Where To Play
Venues for playing pinball can be categorized as:
- Locations
- Arcades, "barcades", bars, restaurants and other entertainment venues (bowling alleys, miniature golf locations, etc.) can be located with the help of Pinball Location Databases
- Pinball-specific venues
- Pinball/arcade museums
- Pinball Show and Expos
- Local Pinball Leagues and Clubs
- Collector Community
- Involvement and networking in the local pinball community provides opportunities to attend pinball-related social gatherings or just stopping by to play pinball with a fellow collector
Pinball locator databases are available here pinballrebel.com, pinballmap.com, sternpinball.com, and pinside.com. A pinball locator for the United Kingdom can be found at Pinformer, for Sweden at Svenska flippersällskapet, for Denmark at Fonzy and Find A Pinball for other areas outside of the U.S.
You may also look for a local Pinball Club or League if you care to find other fans of pinball near you. Some club members will invite members to their private homes to enjoy their collection. Start your search at the IFPA Leagues page, look to see if there is a group near you on meetup.com, or use meetup.com to start your own. (Look to the San Diego Pinball Club as a guide on how to start a successful - with 200+ members - pinball club via meetup.com.)
1 Pinball Location Databases
| Name | Coverage | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| pinballrebel.com | ||
| pinballmap.com | ||
| pinside.com | ||
| sternpinball.com | ||
| Pinformer | UK | |
| Svenska flippersällskapet | Sweeden | |
| Fonzy | Denmark | |
| Find A Pinball | Outside US |
1.1 Canada
Places to play pinball in Canada.
1.1.1 General
Canadian Public Pinball Finder, an editable spreadsheet of pinball locations throughout Canada.
1.1.2 British Columbia
| Area | Locations | Machines | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver | 48 | 78 | pinballmap.com/bc |
- Numbers were current as of October 11, 2011.
1.2 United States
Places to play pinball in the United States of America.
1.2.1 California
| Area | Locations | Machines | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bay Area | 208 | 449 | pinballmap.com/bayarea |
| Los Angeles | 91 | 194 | pinballmap.com/la |
| San Diego | 78 | 113 | pinballmap.com/sandiego |
- Numbers were current as of September 25, 2011.
1.2.2 Colorado
| Area | Locations | Machines | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | 119 | 210 | pinballmap.com/colorado |
- Numbers were current as of September 25, 2011.
1.2.3 Illinois
| Place | Address | Type of Location | Machines | Hours | Cost to Play | More Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CP Pinball | 115 Sinclair Avenue, Roxana, IL 62087 | Arcade | Many (see game list) | Varies - see website | $10 Unlimited | [1] |
| Gameworks | 601 N. Martingale Road, Ste. 115, Schaumburg, IL 60173 | Arcade | Tron, The Rolling Stones, Avatar, Iron Man, Family Guy, 24, Sopranos | M,T,W 11AM-Midnight - Thurs 11AM-1AM - Sat 10AM-2AM - Sun 10AM-Midnight | 2-3 Credits, Game Gard System | [2] |
| Area | Locations | Machines | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | 214 | 400 | pinballmap.com/chicago |
- Numbers were current as of September 25, 2011.
1.2.4 Kentucky
Zanzabar - located at 2100 South Preston St. Louisville, KY 40217 - is Louisville's only barcade. There are no less than 8 pinballs on the floor at any given time and a nice selection of classic arcade video games.
From the Zanzabar website:
"Zanzabar has established a local reputation as one of Louisville’s oldest neighborhood gems and newest casual cuisine and live entertainment destinations. Zanzabar offers up Louisville’s only vintage arcade and hosts weekly pinball tournaments. Sunday trivia nights are wildly entertaining, and Zbar also serves as an award-winning, intimate live-music venue for both local and popular national and international touring acts, which grace the stage many nights every single week."
The pinballs on the floor are rotated out quite frequently. Check the website or call for the latest game list.
1.2.5 Maryland
- Crabtowne USA - Glen Burnie
- 1500 Crain Hwy. 21060
| Machine | Price To Play | Overall Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Police Force | Unknown | Unknown |
| Road Kings | 25 Cents | Doesn't play all that well, very dirty |
| Black Knight 2000 | 25 cents | Normal wear on Magna-Save, hasn't been cleaned in years, plays alright |
| PinBot | 25 Cents | Broken Spiral for skill shot, plays decent |
| The Addams Family | 50 Cents | Somewhat dirty, plays well |
| A bunch more, just added the first few to get this page started for others. |
1.2.6 Massachusetts
Cinemark movie theatre, Hadley MA. As of this writing, the two games at the site are Medieval Madness and World Poker Tour. MM needs pitch adjustment; machine is set up way to shallow, making ball control nearly impossible. I may show up with a level and a crescent wrench next time. WPT plays well, pop bumpers a little sluggish.
