Experiencing District 57

tiviachick
13 minutes ago
2 min read

I really appreciate that the staff at District 57 worked with me so that I could experience their tactical arena during a very short window of time that I had while I was in Charlotte.

There are multiple attractions featured at this distinctive entertainment center, but the Bordertown tactical laser tag arena featuring iCOMBAT equipment is what drew me to pay a visit.

Generally they require a minimum of four players, but the next available game I could join with a group would not be happening until much later in the evening, and my time was extremely limited on this trip, so instead they kindly accommodated a short sample game simply to give me a taste of the experience…but only after I first had a taste of some snacks (aka the “small rations”) in the Allsorts Commissary. :)

I sat down at a rustic wooden table to soak up the atmosphere under the cool Edison lighting that enhanced the unique vibe in the front room.

Once staff member Eli arrived we headed in for a tour of the 4500 square foot, multi-level tactical field.

There’s a lot of space in this arena to explore!

Although I’m not a huge fan of stairs in arenas, once you get to the upper level the grates ramps connecting the buildings to the tower and the lower side platform make for an exciting way to enhance the playability of the space.

Or if you prefer to stay low and stealth, these nooks are also playable spaces.

Typically a game could be as many as 8v8, so this was a bit different than how it would normally go, but I definitely got a good sense of what I might expect out of a full session.

My thanks to Eli for playing against me and giving me a sample of the District 57 experience.

Here’s how our game went.

If you noticed the cool lighting effects, let me shout out the fact that their lighting system is programmed in-house and they did a fantastic job with it! Lighting really makes a big difference in creating an immersive experience. I’m told that the rave lighting is particularly awesome.

I was impressed with my experience at District 57 and I would love to play a full session next time I am in town. However, I am so pleased that I was able to get a game in before heading back to the airport. My thanks to the entire staff for making this a great visit during my time in Charlotte!