Hi Pinsiders,

I'm curious if there are public locations (arcades, museums, bowling alleys, etc.) that specialize in electro-mechanical pinball or arcade games. A couple of major examples would be...

Clay's VFW Pinball Museum near Ann Arbor, MI
Tim's Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, NV

...but your examples don't have to have hundreds of E.M. games. Let's set the definition of "specializing" in E.M. games as having at least 5 examples and being accessible to the public (not as interested in learning about private collections...just yet).

So, let 'er rip! What have you guys seen out there?

Thanks for your help,
Ryan Claytor

Edit: A quick-list based on suggestions below...
- -- ----- -- -

U N I T E D . S T A T E S

~California~
- Pacific Pinball Museum Exposition(Alameda, CA)
- Arcade Expo(Banning, CA)
- Playland Not-at-the-Beach(El Cerrito, CA)
- Musee Mechanique(San Francisco, CA)

~Colorado~
- Penny Arcade(Manitou Springs, CO)

~Deleware~
- Red Lion Inn(Bear, DE)

~Florida~
- Silver Ball Museum(Asbury Park, NJ & Delray Beach, FL)
- Replay Museum(Tarpon Springs, FL)

~Georgia~
- The Pinball Palace(Brunswick, GA)

~Illinois~
- Pinball Paradise(McLean, IL)

~Indiana~
- Main Street Amusements(Lafayette, IN)

~Maryland~
- Fun Unlimited(McHenry, MD)
- Spinners Pinball Arcade "Pinball EDU"(Frederick, MD)

~Massachusetts~
- Salem Willows Arcade(Salem, MA)
- Western Mass Pinball Club(Three Rivers, MA)

~Michigan~
- VFW Pinball Showcase(Ann Arbor, MI)
- Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum(Farmington Hills, MI)
- B's Bowling Center(Flint, MI)
- Richfield bowl(Flint, MI)

~Minnesota~
- Bobby and Steve's(Minneapolis, MN)
- Can Can Wonderland(St. Paul, MN)

~Nebraska~
- Hollywood Pinball & Arcade (and Candy) Museum(Omaha, NE)

~Nevada~
- Pinball Hall of Fame(Las Vegas, NV)

~New Hampshire~
- Half Moon Amusement Arcade(Weirs Beach, NH)

~New Jersey~
- Remember When Pinball Palace & Retro Arcade(Wildwood, NJ)
- Silver Ball Museum(Asbury Park, NJ & Delray Beach, FL)

~New York~
- Strong Museum(Rochester, NY)
- Silverbird Woodfired and Gastropub(Yan, NY)

~North Carolina~
- Appalachian Pinball Museum(Hendersonville, NC)
- Asheville Pinball Museum(Asheville, NC)

~Ohio~
- Superelectric Pinball Parlor(Cleveland, OH)
- Cedar Point Amusement Park (Sandusky, OH)

~Oklahoma~
- Bricktown Candy Co.(Oklahoma City, OK)

~Oregon~
- Blairally(Eugene, OR)
- Blackbird pizza (Portland, OR)

~Pennsylvania~
- Gameseum(Ephrata, PA)
- Old Sled Works(Duncannon, PA)
- Pinball, PA(Alliquipa, PA)
- Pinball Parlour(Earlington, PA)
- Pinball Perfection Museum(Pittsburgh, PA)
- Village Arcade(St Peters, PA)

~Rhode Island~
- Spring Lake Arcade(Glendale, RI)

~Tennessee~
- Chattanooga Pinball Museum(Chattanooga, TN)
- Flipside Retro Arcade and Museum(Bristol, TN)

~Texas~
- Lone Star Pinball Museum(Hockley, TX)

~Vermont~
- Pastime Pinball(Manchester Center, VT)

~Virginia~
- Roanoke Pinball Museum(Roanoke, VA)

~Washington~
- Seattle Pinball Museum(Seattle, WA)

~West Virginia~
- The Scohy Bros' Flashback Arcade(Vienna, WV)

- -- ----- -- -

C A N A D A
- North Star Pinball(Montreal, QC)
- The Pint - Public House(Toronto, ON)

- -- ----- -- -

E U R O P E
- Paris Pinball Museum(Paris, France)

- -- ----- -- -

Edit Again: Thanks to jeffc we now have an EM Pinball GoogleMap featuring the locations listed above.