TUlly O'Reilly's Pub, Northampton MA Lord of the Rings and Monster Bash. Both machines working well, MB recently cleaned and given a once-over. Tournament held every Sunday night!
Garden Cinema, Greenfield MA LOTR, South Park. Both working well, even though SP is a lousy pin.
Miller's Pub, Miller's Falls MA No Good Gofers. Decent. Outlane kickback sometimes unreliable, pops a bit less than they should be.
Route 63 Roadhouse, Miller's Falls MA Elvira: Scared Stiff! Plays pretty much like new.
Family Fun Center, Erving MA Rocky and Bullwinkle. Well maintained, almost new condition.
Packard's, Northampton MA Tales of the Arabian Nights. I haven't played this in a while; it was playing great last time I was there, but a friend tells me last time he was there it had flipper issues. Hoping they've done some maintenance, it's a great game.
Harvard Lanes, Harvard MA Pirates of the Caribbean. Like-new condition.
| Area | Locations | Machines | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 36 | 150 | pinballmap.com/boston |
- Numbers were current as of September 25, 2011.
1.2.7 Minnesota
| Place | Address | Type of Location | Machines | Cost to Play | More Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SS Billiards | 732 11th Ave. South Hopkins, MN | Arcade | Arcade, Pinball, Pool Tables. Home of LTG :), Pinball Circus, May Day Pinball Tournament, Launch Those Geese, Pinball Picnics, various events | ? | ssbilliards.com |
1.2.8 Nevada
| Place | Address | Type of Location | Machines | Cost to Play | More Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pinball Hall of Fame | 1610 E. Tropicana, Las Vegas NV 89119 | Arcade/Musem | Many (see game list) | Varies | http://www.pinballmuseum.org/ |
1.2.9 New Hampshire
| Place | Address | Type of Location | Machines | Cost to Play | More Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Pinball Wizard Arcade | 150 Bridge Street (Rt. 38) Unit P, Pelham NH 03076 | Arcade | 104 (see game list) | Tokens? | www.pinballwizardarcade.net |
| Funspot | 579 Endicott Street North, Laconia, NH 03246 | Arcade | ??? | Tokens? | www.funspotnh.com |
1.2.10 New Jersey
| Place | Address | Type of Location | Machines | Cost to Play | More Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 on the Break | 340 North Ave Dunellen, NJ | Arcade, | Arcade, Pool Tables, Pinball | ? | thebreak.net |
| Silverball Museum - Pinball Hall of Fame | 1000 Ocean Ave Asbury Park, NJ | Museum | Arcade & Pinball. Over 200 machines. | hourly/daily admission fees | silverballmuseum.com |
1.2.11 Ohio
Rest Stops
- Great Lakes Rest Stop I-80 West: Ripley's Believe It Or Not
- Oak Springs Rest Stop I-80 West: Roadshow
1.2.12 Oregon
| Area | Locations | Machines | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland | 230 | 487 | pinballmap.com/portland |
- Numbers were current as of September 25, 2011.
1.2.13 Pennsylvania
| Place | Address | Type of Location | Machines | Cost to Play | More Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pinball Gallery | 81 Lancaster Ave, Great Valley Center, Malvern, PA 19355 | Arcade/Retail Store | ~50 (see game list) | $8/hour, $20/all-day | www.pinballgallery.net |
| Old Sled Works | 722 North Market Street, Duncannon, Pa. 17020 | Crafts & Antiques / Arcade | Approximately 5 EM pinball machines (currently: Baseball, Sky Jump, Bow and Arrow, Dixieland, & Capt. Fantastic) with many other coin-op EM arcade games including pitch n' bat, gun games, Skee Ball, driving games game list (game list is a little outdated) | Typically 25c per play) | www.sledworks.com |
1.2.14 South Carolina
| Place | Address | Type of Location | Machines | Cost to Play | More Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beach Club | Seabrook Island, SC | Arcade | Demolition Man, Austin Powers | 50c | |
| South of the Border | Dillon, SC | Arcade | Fish Tales | 50c | www.thesouthoftheborder.com |
1.2.15 Tennessee
| Place | Address | Type of Location | Machines | Cost to Play | More Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game Galaxy | 5252 Hickory Hollow Pkwy #2005, Antioch, TN 37013 (Hickory Hollow Mall) | Arcade | ~20 (see game list) | 50c per play | http://gamegalaxyarcade.com |
1.2.16 Washington
| Area | Locations | Machines | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 93 | 202 | pinballmap.com/seattle |
| Spokane | 47 | 73 | pinballmap.com/spokane |
- Numbers were current as of September 25, 2011.