Ken and Marissa Jackson have been hard at work on their establishment, TN Axe and Smash, making the Murfreesboro facility a fun multi-use hangout space for individuals, couples and friend groups. The axe throwing and rage room venue, located at 123 SE Broad St., can make a great spot for a night out or to host private parties, with space for up to 150 people, big screen TVs, single and combo activity packages, catering and drink options.
Ken Jackson gave the Pulse insight into the therapeutic benefits of using the rage room.
“Right after we bought the business a young lady came in, and it was obvious that she was working through some things. After she came out of the rage room, I said, ‘Do you need to sit and talk? I’m happy to spend some time talking.’ She said, ‘You know what? I actually feel better after that, so thank you!’
“That’s when the light bulb in my head went off—it’s cheaper than therapy, and makes a terrific stress-killing activity,” he said. “I decided to write letters to therapists in Murfreesboro, saying ‘hey, I’ve noticed our rage rooms are helping people work through anxiety and frustration. This might be beneficial to your patients.’ We think it’s amazing that people can walk out of here feeling better than when they came in.”
Although it’s not designed to be a league throwing venue with painted targets, TN Axe and Smash does offer interactive axe-throwing lanes with various fun, competitive and challenging game options. Players can choose any of several different games projected onto the axe landing board, from a standard target display to Zombie Hunter, Asteroid, Tic-Tac-Toe, Battleship and more.
“An infrared camera detects where the axe hits the board, automatically recording your score, making it super easy to play,” Jackson said. “We even have a game that lets you upload a picture from your phone to use as your target. We call it ‘axe your ex.’ It’s a big hit on Valentine’s Day!”
Some of the lanes even have moving targets.
As a place meant to offer fun for all ages, TN Axe and Smash also offers options for children to have fun alongside their parents. For children who cannot safely handle an axe (roughly age 9 and under), TN Axe and Smash provides child-safe axes and archery sets that can be set up in the axe lanes using the same interactive game systems. The facility also has a pool table, Hammerschlagen (a nail-driving game), Nintendo Switch set up on a large screen, Jenga, corn hole and other bar games, with various cost-effective experience options.
“Our discounted party pricing typically applies to groups of at least eight people, but we’ve had a lot of requests for special pricing for smaller groups. So, we created a My Little Party package for four, which includes 30 minutes in the rage room, 30 minutes of axe throwing and the first round of drinks on the house. We also have a Big Axe Party option, which gives up to six people two hours of axe throwing and a round of drinks. Then there’s the Double Trouble package, which is perfect for couples and other parties of two,” Jackson said.
The bar has a large variety of drinks—beers, ciders, soft drinks, seltzers and bottled cocktails—and corporations can also take advantage of TN Axe and Smash’s many features for team-building events, trainings and seminars.
As a way to give back to its community, TN Axe and Smash holds regular promotional events in which customers can donate items for local shelters to receive a discount on activities.
Find more information on TN Axe and Smash and full pricing options at tnaxeandsmash.com, with rage rooms starting at $45 per person and axe-throwing packages starting at $20 per person.
