I grew up in the greater Raleigh, NC area and none that I can remember survived. Crabtree Valley mall was the primary teen hangout which did survive, but the various dedicated arcades or stores that had machines long departed.

None of them, not even close. Around Alhambra, CA: Pirate’s Cove, Pak Mann, Tai Lai. All gone for decades.

Our local bowling ally had games,its gone.

We used to ride our bikes to Pinball Pete's in Ann Arbor 45 years ago, theyre actually moving into a larger space.

I can't think of any other haunts from my childhood that survived though.

Yes--2 arcades in town were there decades before I started visiting them. Both privately owned, although one of them has changed hands a few times. That one used to have a large bank of pins, but they were neglected and not working anymore. Eventually some collector from out of state swooped in and bought them all. I never got a call back to my inquires...oh well.

The other arcade is almost all redemption games now. I heard stories that back in the EM days, they had a large number of EM pins. Unfortunately, that arcade never sells games that they are done with...they just junk them when they either can't be repaired or when they stop earning.

There was a Tilt arcade at the mall, but that closed in the mid 2010's. For a short time, they had a Sega Time Traveler holographic game in the 90s. That game was the object of much fascination and while it was there, and was always surrounded by kids. However, I think the novelty must have died off and/or the price was too high (I think it was $1 per play, which was really expensive at the time), because it eventually was taken out and replaced with something else.

There was another arcade in another mall that was further away. I remember them having a DESW when it was new. I don't think it survived the 90s. The space was empty for a few years, then at some point, a Spencer's moved in, which is still there today. A different privately owned arcade chain moved into the mall a number of years ago, which is still there. A local pinsider operates pins there.

The arcade closed about 10-15 years ago and the mall it was in closed about 5 years ago.

The Dave and Busters I used to go to as a kid is still there, but every other arcade I grew up with is long long gone.

One bowling alley that I visited back in the day in Milwaukee still exists (Olympic Lanes). I was just there last year and they still had some arcade games, though most were redemption shit.

That is where I spent all my paper money on playing Space Ace.

A couple (a family fun center and a large bowling alley) are still open... although the arcades aren't much to speak of anymore they're still there.

All of the others are long gone. Even the pizza places with large arcades and bowling alleys with game rooms have given up on arcades.

Yes. I grew up outside of Boston and Fun and Games in Framingham was my go to spot. Still open today.

Gold Mine in mall long gone and the mall itself just about done too.

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Fun-O-Rama at York Beach Maine! Still kickin with a whole lineup of pins still there too!

There was a thing about mining themed arcades here in California, we had one called the Mine Shaft in my area... hey kids, here's the gold rush and what's that? Q-Bert!

Seeing as how my local arcade (and the first place I ever played pinball), is part of a 100 year old amusement park, yes it is still there.
https://beachboardwalk.com/attractions/casino-arcade/

But as many others have said, the pizza place and sandwich shops, and I think even the arcade at the mall, those are all gone.

Here's another NH guy commenting. Many of the beach arcades from Salisbury (MA) to Old Orchard (ME) survive. My childhood was evidently before yours, as I would consider Fun World a latecomer. Lakeside, there are a couple places at Weirs Beach that have been around for decades. Canobie Lake Park still has an arcade, not necessarily in the same building as it was just after World war II.

Did any of you visit college-campus game rooms before you were old enough for college?
.................David Marston

Cambrian Bowl is something else now I think but Santa Cruz still has those old beaters.

Sadly, all the buildings of my youth have been bulldozed.
Gone are the great toy stores, arcades, movie houses, book stores, dance clubs, restaurants and shopping malls.

However, in 2024 I get to see all the nostalgic stuff from my old life in visits to Auto Museums and Antique malls and on classic rock XM.

I tell my kids "I've lived everything you Google".

Odyssey Land on Rt 309 in Montgomeryville Pa. is long gone but the building is still there and now it’s a Verizon store.

I was lucky enough to live around the corner from S. S. Billiards in Hopkins MN. Still alive and ticking. Thanks Lloyd!

Lord no.

the fact that I haven't visited any since 1989 probably didn't help!

You also haven't visited any of them in 30-40 years, which is probably indicative of why they've been closed for decades.

