Arcades that are still around

[yotsuya]

It's been years since I've been to Golfland. It's like a poor man's Castles 'N Coasters.

It wasn't in the 80s.

I think the last time I was there was actually 1993.

[snorpmeister]

Whats up with these yuppy bars that are pooping up all over with "retro" arcades in them?

Great classic arcade - Fun Spot in New Hampshire. I love it and go every year

Not only is Funspot NH great. It bills itself as the largest arcade in the world. Has the largest collection of classic arcade games I've ever seen. All very well maintained. The arcade is evidently featured in a documentary entitled The King of Kong. Because it's also where they hold a lot of classic arcade game tournaments. It's about a 2 hour drive from Boston. But a closer airport would be Manchester, NH:

http://www.funspotnh.com/gms-games.htm





Here is its list of classic games:
http://www.classicarcademuseum.org/scoreboard.htm#

Large collection of pins but not the largest. That would be the Pinball Museum in Las Vegas.

Some other interesting and large arcades in the U.S.:

* Musee Mechanique in San Francisco. Don't recall the number of "classics" (e.g. 80's). But they sure do have a lot of antique gaming machines from many decades prior. Fascinating place:
http://www.museemechanique.org/

* Arcade Amusements in Manitou Springs, Colorado.

I'll have to check out "Castles" in Phoenix if I'm ever in Arizona. Looks great!

[BadMouth]

For something different, check out the penny arcade at The Old Sledworks in Duncannon, PA.
It's not very big, but I don't know where else you can play as many old nickel and dime pre-video era games.
(bring your nickels and dimes, the change machine only spits out quarters)
http://www.sledworks.com/penny_arcade/index.html
On that page, there's a link to other vintage coin-op museums there that might be closer to you.

They have a computer space, but it's roped off.

[muttieb]

Hey thanks for the tip I never thought about there being an arcade in hinkley. Do they have a nice selection of arcade games or are they mostly ticket machines. Also do they have any pinball machines at all.

Just a heads up for Minnesotans or visitors, AFAIK The Grand Casinos have about the best to offer in our state.

They have two locations, both centrally located and probbaly not worth the trek from Minneapolis (100+ miles North) However if you are in  central MN then it's worth it.


http://www.grandcasinomn.com/grand-casino-mille-lacs/guest-services/grand-arcade.aspx

With more than 100 arcade machines, including pool, skee-ball, and the latest games, the Grand Arcade inside Grand Casino Hinckley is a fun, safe way for teenagers to play. It is also one of the largest arcades in MN, so there is plenty of room for excitement! We also feature game tickets redeemable for prizes for the kids’ enjoyment. Plus, parents can rest assured knowing that their children, ages 13 to 18, are in a supervised area in the southwest corner of the casino. Younger children are welcome when accompanied by an adult.

[jekbrown]

I went to the Wunderland nickel arcade in Salem this week.  Sorry, no pics.  I had fun there, but it was disappointing that there were no classic games...unless you consider House of the Dead 11 a classic.    If there is a place within 100 miles of Portland, OR that has a good selection of old school games, I dunno where it is.  If you do, lemme know!! 

[Gray_Area]

 If there is a place within 100 miles of Portland, OR that has a good selection of old school games, I dunno where it is.  If you do, lemme know!!  

Apparently you aren't familiar with Clay Cowgill and Ground Kontrol.

[mgb]

Not only is Funspot NH great. It bills itself as the largest arcade in the world. Has the largest collection of classic arcade games I've ever seen. All very well maintained. The arcade is evidently featured in a documentary entitled The King of Kong. Because it's also where they hold a lot of classic arcade game tournaments. It's about a 2 hour drive from Boston. But a closer airport would be Manchester, NH:

http://www.funspotnh.com/gms-games.htm

Yes, it is an awesome place.
I will be there on my birthday in October and I plan on doing the day from 10am - Midnight. We usually take a break from the games there and go downstairs to the bowling alley, have a pizza and bowl a couple of games.
Always a good time.