Click here to be taken to an interactive map that looks like this:

EMlocationsmap (resized).png

Holy...

Just Xmas-gifted myself this:

http://www.museemecaniquesf.com/musee_dvd.php

OMG.gif

Had a moment to update the initial post with a condensed listing of suggestions made thus far. Currently it looks like this:

- Pacific Pinball Museum Exposition (Alameda, CA)
- Pinball Perfection Museum (Pittsburgh, PA)
- Arcade Expo (Banning, CA)
- Silver Ball Museum (Asbury Park, NJ & Delray Beach, FL)
- Cedar Point Amusement Park (Sandusky, OH)
- Seattle Pinball Museum (Seattle, WA)
- Village Arcade (St Peters, PA)
- Strong Museum (Rochester, NY)
- Blackbird pizza (Portland, OR)
- Red Lion Inn (Bear, DE)
- Roanoke Pinball Museum (Roanoke, VA)
- MadisonPinball (Madison, WI)
- Superelectric Pinball Parlor (Cleveland, OH)
- Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum ( Farmington Hills, MI)
- Game Cycle (Gardner, KS)
- Musee Mechanique (San Francisco, CA)
- Paris Pinball Museum (Paris, France)
- B's Bowling Center (Flint, MI)
- Richfield bowl (Flint, MI)

...but I'll be happy to keep this updated if more suggestions roll in. Let's keep 'em comin'!

Posted this same question on Facebook and just heard about another location:

- Pinball, PA (Alliquipa, PA)

...added to the master-list in the initial post, too.

Thanks, JeffC. I added it to the compiled list:

- Remember When Pinball Palace & Retro Arcade (, NJ)

...with a link to their facebook page. That's the most official URL I could find for them.

Awesome. Added ^^^ this and...

- Playland Not-at-the-Beach (El Cerrito, CA)

Looks like I fell asleep over the holidays. Just updated the list with:

- North Star Pinball (Montreal, QC)

...today.

Would still love to hear about more,
Ryan

Added...

...to original post. Thanks for keeping this going!

Wow, what a location! Added it to the top listing in this thread. Thanks for posting!

I added this one to the list.

The URL for this one was identical to Can Can. I did a quick search but all I could find was this gas station without a mention of an E.M. arcade:

http://www.bobbyandstevesautoworld.com/locations/minneapolis/

...so I didn't add B&S's.

Amen!

Wow, neat! Added it to the list. Thanks for the update, Beatnik-Filmstar!

I've been meaning to get to this for a while, but I've tried to organize the big list in the first post. Main categories are country/continent: Right now we have United States, Canada, and Europe...but I'd welcome more! Sub-categories within the United States are individual states, listed in alphabetical order. Then if states have multiple listings, they're organized alphabetically by city name.

Hope this helps. Keep 'em comin' and I'll try to keep up!

Happy to do it.

Thanks for your eagle eye, JeffC! Alphabetical list is fixed (pretty sure I remembered my alphabet this time), and the link to North Star is fixed (forgot the ole' "http://" ...*sighs*).

Looks like a great place, but this was already added. Currently the one listing under New Jersey.

...submitted by Mr. JeffC a little while back.

I appreciate the mention, though. Please let me know if you find any others!!!

Sweet!!! I've heard of them (I'm a frequent listener of This Flippin' Podcast), but didn't realize Main Street had EM games in their collection.

ADDED!!!

Keep it up, guys, and I'll do my best to keep up!

MOAR WOWS!!!

JeffC, you are rocking this thread. Thanks for the great find. Original post updated!

(Incidentally, that also brings us to TWENTY states with public EM representation! Woo!!!)

