Sonny’s Place, 349 Main St. in Somers
Reminder Publishing photo by Lauren LeBel
SOMERS — If you are looking for a place to have fun and relax, while also reliving childhood nostalgia and creating new and adventurous memories, Sonny’s Place offers just that.
Sonny’s Place is a family entertainment center with a variety of attractions for all age groups from carousel to playland, go karts, bumper boats, mini golf, climbing walls, arcade, laser tag and batting cages. They have food and dining offerings each with their own unique menu — Carousel Cantina, Sonny’s Barbecue & Ice Cream, The Pavilions, and Tiki Snack Bar — three bars — two different Pavilion Bars and The Cantina Bar — karaoke from 6-9 p.m. on Monday nights through Labor Day and host a Summer Concert Series. As we enter the heart of summer, live music performances are available Thursday through Sunday.
General Manager Bryan Smithwick said, “Our purpose is to be a representative of the community and give folks a great platform to come down and enjoy their summer.”
He went on to say, “What really separates us is our strong desire to introduce hospitality to all guests that come and appreciate their time with us. As well as our deep-rooted connection to families in the community and being able to get families a platform to enjoy themselves.”
Sonny’s Place was established in 2008 as a tribute to the owner’s father, known as “Sonny” Antonacci. It originally opened as a driving range and The Grill and Ice-cream restaurant.
The driving range closed in 2014 to make room for all the other activities and has since expanded its offerings each year.
The family aimed to create a space where families could gather and enjoy themselves, and Sonny’s Place has now become a popular destination for corporate events, group outings, birthday parties and more. They were voted by the Reader’s Poll as the No. 1 place to host a birthday.
In July, Assistant General Manager Aleceia Bilton will have been working at Sonny’s Place for nine years. She started coming here with her dad and little sister as a child, and when she turned 16, she thought it would be a fun summer job. “Over the years, I have had the pleasure of growing with the company and witnessing its growth firsthand,” Bilton shared. “It has been incredibly rewarding to see other staff members, who were once in the same position as me, develop into individuals. The best part of working at Sonny’s Place is the positive and enjoyable environment. Every day is different, as we continue to be a destination for people to make lasting memories.”
Smithwick told Reminder Publishing they’ve recently completed adding a new signature item to Sonny’s Place entitled Monkey Mayhem which consists of an 18-hole miniature golf course and has a tropical theme to it. They have a volcano that erupts every half hour and shoots out an enormous fire ball. Sonny’s Place also added a bumper boat pond where they have bumper boat operations that are embraced by their guests throughout the summer and a large picnic area for families to come and have food together to complete the family experience.
First timers coming to Sonny’s Place should try the XD Dark Ride, an interactive movie attraction where you use laser blasters to battle on-screen enemies and compete for the highest score, Soaring Eagle Zip Ride, go karts and bumper boats.
Sonny’s Place has a mindset of being able to grow their offerings and always looking for the latest video games that are out or new experiences they can offer their guests onsite. In addition to that, they take pride in their food constantly looking for different ways to have a more diverse offering of product; having the opportunity to reach out to that adult audience that may go to another family entertainment center and doesn’t want to have the traditional burger, chicken finger experience. They have a pit master on staff that comes in late at night and smokes a selection of ribs, brisket and other meats throughout the night to offer guests the next day.
Smithwick said, “As a kid, I loved arcades and video games, so to have that nostalgia as an adult when I walk through the doors at Sonny’s Place to go to work that’s really the magic for me.”
Sonny’s Place is at 349 Main St. in Somers. It is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays-Thursdays and from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays until Labor Day. For information on their park hours, events, and live music performances, visit sonnysplace.com/visit.
