David Dalpizzol, one of the owners and the general manager of C.J. Barrymore’s, came aboard as a barback in 1988. He’s pictured on the new-for-2024 Indy SkyTrack, which kept the tunnel from the original Indy Track that was on the site.
C.J. Barrymore’s
Michigan Institution for 50 Years Revamps with New Indy SkyTrack
by Matt Harding
C.J. Barrymore’s – the “Daytime, Nighttime, Goodtime Place” – has spent their 2024 season celebrating 50 years in business, and it sure has been an interesting half-century.
Founded by operator and current co-owner Rick Iceberg in 1974, the business had humble beginnings as a driving range for local golfers. In the 1980s, they built a bar on site, added go-karts, got into the nightclub biz and even added additional locations over a 10-year period.
By the early 1990s, they decided to shift once again, this time into something with more long-term potential – a family entertainment center.
Year after year since then, they’ve grown into a well-known name in the region with just about every indoor and outdoor attraction under the sun – from an arcade, go-karts and batting cages to thrill rides, a roller coaster and Ferris wheel.
C.J. Barrymore’s owners David Dalpizzol, Robert Breitmeyer and founder Rick Iceberg.
For their 50th anniversary, they did something big, welcoming their $3 million Indy SkyTrack on the footprint of their old Indy Track, which had been at the park since the 1980s.
Opened on May 3, construction began on the 1,600-ft. track in September 2023 and work commenced through the entire winter. (The park opens each year by March or April, dependent on weather, and the season ends Nov. 1, but they’re open with shorter hours indoors year-round.)
“We wanted to keep a lot of elements of the old track with the new design,” explained David Dalpizzol, one of the owners and the general manager of C.J. Barrymore’s.
While the footprint is the same, the track now features an impressive three-story, 30-ft. tall loop. It also has not only this tri-level feature, but new cement pavement instead of asphalt, a new rail system and tunnel that is original from the previous track.
The $3 million, 1,600-ft. track Indy SkyTrack opened May 3. Construction began in September 2023 and work commenced through the entire winter. See the bird’s-eye view below.
Blueprints were made in 2019 and there were originally plans to work on the track in 2020, but Covid threw a wrench into things and halted the development. However, the company secured financing for the project in 2022 in preparation for construction the following year.
“2024 – our 50th anniversary – has just been an incredible year,” Dalpizzol told RePlay. “Just to combine the new addition of the SkyTrack with our 50th anniversary … the response was tremendous. We’re very, very happy with how it turned out.”
C.J. Barrymore’s attendance for the year was roughly 400,000, a whopping 100,000-person increase from 2023. Dalpizzol attributes that almost entirely to promotion of the new go-kart track, though added that great summer weather was helpful, too.
“It was nice to get back to our roots,” he added, noting that new thrill rides had been the main investment to the park in recent years.
The go-karts themselves were also brand-new on the Indy SkyTrack, provided by J&J Amusements. Cost is $12 a ride, though most park-goers opt to buy the $49 unlimited wristband. You must be 60” tall to drive and 40” tall to ride as a passenger.
In a previous life, C.J. Barrymore’s also operated as a nightclub – mainly in the 1980s.
A Trip Down Barrymore’s Lane
When C.J. Barrymore’s was just a driving range back in ’74, there wasn’t much going on in Clinton Township, about 30 minutes northeast of Detroit. It was located (where it still is) on what was then a two-lane dirt highway surrounded by rows and rows of corn.
Over time, instead of corn, the area itself grew – including C.J. Barrymore’s. The bar and nightclub business they started took off. In 1988, David Dalpizzol came to work there as a barback and grew with the company (he became a partner in the business in 2000; in addition to Dalpizzol and Iceberg, Robert Breitmeyer is the other partner).
When the ’90s rolled around, the nightclub started to lose its luster and the idea for a full-scale FEC took shape.
“We wanted something that had more longevity, and we felt the family entertainment business would be a better move for us,” Dalpizzol said. “Over about a 10-year period, it really started to gain some traction. As we entered the 2000s era, we really started to find our identity as a family entertainment center.
“Now if you look back, the nightclub portion of our history is really only a small portion. As we went through that transformative process, we found that adding thrill rides was a different element – there weren’t a lot of people out there doing thrill rides in conjunction with their FEC.”
