It’s a Friday evening. Your crew seeks something different to do. You’ve Painted with a Twist. Shot Topgolf. Escaped numerous escape rooms.

What’s on the horizon as the Next Big Thing?

In Bucks County, it may well be ax throwing.

Ax throwing as sport started in the 1800s, when lumberjacks displayed their skill by thunking hatchets into tree trunks at a distance.

Its competitive edge took a toss forward when television began broadcasting competitions, collectively known as loggersports.

Driven in part by its appeal as an indoor novelty, ax throwing is now cutting a swath through its leisure-activity competition.

The rules are relatively simple: throw an ax into a wood-plank target and make it stick.

Safety is obviously a major concern in this endeavor. First-timers get trained. General house rules include a dress code of no open-toed shoes, spectators keeping their distance, and no young children as throwers.

If you get good enough at it, sport leagues are out there to provide further challenges. High-level competitions even have their own governing body, the World Axe Throwing League.

Bucks County and its surrounding area have numerous ax-throwing centers:

• Stumpy’s Hatchet House, Bristol
• Betty Borden’s House of Whacks, Doylestown
• Throwhouse, Quakertown
• Split Pine Axe Throwing, Allentown
• Bury the Hatchet, Horsham, Lawrenceville, NJ

Most of these sites are very accommodating.

If you or your group has special requests, you are certainly welcome to ax.