More Entrepreneurial Axe Throwing Emerging In The Bay Area

Review of Smash Kingdom, Oakland, USA

One of the things I like about the current axe throwing scene is the huge amount of entrepreneurial activity developing the sport in all kinds of ways, around the world. Smash Kingdom is great example of this. The location, alongside regular shops and cafes on an assuming main street in the city of Oakland, is not where you might typically find an entertainment venue. However, they have managed to establish a successful smash/rage room business and are making a commendable effort to do the same with their additional axe throwing activity (and splatter room).

Unfortunately, on the day I visited, their game projectors were not working (apparently one was hit by an axe!), so my experience wasn’t the best and my review reflects that. However, I had an ok time and was impressed by their ambition for the business nonetheless. I can see that their axe throwing is generally getting very positive reviews from the local community and I hope it continues to develop.

I was shown a board with a hastily hand-drawn target on it (in place of the projected targets). To be fair, it was more funny than a criticism (given that it was a last minute replacement and obviously not the usual target. They also gave me a refund on the usual price, so that was fair enough. At $35 for an hour usually, the price would have been on the high side for a basic target (even for the USA). In any case, the target design, being unsymmetrical and certainly unique, added an extra element of challenge and amusement 🙂

One thing I did really like was having four different throwing items to choose from as standard. There was a small throwing knife, a hatchet, and two small double-bit metal axes.

There was also the added bonus of no-one being on hand to insist I threw them one at a time. I was basically given the items and left to get on with it (even without the standard safety brief), so I spent an amusing hour seeing how close I could stick each item to each other (kept me entertained anyway!).

The venue is a good size. A large retail unit on the shopping street, I’d guess it was a small supermarket or similar previously. The axe throwing targets were all along the left hand wall, with various doors along the right side presumably opening into the smash/rage and splatter rooms. There was a large reception area, so there could be plenty of space if you wanted a group event. No bar though.

For those interested in a mixture of activities, Smash Kingdom offers a range of different packages combining axe throwing with the other activities too.

I had a reasonably fun time throwing at Smash Kingdom. It was a shame that the projectors weren’t working, but it wasn’t the end of the world. The boards were adequate (if a bit dry) and the adapted targets were fine. I was glad to go off the beaten track a bit and try them out.

Disclaimer: “The Axe Inspector” receives no payment or benefit of any kind from either TheAxeThrower.com or from the venue, for this review. The review is the subjective opinion of one person (albeit as objective as possible) and we encourage throwers to try out the venue to make their own mind up.