Ditto

Why yes, yes it did! 100s of pinball machines over the years filled that castle.

First went there in the early 70s with a couple rows of EMs and it hit it's peak in the mid 90s with all the latest and greatest pinball machines in just about every room. But I'm not sure any of you would really like to see what they've done to the place now.
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Foosball world, long, long gone. Was foosball and pinball until one day they brought in this thing called Space invaders, and slowly but surely the video games started to take over the place. Not sure when it closed but as I said , a long time ago.

No. A large part of my childhood was spent riding my BMX (no helmet) to the local arcade with my buddies. I have to say I was probably most interested in the video games: Tron, Jungke Hunt, Qbert, Dragons Lair, DigDug, etc. Although, I distinctly remember seeing a Black Knight and Haunted House which I thought were pretty damn cool. The addiction began over 40 years ago, lol.

I for one would still be going every chance I got. By far my most nostalgic and treasured childhood memories happened at Bally Le Mans at Crossroads mall in OKC. Sadly closed many years ago.

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family amusement center on Vermont in Hollywood is still there, amazingly. So is the arcade on the pier in Santa Monica. All the rest are gone with few who even remember them. :-/

Jilly's Arcade on the Ocean City, NJ boardwalk is still running strong. Good line up of modern pins in decent shape considering proximity to ocean air.

https://jillysocnj.com/jillys-arcade/

The Space Station and Novato Billiards in Novato, California are both long gone.

However, by some odd stroke of luck, I do own the very same Tron Arcade machine from the Novato Billiards that I used to put quarters in when I was 10-years-old..... and I got 20 years after it was closed down.

Video games killed the pinball star

In the 80s arcade and in my bar

We can't rewind, we've gone too far

CRT screens came and broke my heart

No. The Great Escape in Rutherford, NJ. Used to go every Friday night with my cousin until I left for college in the late 90s. When I returned to the area in 2011, the building was still there but the arcade was gone. It's a Starbucks today. I think about it every time I drive by.

SS Billiards opened in November 1970. I've owned it since September 20th 1972. Only 2,992 days until my 60th anniversary party.

LTG : )

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Yeah 1 Pete's will make it. At the height there were 4 Pete's in town.
Probably 10 other arcades fhat didn't make it

Made it

1 Pete's

Gone

Simulation Station
Great Eacape
Micky Rats
Double Focus
Aladins Castle
Players Choice
Bombay Bicycle Club
Study Break
Briarwood arcade (forgot name)
Packard, Upstairs, & South U Pete's

Must be a couple I'm missing. That's arcades proper of course, not counting bowling alleys/pizza places/laundry mats/Whirly Ball/ roller skate places that had a game or 4

Lloyd, could you post some photos from your arcade circa 1980-82? I would love to see what it looked like there in the arcade heyday.

Had you shown up to the arcade back then wearing a bicycle helmet, you probably would have had your quarters jacked by the locals from spotlighting yourself like that

Not many from that era. I hope this helps.

LTG : )

ss73 (resized).jpg

Every summer visiting my cousins from 1980-1988 in Corona we would go to the Local Camelot on the 91 freeway, one of the best and largest arcades I visited.
I remember I was amazed they had 8 Tempests in a row next to 10 Mr Pacmans... on and on multiple copys of games.

Everyone is gone, Chuck E Cheese still remains but there hasn't been a pinball in there for a decade or more.

Probably a dozen places I spent lot's of time at , sadly gone.

Question to Orange County residents..
Anyone remember the name of the arcade at the Newport Beach Harbor in the late 70s-early 80s?
My Grandmother lived within walking distance of the arcade until 1979.
My older brother would take me to the arcade every time we visited.... there might have been two arcades?
I was 4-6 years old, so it's hazy memories of summer sunlight water and dark arcades. I just remember the amazing mix of EM arcade games and early Vids and pins.

Since you literally operated and survived through most of the arcade heydays, I am curious as to what generation/years were your favorite? Worst?

They exist in my mind. Have been able to obtain the machines from those arcades I remember most.

The VR Arcade stuff coming out is starting to look good.

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Exactly... it's always 1981 in my garage.

Gameseum didn't make it...so sad.

I grew up in Raleigh and I was thinking about that arcade today. Do you remember the name?

1975