I would love to make it over to that penny arcade in Duncannon Pa.
maybe someday even Castles and Coasters.

Its not really a classic arcade, though they have a couple of classics, but we had a great time at Disney Quest in Downtown Disney.

[Crono22]

Wow funspot only a 5 hour drive from NY. I'll have to plan a weekend trip sometime this year.... thanks!!!!

[mgb]

Wow funspot only a 5 hour drive from NY. I'll have to plan a weekend trip sometime this year.... thanks!!!!

It's definitely worth it. it's about 4 - 5 hours for me too, from CT.

[DefJam]

Been a long time since I posted here.....

I wanted to recommend that anyone who is near Pittsburgh really needs to go check out PAPA.  Their collection of pinball machines is simply unbelievable.  I think it is only open to the public 2 or 3 times a year, but it is certainly worth the road trip.  You can check out their website and blog for more info....  They do have some videogames, but mostly pins.

[Well Fed Games]

I'm (finally) going to hit Galloping Ghost Arcade in Brookfield, IL http://www.gallopingghostarcade.com/ next week, my wife is taking me for my birthday... can't wait!

[djm858]

I went to an arcade in the Austin, TX area over the weekend.  It opened last November and a buddy of mine started working there, told me to swing by when I came back to visit.  I was impressed.

http://www.pinballzarcade.com/

I'll post a few of the pics I took (sorry for iPhone quality).  It's got two floors full of a healthy mix of pinball machines, arcade cabinets, and misc games.  Plus it's BYOB which is pretty cool.  I wish this was open during my undergrad years.

If any of you are in the area, you should check it out.

[Gray_Area]

I went to an arcade in the Austin, TX area over the weekend.  It opened last November and a buddy of mine started working there, told me to swing by when I came back to visit.  I was impressed.

That's a lot of pinball. Beautiful. Would be doubly awesome if they had cabs to match them. And check out that wide air hockey table. I think those were more common in the 70s and 80s.

[tho]

I recently came across this arcade in NH.

http://www.pinballwizardarcade.com/

Great place with lots of great games.  The owner there also repairs games and pins.  (I'm trying to get an old Atari Pinball working).  I was there yesterday and talk about memory lane...  Although I remember the games being much bigger.

[notroubleclubber]

Anything like these places in the UK?
Id love to have the money to open something like these over here - i reckon it would be a big hit!

Saw funspot the other day on The King Of Kong which was on a channel over here called Current TV.

My missus just sighed and said i look and act like the nerds on that program. THANKS!

[mgb]

I recently came across this arcade in NH.

http://www.pinballwizardarcade.com/

Great place with lots of great games.  The owner there also repairs games and pins.  (I'm trying to get an old Atari Pinball working).  I was there yesterday and talk about memory lane...  Although I remember the games being much bigger.

That place looks pretty cool.
....hmmm, I wonder if my wife would be cool with a stop on our way home from Funspot next month.

[EVEGames]

I'm (finally) going to hit Galloping Ghost Arcade in Brookfield, IL http://www.gallopingghostarcade.com/ next week, my wife is taking me for my birthday... can't wait!

How did you like Galloping Ghost?  That's my and my son's favorite place to go.  Tons of classics in various states of repair/restoration, but on average very well maintained.  15 bucks at the door gets you in all day, all machines on free play.

Second favorite in the northwest suburbs of Chicago: Nickel City http://www.nickelcitygames.com/
2 bucks gets you in the door, and the coin mechs are set up to take nickels (hence the name).  A mix of classics, semi-contemporary games and redemption machines, but most of the classics are set on free play.  Wish I could say the classics are all kept in good repair... many are not.  But most are playable.

-EVEGames

[Well Fed Games]

It was fun. I liked their selection... we got to play a lot of machines with interesting controls I have only played in emulation... asteroids with buttons, missle command and centipedes with trackballs, Forgotten Worlds, Tapper, Tron, some cocktails, red tents, etc. Good selections of fighters, beat-um-ups, might have liked a better selection of shmups (none of the Raiden games), but they had a few.

