Ryan Family Amusements Buys Peabody's Metro Bowl
The Leo family has sold the 38-lane candlepin bowling alley on Foster Street to the Bourne-based entertainment company.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Openings & Closings
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The Leo family sold Metro Bowl on Foster Street in Peabody to Ryan Family Amusements, a Bourne-based company that operates 13 other family entertainment centers across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. The Leo family announced the sale in a Facebook post.
Why it matters
The sale transfers ownership of a long-standing Peabody bowling and tavern venue to an operator with a multi-state network of entertainment centers and hotel, campground, and restaurant game rooms. Metro Bowl will continue to operate as a bowling and tavern venue under the new owner.
Metro Bowl operates 38 candlepin lanes, while Ryan Family Amusements now runs 13 other family entertainment centers across three New England states. The sale price and financial terms were not disclosed, and the timeline for the planned upgrades remains unspecified.
The players
Ryan Family Amusements
A Bourne-based family entertainment company that grew out of James A. Ryan's 1958 Needham bowling alley and now operates centers and game rooms across New England.
The details
Ryan Family Amusements plans to add new arcade games and digital scoring for the bowling lanes, along with cosmetic updates throughout the venue, in the coming months. The company traces its roots to an eight-lane bowling alley James A. Ryan opened in Needham in 1958 and also runs game rooms in hotels, campgrounds, and restaurants.
Timeline
1958: James A. Ryan opens an eight-lane bowling alley in Needham, the origin of Ryan Family Amusements.
1977: Bob Leo Sr., Tony Leo, and John Leo buy Metro Bowl in Peabody after running a Lynn bowling alley for 30 years.
November 13, 2026: The sale of Metro Bowl is reported.
Coming months: Ryan Family Amusements plans arcade, digital scoring, and cosmetic upgrades.
Market Landscape
Ryan Family Amusements traces its growth from James A. Ryan's eight-lane Needham bowling alley opened in 1958 into a network of 14 centers and game rooms. The Metro Bowl acquisition adds a 38-lane candlepin venue to that expanding footprint across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire.
Customers of Metro Bowl can expect the venue to keep operating as a bowling and tavern, with new arcade games, digital scoring, and cosmetic updates planned in the coming months. The sale does not indicate any immediate change to hours, pricing, or league play that the source reports.
The takeaway
A long-running local bowling venue changing hands can carry over its core operation while gaining new technology and updates. Readers who visit Metro Bowl can watch for the arcade and scoring changes as they roll out.
Further reading
For other local business changes, see Openings & Closings coverage in Peabody.
Source note: This article includes information reported by CNHI.
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