Grand News: Thanks to jeffc we now have an EM Pinball GoogleMap featuring the locations listed on this thread. Click here to be taken to an interactive map that looks like this:

EMlocationsmap (resized).png

I've also added this map and link to the original post so that newcomers to the thread won't have to wade through our mess to locate this buried treasure.

mindsplode.gif

Sad-Panda News: I hate to do this, but it was brought to my attention that one of our listings was actually a collective made-up of multiple locations. All this to say, while Madison Pinball may have multiple EM's among several spots, there is not a single location with at least 5 E.M.s. available for public play. Sooo...had to pull it from the list.

mess.gif

C'mon, Whysnow , lump 'em all in one place and make it a destination spot! YOU CAN DO IT!!!

Initial post updated!!! ...aaaand we're back up to 20 states. WOO!!! (Again)

I ran across a URL for "Penny Arcade", our one Colorado location (thus far). It looks like this:

https://www.facebook.com/manitouspringspennyarcade/?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf

...and I've hyperlinked the "Penny Arcade" name in the first listing.

As you were,
Ryan

First post updated!

Nice. I remember inputting this while back. The place looks amazing.

Always nice to find a public location with a Ringer/Penny Pitch. I'm gonna hold-off on adding them to the list until they hit that 5 EM number, tho. Thanks, Ken.

An article of interest on one of our listings:

- Remember When Pinball Palace & Retro Arcade (Wildwood, NJ)

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/shore/pinball-wizard-of-wildwood-hopes-to-play-another-day-20170913.html

Let's hope Randy is able to stick around.

Cool! Got it.

...and, HEY! A new state on the list! Welcome Oklahoma!!!

Thanks for the new suggestions, Mopar! Thanks, too, JeffC for distilling the information and updating the GoogleMap!

Welcome to our first Tennessee location and best of luck to you, Jackie Rhodes and Jeremy O’Neal! Sounds like a tremendous location, even boasting a 1931 Gottlieb "Bingo"...

bingo (resized).png

and 1955 Williams Wonderland:

wonderlandFlyer (resized).jpg

Very cool. Location added!

JeffC, nice find. And great work keeping up with the map! I added this to the introductory post.

Tell the owners to relocate those sunset pictures and put three EMs in their stead and we'll add 'em to this list. Kudos for the couple on location, though.

Awesome!

Now get on that big beautiful website of yours and add it to the pinball list!

Thanks for checkin' in here.

3 more and they'll be added.

Way cool! Thanks for thinking to update us here!

Wows! Good sleuthing, Jeff! Thanks for keeping an eye out and for keeping up with the map so dilligantly! I've gone ahead and added it to the master list on the first post.

Speaking of which, that brings us up to public E.M. representation in 24 states. One more and we'll have half of the United States!

Yup, Jeff said it before I could:

5 or more and onto the list they go.

Quick question: I'm heading to Columbus, OH this weekend. Is there any place to play electro-mechanical pins or arcades? Most of the locations I'm seeing look pretty modern-focused.

Nice work, Jeff! I JUST saw this and thought I may have beat you to the punch, looks like you beat me by about 21 hours:

Screenshot_20180711-071023 (resized).png

Ha-ha!

Regardless, this is a significant add. Not only do we have a new location in a new state, but this also marks our 25th state added to the map. We now have half the states in the US with "significant" EM representation! Woo-hoo!!! Thanks to everyone here for all the help building and maintaining this list!

Wow, it looks like a heck of a location. Too bad to hear that the games are

Place looks incredible, though. I'm trying to convince my co-pilot to the York Show that we need to stop. If we do, I'll report back.

Thanks for bringing the new locations, Jeff! (Don't forget to update the map.).

BTW, for anyone counting, this brings us up to over 40 EM locations!

You are the man, Jeff! Thanks a bunch for your attention to this thread.

Killer post, JeffC! Great pictures, too! Thanks for sharing your experience and faves!

Thanks to this thread, I paid a visit to a location with a number of electro-mechanical wonders...

I stopped on my way to The York Show about a week ago. While it's been mentioned on this thread before, I thought I'd post some pictures.

It was a rainy drive into Duncannon, PA where 'the works' is located, so it was a welcome sight to see these signs lining the road:

IMG_20181011_124421 (resized).jpg

An unassuming factory building turned antique-mall...

IMG_20181011_124600 (resized).jpg

...greets customers with a number of vintage television sets as you walk in:

IMG_20181011_124802 (resized).jpg

...along with a tube vendor in the corner:

IMG_20181011_124809 (resized).jpg

...and a Santa behind the register:

IMG_20181011_130251 (resized).jpg

The first of three arcade rooms sprinkled throughout the former factory...

