Bullwinkle’s entertainment center, formerly Boomers!, makes a comeback in Upland – Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
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Bullwinkle J. Moose and Rocket J. Squirrel, better known as Rocky, received a warm welcome from Inland residents in Upland on Friday.
The 1960s cartoon characters created by Jay Ward are mascots for an entertainment center being revived in its original home along the 10 Freeway.
It’s nostalgic for Chris Browning of Adelanto to teach his daughter Freddi Speed, 10, how to golf at the reopened Bullwinkle’s in Upland on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021. Browning has fond memories of playing at the amusement park 30 years ago, as they play on an indoor Cosmic course. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
The family that pioneered miniature golf courses and go-karts in the 1960’s reopens their park with a theme based on “The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle,” a popular cartoon series in the baby boomer era. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
The black light indoor miniature golf course will make way for a bowling alley at the reopened Bullwinkle’s in Upland on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
The family that pioneered miniature golf courses and go-karts in the 1960’s reopens their park with a theme based on “The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle,” a popular cartoon series in the baby boomer era. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Shane Huish with younger brother Scott says their dad would approve of modernizing the reopened Bullwinkle’s in Upland on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021. Their dad who died this year built the amusement park and would sometimes sleep above the indoor miniature golf course. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
The colorful arcade at the reopened Bullwinkle’s Family Food & Fun, in Upland is next to its family-friendly restaurant on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Bullwinkle’s Family Food & Fun is reopened by Scott Huish, the son of its original owner John Huish, in Upland on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
The original owner John Huish, who built this indoor miniature golf course in Upland, used to sleep upstairs at the now reopened Bullwinkle’s Family Food & Fun, in Upland on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021. It is in the process of being revived by his son Scott Huish. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Bullwinkle’s Family Food & Fun is reopened by Scott Huish, the son of its original owner John Huish, in Upland on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
The black light indoor miniature golf course will make way for a bowling alley at the reopened Bullwinkle’s Family Food & Fun, in Upland on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021. This area will be turned into a bowling alley and revived by Scott Huish, the son of its original owner John Huish, who built it in 1972. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Carolina Gonzalez, of Bloomington, arrived with her family around 10 a.m., several hours before it opened.
“We used to come here when my kids were little,” she said. “My youngest is now 44. We used to be here weekends, for birthday parties, family gatherings. It’s a special place.”
It’s called Bullwinkle’s Family Food & Fun, and it’s been revived by Scott Huish, the son of its original owner John Huish, who built it in 1972.
John and his twin brother Jim Huish were players in the amusement industry. They were inducted into the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions’ Hall of Fame, whose ranks include Walt Disney and Walter Knott.
The trade association outlines the Huish brothers’ achievement in a biographical video on its website. They include building a national chain of miniature golf courses and water parks; manufacturing bumper boats and go karts; and launching a Bullwinkle’s Restaurant franchise.
Their innovation was to take attractions like miniature golf, bumper cars and arcade games and bring them together in one place, according to Scott Huish.
“It was like an entertainment mall.”
The brothers’ chain was called Family Fun Centers, but renamed Bullwinkle’s in the the 1980s. At one point, the Upland location had a giant inflatable Bullwinkle standing by the freeway.
John Huish ran the business after Jim’s death in 1984, but leased the property to Boomers! in the 1990s. The parent company of Boomers! went bankrupt in 2020 and permanently closed the Upland location. John Huish died in March 2021.
The Huish family regained control of the property in June, and Scott Huish has been fixing it up since then.
Open attractions include indoor and outdoor miniature golf courses, go-karts, bumper boats, an arcade with a virtual reality experience and a restaurant serving pizza, wings, chicken nuggets and hot dogs.
Customers can buy tickets to the attractions a la carte or get combos starting at $19.72 and going up to $39 for unlimited wristbands.
Scott Huish said that Boomers did very little upkeep on the property, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Two indoor golf courses in a separate building from the arcade are preserved almost exactly as his father built them.
But after opening, he is planning an overhaul. He plans to move all the attractions into the miniature golf building and replace the two indoor miniature golf courses with new attractions. He believes the permit process will take six months, giving nostalgia buffs a last chance to enjoy them.
“I’m going to do it, but it just kills me.”
Bullwinkle’s Family Food & Fun
Where: 1500 W. Seventh St., Upland
Information: familyfuncenters.com
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