I would agree with the varying states of repair... I have never been to another true arcade to compare it too, but I would think they would take some of the non working ones off the floor (Ms Pac, & Mr. Do among some that were nonfunctional, broken controls on The Simpsons, etc.). Some random parts and monitors laying about... not a problem for me, if I had a little kid around (if I had brought my three year old) it might have made me a bit nervous. I miss putting in quarters/tokens, but I understand why the free play thing makes sense.

$15 is good for a day pass, for an evening (we were able to spend about 3-4 hours) the cheapskate in me thought it was a little much, but overall worth it to play some many games in the wild, with their original controls! It was pretty mellow on a Wednesday night, never had to wait for a game, staff never bothered us, generally good environment. I would recommend it for sure, it was worth the hour-or-so drive from NW Indiana.

I'm (finally) going to hit Galloping Ghost Arcade in Brookfield, IL http://www.gallopingghostarcade.com/ next week, my wife is taking me for my birthday... can't wait!

How did you like Galloping Ghost?  That's my and my son's favorite place to go.  Tons of classics in various states of repair/restoration, but on average very well maintained.  15 bucks at the door gets you in all day, all machines on free play.

Second favorite in the northwest suburbs of Chicago: Nickel City http://www.nickelcitygames.com/
2 bucks gets you in the door, and the coin mechs are set up to take nickels (hence the name).  A mix of classics, semi-contemporary games and redemption machines, but most of the classics are set on free play.  Wish I could say the classics are all kept in good repair... many are not.  But most are playable.

-EVEGames

[Vigo]

I was upset last year to find out that the Gameworks closed down in Minneapolis. Although there are not many classics, it still sucks to see any arcade go under. I had always thought the place did enough business as well. I found out yesterday that it didn't close because of money issues, but rather the landlord was an ass and imposed a ton of regulations and fees to force them out. I guess the same landlord just did the same thing to the Hard Rock Cafe next door.

Still sucks, but there is a little relief in knowing that it was not due to lack of demand.

[lordnacho]

Sigh, this was the last around me.  Manhattan's Chinatown.

[ragnar]

As of maybe 6 months ago, it was true that Foxwoods Casino had an arcade with a mix of old and new games.  I can not recall anything specific though.  I can state that it is not worth a road trip.  If you want a night out and live nearby though, it is worth it just to walk around the casino and get a good dinner while stopping by the arcade.

[mgb]

As of maybe 6 months ago, it was true that Foxwoods Casino had an arcade with a mix of old and new games.  I can not recall anything specific though.  I can state that it is not worth a road trip.  If you want a night out and live nearby though, it is worth it just to walk around the casino and get a good dinner while stopping by the arcade.

If you're talking about Foxwoods casino in Connecticut, I'd agree its not worth a road trip for the classic games but the one nice thing about the classic games in the arcade there is that they are free. When we go to the casino for a night, I will usually stop in and play some Ms Pacman, Centipede and Space Invaders for free. Hell they get my money on the gambling floor anyway, I'll show them.

[MPS]

Not only is Funspot NH great. It bills itself as the largest arcade in the world. Has the largest collection of classic arcade games I've ever seen. All very well maintained.

Some clarifications...

Funspot does not "bill itself" as the largest arcade in the world.  The Guinness Book of World Records does.  We are also the largest facility according to Aurcade, a web site that tracks game locations & inventory.
 
The "classics" part of the Funspot facility (basically the entire 3rd floor) is The American Classic Arcade Museum, or ACAM.  ACAM is the first 501c3 non-profit facility dedicated to the preservation & play of classic arcade games.  As a non-profit, we exist almost entirely on tax-deductible donations of cash, parts & games.  ACAM has been called "the Mecca" of classic arcade gaming by a dozen news outlets such as Yahoo!, Edge Magazine & MSNBC.  We were also named as a facility all sports fans should see by ESPN: The Magazine.  We earned these distinctions due to the 300+ games that are currently on the floor along with another 200 games in our inventory.