IMG_20181011_133126 (resized).jpg

...welcomed you with a warning:

IMG_20181011_144144 (resized).jpg

...and currently contains 5 pinball machines:

IMG_20181011_144203 (resized).jpg

...a pitch 'n' bat:

IMG_20181011_144448 (resized).jpg

...a Midway "Basketball":

IMG_20181011_145829 (resized).jpg

...and old cigarette vendor:

IMG_20181011_144508 (resized).jpg

...as well as a couple of large black and white photos of old penny arcades:

IMG_20181011_144501 (resized).jpg

On the far side of the room there was a shelf featuring a couple table-top pinball machines from the 30's:

IMG_20181011_132015 (resized).jpg

IMG_20181011_131752 (resized).jpg

...as well as some mechanical shooting games:

IMG_20181011_131807 (resized).jpgIMG_20181011_131818 (resized).jpgIMG_20181011_131836 (resized).jpgIMG_20181011_131843 (resized).jpg

...and a case with some penny arcade catalogs and ephemera:

IMG_20181011_131831 (resized).jpg

On my way to the back of the factory to find the other arcade rooms, I found this player piano:

IMG_20181011_133207 (resized).jpg

...which was originally rescued from an Alaskaland ice cream parlor in PA:

IMG_20181011_133229 (resized).jpg

This was flanked by an automotive postcard vendor:

IMG_20181011_133408 (resized).jpg

...and an old theatre ticket shredder:

IMG_20181011_133419 (resized).jpg

...complete with glorious metal fittings:

IMG_20181011_133430 (resized).jpg

...and a didactic talking about some of the historical items in the area:

IMG_20181011_133423 (resized).jpg

Oh, yah, and a wall of neon:

IMG_20181011_133240 (resized).jpg

Just in the next room, there were a heap of gun games, probably about half-a-dozen:

IMG_20181011_134112 (resized).jpgIMG_20181011_135223 (resized).jpgIMG_20181011_135211 (resized).jpgIMG_20181011_134806 (resized).jpgIMG_20181011_134751 (resized).jpgIMG_20181011_134746 (resized).jpgIMG_20181011_134742 (resized).jpg

...which sported some glorious cabinet art:

IMG_20181011_135216 (resized).jpgIMG_20181011_135345 (resized).jpg

...and interior vistas (this one from Six Shooter):

IMG_20181011_135238 (resized).jpg

The same room with the gun games had a few E.M. drivers:

IMG_20181011_142654 (resized).jpgIMG_20181011_142822 (resized).jpgIMG_20181011_142827 (resized).jpg

...a soda fountain:

IMG_20181011_133736 (resized).jpg

...fantastically curated, but roped off from use.

Oh, and cars are owner, Jimmy Rosen's, latest obsession, also in that same back room:

IMG_20181011_133647 (resized).jpgIMG_20181011_133707 (resized).jpgIMG_20181011_133656 (resized).jpgIMG_20181011_133652 (resized).jpg

I chat with Jimmy, an energetic fellow who was busy with a mechanic fixing one of his cars, but not too busy to share a gun game or two with me. He pointed me to a third and final room of electro-mechanical wonders, and it did not disappoint. Further back on the other side, customers are welcomed with a lit "Penny Arcade" sign:

IMG_20181011_135524 (resized).jpg

...and despite it's relatively small footprint, this room was jam packed with more games. Here's a circle around the room (counterclockwise). Immediately to the right is a bank of of those grip testers that judge your self-worth:

IMG_20181011_135612 (resized).jpg

...with some framed ads above:

IMG_20181011_135630 (resized).jpgIMG_20181011_135635 (resized).jpgIMG_20181011_135625 (resized).jpg

In the first corner, a peep show viewer:

IMG_20181011_135620 (resized).jpg

Then a LOOOONG wall of a bunch of stuff:

