, a toilet, and a sink that you can wheel under.
The interior of the accessible washroom which shows a large white room with railing, a toilet, and a sink that you can wheel under.
a picture of the arcade area of The Rec Room with a large sign overheard that reads: The Yard.
Image: a picture of the arcade area of The Rec Room with a large sign overheard that reads: The Yard.

Related Posts

1 thought on “The Rec Room”

  1. Rabbi Chernitsky

    Hi Lisa. Rabbi Chanan Chernitsky here.

    Together with my wife we run an organization called “Friendship Circle”, to help the disablity community in different ways.

    We are planning our October event and were looking for an accessible bowling alley that would be low sensory. Do you have any suggestions?
    Thanks!
    My cell is 986 8770

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top
Menu
Access YYT