Last December, Brent and I were in the West Bottoms for First Saturdays looking for a light fixture for the kitchen. After hitting a few antique stores, we decided to head to Blip, one of our favorite coffee spots in KC. We needed to treat ourselves and take a break from staring at the ceiling for more than an hour. On our way there, we stumbled upon Blade & Timber. Our first reaction was axe throwing … are you kidding me? Someone is going to hurt themselves — especially if they serve alcohol.
He: I actually think I shouted so loudly in delight that morning I startled some proper antiquers and made them drop their haul.
We decided to investigate a little more. Someone working there walked in as we were taking pictures of the cool front door handles made from axes. The guy was very nice and said, “Hey, come on in and take a look we don’t mind.” And we did just that. Most of the room’s perimeter is divided into about eight axe throwing lanes. A wood target sits at the end and a chain link fence goes all the way to the ceiling to keep axes from traveling to another lane. In the center of the room, sitting just outside the lanes, are huge picnic tables and IKEA couches to seat people waiting for their turn — and to add a pop of color to all of this rustic wonder.
We left there thinking that it would be cool to get a group of friends together and try it out when they open.
Making Reservations to Blade & Timber
Then the opportunity presented itself to visit Blade & Timber when my high school friends all decided to get together for a night out. At first I suggested Axe Throwing at Blade & Timber as a joke because I wasn’t sure how they would react. I say this because the last time this group got together, my friend’s husband almost decapitated a women playing patio Jenga at the Topgolf’s upstairs bar.
He: How does Jenga decapitation even become remotely possible.
Anyway, everyone couldn’t wait to go. My friend Julie made the reservations for our group of 14. With that many people, they told her we would need two lanes. They recommend 6 to a throwing lane. The cost is $120 per lane for an hour and a half.
They also recommend that you show up around 15 minutes early for instructions and demonstration. The nice thing is they don’t require you to pay up front. So if you have a huge group like we did, each person or couple can take care of their portion of the bill on site. For the reservation, they take your credit card information and only charge it if your group is a no show.
Axe Throwing at Blade & Timber
Blade & Timber says to wear something comfortable and closed toe shoes are a must.
We all showed up and were greeted by one of the managers Zach Watkins. After showing us to our lanes, he worked with us one by one to help us get started. He was very patient and truly happy to have us there trying it. He did not leave until we were all comfortable throwing our axes.
After getting the hang of it, our group just decided to mess around and take turns axe throwing instead of playing a game. Interested in competition (keeping score)? They do have a menu (not a food menu…darn. Though you are able to bring your own snacks.) of different games to play, along with instructions on how to score for each.
He: Yes. That’s a real bullseye. I admittedly stunk at the two-hand overhand throw, but with about five minutes left (of course) I figured out I actually could stick a bullseye on almost every throw one-handed.
Our Blade & Timber Axe Throwing Highlights
Our whole group really enjoyed ourselves and would most definitely go back. No middle-age people were harmed while throwing axes at Blade & Timber. One our group did get a pretty big splinter of wood in his shoe.
There is also a photo wall and camera set-up for a funny group shot at the end. The area is complete with toy axes, fake beards, and other props to add to the silliness.
He: Becca … that axe to the throat thing is a little too Investigation Discover Murder Porn for my liking.
And one person in our party decided to get creative with his throwing. We do not suggest this way for anyone else. Please do not try this at home — or Blade & Timber!
He: One other thing I wouldn’t try is throwing two axes at once. The KC Star wrote a cool piece about the place and this woman is sick, throwing two blades at the same time.
I was pretty nervous when Brent approached the lane because weird things have been known to happen when he is around. Maybe I’m saying that he can be accident prone. When throwing his axe, he happened to find the smallest opening where the chain link fence overlapped and his axe landed outside the alley. Only Brent!
He: Never again will I throw underhand! That thing — I swear — caught on my finger at release. I’m surprised I didn’t throw that thing behind me.
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