IMG_20181011_135640 (resized).jpg

IMG_20181011_135643 (resized).jpg

IMG_20181011_135646 (resized).jpg

IMG_20181011_135703 (resized).jpg

IMG_20181011_135714 (resized).jpg

IMG_20181011_135719 (resized).jpg

IMG_20181011_135728 (resized).jpg

IMG_20181011_135732 (resized).jpg

IMG_20181011_135738 (resized).jpg

IMG_20181011_135748 (resized).jpg

IMG_20181011_135809 (resized).jpg

IMG_20181011_135755 (resized).jpg

IMG_20181011_135829 (resized).jpg

Rounding the next corner was a Golden Arm:

IMG_20181011_135834 (resized).jpg

An original Pong:

IMG_20181011_135837 (resized).jpg

...and a Whirlybird:

IMG_20181011_135846 (resized).jpg

Then the following wall leading back to the entrance featured a Clown Pounder:

IMG_20181011_135850 (resized).jpg

Some beautiful fortune tellers:

IMG_20181011_135858 (resized).jpg

IMG_20181011_135904 (resized).jpg

IMG_20181011_135920 (resized).jpg

IMG_20181011_135927 (resized).jpg

...and finally a Turf Champ:

IMG_20181011_135931 (resized).jpg

All in all it was a fantastic experience. As has been stated previously, not everything was in perfect working order, but a lot of them were plenty functional and it was a real treat to see and experience so many games I'd not seen before.

Add to that the historical bit about occupying a former sled factory with examples from sleds through the decades and a HUGE selection of antiques. I certainly purchased a few treats before I left.

I'm awfully glad I went a LITTLE out of my way on my drive to York to experience this very unique location. I would HIGHLY recommend you do the same given the chance.

Hey YeOld! Thanks for mentioning the replay museum! I wasn't aware of that location! Happy to add a new spot.

Now, here's a weird thing; I looked around their website and actually didn't see ANY E.M. Pinball or arcade games in their promotional video:

...or their photos:

replay (resized).jpg

...sooo...that's a little weird? Ha-ha! I did see the listings for the titles you mentioned under their GAMES tab, but it was a little odd not to see any of those titles...anywhere. *LOL* I'm hoping there's a dedicated room of E.M.'s somewhere on the premises that is accessible to the public and not just a storage closet. Has anyone here actually been to this location recently and can confirm that 5 E.M. games are available for public play?

Despite my conspiracy theories above, I've gone ahead and added The Replay Museum to the master list on post #1 of this thread. ...if I hear back that there aren't 5 available, I'll pull it at that time.

Alright, enough downplaying, let's talk about how Replay Museum just made our list of Locations for Electro-Mechanical Pinball and Arcade Games FORTY STRONG!!! Woo-hoo! Nice work, all! Keep 'em comin' when you find 'em!

I also did a little house-cleaned of the master list. I noticed that while I listed The Silver Ball Museum (Asbury Park, NJ & Delray Beach, FL) under Florida, I didn't mention it under the New Jersey tab. So, now we're actually up to 41 locations! MOAR WOO's!

I also noticed that I did not previously include a link to the Strong Museum of Play. Why? I have no idea. But I looked it up and it's there now.

All this to say, if you see any inconsistencies in the list, please let me know. I'll do my best to get the corrections updated a.s.a.p.

Alright, that's it for now. Looking forward to finding out about more E.M. games on location!

Best,
Ryan

Thanks for the confirmation, YeOld! ...and for the picture of Butterfly. I've always been curious to try that title. Never seen one in person, though. Next time I'm in Florida!

Awesome! Thanks for the map update, JeffC!

100% agree. I actually had a rare weekend on my own, but were I with pinball civilians, I'm sure the antique mall would have been the saving grace.

Pecos!!! Location's lookin' great, my man! Glad to see you around these parts. ...don't forget, it's a 5 ELECTRO-MECHANICAL game minimum to be listed here.

Put that Firepower elsewhere! Ha-ha! I kid, I kid. Keep up the ambitious work!!!

Got tipped off by JeffC about this by appointment only location:

Lone Star Pinball Museum
35222 Hempstead Hwy, Hockley, Texas
http://lspinball.com/musuem1.html

It's been added to the first post.

