PLAY is a new Eugene Beer Hall, Game Center, & Food Truck Experience
Andrew and Holly Muckerman
There is a fun new Eugene, Oregon experience called PLAY, from friends of The New School and industry veteran Holly Emery-Walen Muckerman and her husband Andrew. Part beer hall, part family and adult game center, with curated food trucks, an extensive taplist, and a 21+ lounge with a full bar, PLAY is the new place to play in central Eugene.
Adults activity bars are already a popular business model as proven by places like the Birdie Time Pub in Portland, or the Flatstick Pub chain all over Washington state. The difference with Play, is the incorporation of both physical and digital sports and gaming inside a sports bar like setting with family friendly and more adult and private areas with diverse food trucks. And of course a killer taplist and a lounge with cocktails crafted with just as much care.
The venue features indoor batting cages, a private virtual reality golf suite, tabletop classics like pinball, shuffle board, and outdoor games like corn hole, and a dedicated kid zone for ages 6 and younger. Play also has two dart lanes and televised sporting events in the cocktail lounge for those 21 and over. On the sunny patio patrons will find popular food carts selected for their exciting and contrasting flavors: Piro Latin Scratch Kitchen and owner Holly Muckerman’s own food truck Bounty Meat and Cheese that was previously located at Oakshire Public House, and originally Beergarden where Muckerman was once the beer buyer and manager. Bringing her skillset and love of beer, food, and games, Muckerman previously managed Belmont Station’s biercafe in Portland, launched the Hop Valley Brewing location in Eugene as manager, and did the same with Beergarden.
The 32 draft line strong taplist at PLAY should be familiar to anyone with Holly’s sensibilities in balancing regional and national breweries, with popular beer styles against under-served offerings and without ever ignoring the hometown locals. For example, the taplist on Tuesday April 16th featured mainstream popular Oregon favorites like pFriem, Breakside, Fort George, and Block 15, along with lesser known out of town stuff like New Museum Beer from California, and old school classics from Great Divide Brewery and North Coast Brewing, with locals like Arable Brewing, Coldfire, and Claim 52. Ciders and non-beer is not ignored either, with 2 Towns Ciderhouse, Tieton Ciderworks, Shilling, and Ruzzo.
Holly and Andrew Muckerman, were inspired to create Play on a rainy day. “We play on a local softball team together and wanted to up our game when not on the field, but couldn’t find an indoor batting cage nearby. We then looked for other types of venues with fun stuff to do, we couldn’t find what we were looking for. It got us daydreaming about what kind of place we could create that could have indoor batting cages, and our minds went wild on the other things it could have, like great food, good beer, central location, open rain or shine. That is what we have tried to create with Play,” said Holly Muckerman. “We are excited to open our doors. Life is more fun when you play!”
PLAY features the following:
Classic Games Include: Pinball Machines, Cornhole, Shuffleboard, Darts and Giant Jenga.
Indoor Batting Cages with Automatic Pitching Machine: Play provides the rare opportunity for guests to practice their swing indoors. Our J&J Amusements Pitching Machine has baseball and slow pitch softball functionality. Whether you're a little league rookie or a seasoned pro, our batting cages are sure to be a hit.
Virtual Reality Golf Simulator: Tee off in style and have an immersive experience like no other. Our Foresight Sports Falcon golf simulator has it all, including stunning graphics, realistic gameplay, and 26 courses to choose from, including majestic Pebble Beach. Make reservations of the golf simulator and suite online playeugene.com
Cruis'n Exotica, is a virtual race car experience: Experience the thrill of being a racecar driver in this arcade style game where drivers can and tour exotic locations, drive different vehicles or compete with multiple players.
A Dedicated Kid Zone: Ideal for kids 6 and younger, Play offers a special place for the younger guests. The Kid Zone includes a reading nook, project table, chalk board, coloring materials, a play kitchen as well as an assortment of other games and activities, just for them.
Located downtown at 232 West 5th Avenue between Charnelton and Lincoln, Play will celebrate its grand opening on May 10th - 12th, 2024. Visit Play's website at www.playeugene.com or follow them on instagram at @PLAYeug, or “Play Eugene” on Facebook.