Let’s be honest - when I first heard that Axe Throwing venues were a thing, I was more nervous than intrigued. Throwing axes, in public, in a BYO facility seemed more than a little dangerous. To my surprise, when I went, it was organized, well-run, and, dare I say - Safe.

When I was first introduced to Chopper’s Hatchet House, I came in for a tour and to meet with the owners. Having thrown before, I thought I knew what to expect: coaches sit at the back of each lane, instruct each player as to the proper form, keep score, and, yes, make sure that the axes stay where they belong. Chopper’s has that, for sure, but they take it up a few notches. What I walked into was a well-thought out, beautifully branded, next-level, full axe throwing venue that includes a full meeting space for up to 70 people, pool tables, dartboards, video games and a lounge.

Located in the Woodcrest Shopping Center in Cherry Hill, NJ, Chopper’s Hatchet House is very easily accessible from 295, and close to the Woodcrest PATCO station. With plenty of parking, taking groups here is a breeze. The venue itself boasts over 13,000 square feet of space, including 12 arenas (2 of which are ADA compliant), complete with digital scoreboards, flatscreen TVs and branded refrigeration units. The entire space can fit about 300 people for an ultimate axe throwing experience or corporate event.

Last week, my family and I went to throw at Chopper’s, many of them for the first time.  We had an absolute blast. The coach, Jules, was extremely thorough in his review of the specifics of the sport and how to best execute our throws. He stood with us for the duration of our two-hour tournament, not only keeping score, but instructing each of us on our individual techniques and offering pointers along the way. My father was happy, because next to the digital scoreboard, there was a TV playing the hockey game he wanted to watch that night. Just another example of the owners’ thought processes when building out the space.

A couple lanes down, the League was competing in their weekly tournament, and we could see them practicing their more advanced throws, including underhand and one-handed throwing. It definitely gave us that FOMO feeling of, Man, I want to try that! Each of them had their own 'hardware' (yes, that means axe), some of which are the Chopper's House Axes, branded with their logo. The leagues are weekly on Wednesdays, and the Spring signups are coming up soon. 

The General Manager and some of the league members are headed to Toronto, Canada this weekend to compete in the Axe Throwing World Championships. Definitely not your grandparents’ bowling league.

There are tons of events and special promotions coming up, including Spring leagues and the Grand Opening Party. Make sure to follow Chopper’s on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest!