Hot Shots
Scarborough, Maine · 1990–1998
Family Entertainment CenterClosedUnknown
450 Payne Road, Scarborough, ME 04074
Hot Shots was a family entertainment center featuring an indoor mini golf course and laser tag (branded as Laser Storm), along with the usual FEC staples (food, arcade, etc). They originally opened on Marginal Way in Portland (where Trader Joe’s is today) before moving to Payne Rd in Scarborough in the mid 90s. The original Portland location also had basketball and a somewhat larger mini golf course. Upon moving to Scarborough the mini-golf course shunk a bit, but the arcade expanded and laser tag was added. They closed in the first part of 1998.
Reference citations
- BBB Business Profile - Hot Shots bbb.org
- Portland, Maine Facebook group facebook.com
Additional Photos
Have a photograph or a video of this place? Members can add one.
Sign in to add photos or videosVideos
Comments
One Response
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
A fun personal anecdote about Hot Shots – after they closed, they were selling off equipment. My father was the executive director of a local teen center at the time, and he was able to buy the Hot Shots prize counter to become the counter for the cafe area at the teen center, so in some small way Hot Shots lived on for at least a short time.
I also recall the guns for laser tag were unique in that the trigger was on the back of the gun (where the hammer would be on a real handgun), and each shot was very distinct. Unlike other laser tag I experienced around the same time, you couldn’t just hold the trigger and treat it like a laser pointer until you hit a target. You had to line up your shot, hit the trigger and then see if you hit. As a kid, it felt very Star Wars, whereas other laser tag really did feel like I was literally playing tag with a laser pointer.