For more information, or to make a donation, please visit the link below.

Mike Stulir
Board of Directors
The American Classic Arcade Museum @ Funspot
www.classicarcademuseum.org

[Well Fed Games]

 
The "classics" part of the Funspot facility (basically the entire 3rd floor) is The American Classic Arcade Museum, or ACAM.  ACAM is the first 501c3 non-profit facility dedicated to the preservation & play of classic arcade games.

[youtube][/youtube]

[mgb]

Not only is Funspot NH great. It bills itself as the largest arcade in the world. Has the largest collection of classic arcade games I've ever seen. All very well maintained.

Some clarifications...

Funspot does not "bill itself" as the largest arcade in the world.  The Guinness Book of World Records does.  We are also the largest facility according to Aurcade, a web site that tracks game locations & inventory.
 
The "classics" part of the Funspot facility (basically the entire 3rd floor) is The American Classic Arcade Museum, or ACAM.  ACAM is the first 501c3 non-profit facility dedicated to the preservation & play of classic arcade games.  As a non-profit, we exist almost entirely on tax-deductible donations of cash, parts & games.  ACAM has been called "the Mecca" of classic arcade gaming by a dozen news outlets such as Yahoo!, Edge Magazine & MSNBC.  We were also named as a facility all sports fans should see by ESPN: The Magazine.  We earned these distinctions due to the 300+ games that are currently on the floor along with another 200 games in our inventory.






For more information, or to make a donation, please visit the link below.

Mike Stulir
Board of Directors
The American Classic Arcade Museum @ Funspot
www.classicarcademuseum.org

I really didn't know that you guys were a non profit.
It really is an awesome place. Its really cool to see the different signs on some of the machines, which state who donated it, along with all of the high score plaques from the competitions.

[Q*Bert_OP]

I really didn't know that you guys were a non profit.

 

I don't see how they could turn a profit

[mgb]

Well thats always been my worry there, that one day they will close just like the many other fun centers that have been.
They do get some good business there though. I have been there when the place is really busy (especially the haloween event) although the crowds tend to be more on the lower levels at the bowling lanes, skeeballs and newer games.

[Rick]

I was at Great Wolf Lodge with my Wife and kids a couple of weeks ago, and they did have an arcade...  It was pretty big, but like most, it was filled with those skill/ticket games that you could purchase junk with.  I was very happy to see that they had a couple of classic games - the Pac Man/Galaga combo as well as the Donkey Kong/Jr. combo.  I did notice they had about 20 other games around, split between driving games and shoot 'em up games, but I didn't pump my tokens into them.  Since I haven't played the classic games on a real unit in probably over 10 years, I spent an hour playing Pac Man.

My Wife eventually had to drag me away, and remind me that we were there 'for the kids'.  (It didn't take much coaxing, really.  Fun times were had by all.)

 

[Tatas]

http://www.vintagevideogames.com/

This just opened up by me (Bloomington,IL) a month or two ago I think.  Planning on checking it out soon.  Looks to be a good start so far.

[Gray_Area]

http://www.vintagevideogames.com/

This just opened up by me (Bloomington,IL) a month or two ago I think.  Planning on checking it out soon.  Looks to be a good start so far.

Wow. Including a Duramold Bubbles. They even have pinball.

[one8seven]

castles and coasters looks AMAZING!! thats sounds like a road trip destination for sure!!

here in chicago we have a few of the 'kid friendly' chuck e cheese type of places that are technically arcades, but...

enchanted castle and haunted trails, safari land, chuck e, and D&b's

but we are also lucky enough to have an awesome arcade called galloping ghosts! 200+ games, tournaments, 15$ all you can play til 2am... i could go on, but you have to see it to believe it.

http://www.gallopingghostarcade.com/

edit: i almost forgot novelty golf in lincolnwood (?) its an awesome old school minigolf place with a small but cool arcade attached. also a must if you're in the area

Hi, do you go often to the gallopingghostarcade? If yes, have you already played on their Mortal Kombat 9 cabinate? (http://www.trmk.org/news/18683/trmks_mortal_kombat_2011_launch_day_coverage.html)

[Green Giant]

The two local Dave and Busters have lots of games, but sadly I don't think a single game uses even 1 joystick.