...and can this really be our first and only Texas E.M. location? Unbelievable. Ha-ha! Welp, that's our 26th state on the list!

jeffc , care to add it to the map?

Thanks for the help with promotion, Tom!

What a shame. Look at all those Williams Woodies!!! Not something you see every day. It's be nice to play a reasonable example of them. Sounds like it's not meant to be. I'll add it to the list soon, with a disclaimer.

Also this.

Added to the initial post. That bumped the list up a couple of states. Now we're at 28 states represented! Nice work!

Bump to myself to update the inaugural post. (Seeing this shortly before bed.)

Indeed!

Alright, got those last three updated on the inaugural post of this thread. Thanks, @jeffc ! With those additions, we're now up to 50 total public locations for EM gaming the world over (47 in the states, 2 in Canada, and another in Europe)!

BTW, I also found a website for "The Pint" in Toronto:

http://toronto.thepint.ca/

...looks like there are a few other "The Pints", too.

http://locations.thepint.ca/

Any idea if the rest have an EM line-up as well?

Good find with this Chattanooga Pinball Museum. Nice diversity of EM games with metal rails, wood rails, a horse race game, perhaps some bingos, and even a pre-war game from the 30's. ...however, a couple of these pictures give me the heebs:

>>>THE VELVET ROPE<<<
b207330b1d207c76915584e23cf9b96346b7b45a (resized).jpg

>>>...AND THE O-V-E-R-S-I-Z-E-D PLAYFIELD DIDACTIC<<<
a49bb017217d182c6db7c8f28178daa80986f3ce (resized).jpg

...both typically code for "Paperweights, not Pinballs". *sadness*

@jeffc or anyone else, have you been here to confirm or deny my suspicions? Here's hoping I'm wrong in this case.

Here we go. The Lone Star Pinball Museum is mentioned on our inaugural post here as well as the map that jeffc is so dutifully maintaining (Thanks, Jeff!).

Also, if any pinsiders are CONSIDERING contacting Dan to go see his wonderful collection...stop considering it and make it happen. What a wonderful fellow and collector. Brilliant, friendly, and welcoming. Hard to ask for more. Thanks for meeting bingopodcast and I for one of our Houston highlights a couple weeks ago:

IMG_20190803_113722727 (resized).jpg

IMG_20190803_100510167 (resized).jpg

IMG_20190803_092115884 (resized).jpg

IMG_20190803_092204689 (resized).jpg

IMG_20190803_093155917 (resized).jpg

IMG_20190803_094206580 (resized).jpg

IMG_20190803_094211922 (resized).jpg

IMG_20190803_094218102 (resized).jpg

IMG_20190803_095122403 (resized).jpg

IMG_20190803_095537031 (resized).jpg

IMG_20190803_100454479 (resized).jpg

IMG_20190803_100457889 (resized).jpg

IMG_20190803_100501285 (resized).jpg

IMG_20190803_102019719 (resized).jpg

IMG_20190803_102034576 (resized).jpg

IMG_20190803_103523933 (resized).jpg

IMG_20190803_103827042 (resized).jpg

IMG_20190803_103909607 (resized).jpg

IMG_20190803_104622398 (resized).jpg

IMG_20190803_104625873 (resized).jpg

IMG_20190803_104909685 (resized).jpg

IMG_20190803_105357450 (resized).jpg

IMG_20190803_110121335 (resized).jpg

IMG_20190803_110142138 (resized).jpg

Yipes! I've been an absent Pinsider for a bit. My apologies for not updating the original post for a few months. jeffc , I see you've been much better than I have about updating the GoogleMap (linked from the first post of this thread).

In better news, I've now updated the initial post with the two most recent mentions here, bringing us to 49 publicly accessible EM locations in the states, 2 in Canada, and another in Europe! Also, with the addition of Pastime Pinball (BOY, does that ever look like an incredible new location) we're now at public EM representation in 29 states!

Looking forward to finding out about more locations and visiting them once this global pandemic gets resolved.

Stay strong, stay home, stay safe, everyone!

Dang it! ...lost one.

Thanks for the update, though, Blutarsky !

I've updated the first post on this thread.

Sorry. Looked around on the site and didn't see a documented games list with at least 5 EM games.

Spinners added.