The 25-acre complex has changed a lot over the years. The original driving range, which is still on the site, was altered decades ago with the addition of an indoor golf dome. Now there are 40 stalls outdoors and 28 indoor bays, which were revamped in 2022 with Toptracer ball tracking technology. January through April is the busiest in the dome, as players get ready for outdoor golf in Michigan.
Go-karts and a pair of mini-golf courses were installed in the early 1980s. Those 18-hole courses were renovated in 2018.
The Grand Prix go-kart track was built in the 1990s. That’s likely next on the docket for major upgrades. C.J. Barrymore’s is looking into adding a dual vortex – either four-story or two-story – and keep the remaining 50% or so of the track intact. But that’ll be at least a couple of years from now. A new attraction every three years is the concept. (The park also has a third go-kart track still, called Turbo Track.)
When they were making the switch in the ’90s, the former nightclub space became the arcade. The building got an addition in the early 2000s that created space for a redemption store, ran on the Intercard system. Today, the building offers 50,000 sq. ft., about 20,000 sq. ft. of which is arcade.
Top game earners in the 20,000-sq.-ft. arcade at C.J. Barrymore’s include Hungry Hungry Hippos, Fast and Furious Arcade, Wizard of Oz and Willy Wonka pushers and an XD Dark Ride.
Some of the arcade favorites are the Hammered Drop ride and multi-level laser tag from Lasertron. Top game earners include Hungry Hungry Hippos, Fast and Furious Arcade, Wizard of Oz and Willy Wonka coin pushers and an XD Dark Ride.
In 2008, they added QubicaAMF bowling in space that used to be an outdoor volleyball court. Now, they have 10 lanes of sold-out bowling every weekend. (There are six main lanes and four lanes in a private room.)
More Thrills, More Guests
Starting in 2015, C.J. Barrymore’s made another sizable shift and began to add thrill rides to the park. No longer just golf (full-size and mini!), go-karts and batting cages, this new element added a new crowd to the park.
First was the Soaring Eagle Zipline, which at 120-feet high and 650-feet long races over the new Indy SkyTrack. Then came the Loop Coaster in 2017, a roller coaster that features a 360-degree loop “that scares you like the big coasters,” the company touts.
Get ready to drop! The Drop Tower, added in 2019, is a 120-ft. free-fall ride, so put your hands in the air or hang onto the seat with a death grip, whichever you prefer!
“We had a banner year in 2019,” Dalpizzol reported. That was due in large part to the addition of many outdoor attractions – the Drop Tower, a 120-ft. tall free-fall ride that does exactly what you’d expect; Saddle Sling, a ride at the same height that launches folks into the air slingshot style; Spin Coaster, a family-friendly mini-coaster; and a 110-ft. tall Ferris wheel that lights up the night sky and has really put a stamp on the park.
“We’re operating in a space that’s unlike any in the area,” he said, referring back to the park’s regional uniqueness. People come from all around to enjoy one or all of the many attractions.
In 2021, as a result of Covid, they added food trucks just outside of the main bar and restaurant areas. Even after the pandemic ended, they’ve kept those in place and rotated concepts every now and again, too.
Despite 2024 being a sales record-breaking year, it’s still back to the drawing board for the leadership team. They continue to make incremental upgrades each year, even when a large-scale project isn’t on the docket.
An indoor golf dome at the park features 28 indoor bays, which were revamped in 2022 with Toptracer ball tracking technology. January through April is the busiest in the dome, as players get ready for outdoor golf in Michigan.
“In 2025, we are looking at more infrastructure type investments like expansion of bathrooms or parking, or anything that caused some issues in 2024 due to the newfound attendance rise,” Dalpizzol said. “Anything to improve customer experience.”
Bigger plans for the future, in an effort to perhaps keep the C.J. Barrymore’s name alive for another 50 years, including renovating the Grand Prix go-kart track, looking at new options for an additional roller coaster, and redeveloping the current Turbo Track and bumper boat area with another larger go-kart track – or maybe a new type of ride that’s not yet on their radar.
“We have enough to keep us going,” he added. “While we try to complete a major project every three years or so, there’s also smaller projects and replacements of different rides that we’re looking at as well. It’s something new every year.”
To keep track of what’s new – like Indy SkyTrack – visit www.cjbarrymores.com.
Lots and lots of fun! There truly is something for everyone at C.J. Barrymore’s as this site map very well illustrates.