[alfonzotan]

The place in Phoenix really looks awesome.  Wish I'd had time to look around when I was out there a year ago.

Fun Land in Panama City Beach, FL had a good selection of classic games for decades, but they've finally pretty much thrown in the towel.  Stopped in there last spring, and the only older games remaining were a beat-up Ms. Pac-Man and an Arkanoid in a weird conversion cab.  Everything else (besides Skee-ball, of course) was modern.

There was an amazing multi-room arcade in the middle of the tourist strip at Manitou Springs, CO when I was out there five or so years ago.  Selection of video games was astonishing... only the second operating ROTJ machine that I'd ever seen in the wild.

Oh, thanks for the heads-up on the place in Grand Rapids.  Have to go there for work a couple of times a year, I'll be sure and hit the arcade/bar.

[wildclay]

A classic arcade just opened up here in the twin cities (in Minneapolis) this past December; it's called "Rusty Quarters - Retro Arcade and Museum" and they've got a couple dozen classic games, all playable at only 25 cents!  My buddies and I have paid the place a visit a few times now and it's been pretty packed by the young and old alike (see photos). Great to see so many showing up to support it!

http://www.rqarcade.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rusty-Quarters-Arcade/226688464042580

RQ Game List:
------------
Asteroids
Burgertime
Centipede
Crystal Castles
Defender
Dig-Dug
Donkey Kong (2 of them!)
Donkey Kong Junior
Frogger
Galaga
Joust
Mario Bros.
Ms. Pac-Man
Q*Bert
Rampage
Space Invaders Deluxe
Street Fighter Alpha 3
Tempest
Tetris
Track & Field

[Vigo]

Yeah, I have been following the RQ website from before they opened up, hoping that the owner was going to scrape it all together. I am happy he did. I plan on checking it out soon. 

  Just noticed the clock from Peewee's playhouse on the wall of the last picture.

[Boozle061083]

The Max Retropub (Tulsa, OK)

http://www.themaxretropub.com/
http://www.squidoo.com/maxx-retropub-tulsa

While not technically it's a "Barcade", my buddy says it's still a great place to play the classics.
Haven't been there myself, but plan to next time I'm in Tulsa.  It simply looks awesome.

[nakeworks]

Sorry to bring a thread back from the dead, but...

I'm going to be in AZ this weekend and will be checking out Castles and Coasters if anyone wants to meet up.  Anyone know if the arcade in Tempe is any good?

[HaRuMaN]

Sorry to bring a thread back from the dead, but...

I'm going to be in AZ this weekend and will be checking out Castles and Coasters if anyone wants to meet up.  Anyone know if the arcade in Tempe is any good?

What arcade in Tempe?

Only ones I know of in Tempe are Dave and Busters and Gameworks...  both are meh, especially when compared to C & C.

[nakeworks]

It was Gameworks.  They don't let me in Dave and Buster's anymore.  Not after "the incident."   

[dfmaverick]

For those in MN, I saw a story on a new nightclub/arcade that opened downtown Minneapolis last month called INSERT COIN(S).

Haven't been there yet, but figured I'd mention it.

http://insertcoinsmpls.com/

Games they list on the website (unsure if accurate):
Joust 2, Pole Position, Mario Bros, Tron, Zaxxon, After Burner, Asteroids, Centipede, Defender, Dig Dug, Donkey Kong, Frogger, Galaga, House of the Dead, Jungle Hunt, Mortal Kombat 2, NBA Jam, Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Q-Bert, Robocop, Robotron, Simpsons, Space Invaders, Stargate, Star Wars, Street Fighter II, Super Pac-man, Tekken 3, Tempest, Tetris, Track & Field, Wizard of Wor, X-Men.