National Pinball Museum

Thought it was great, had a lot fun on my visit here. A chance to play games you don’t see very often and even a couple super rare ones I’ve never seen before.

Very fun for all you pinball aficionado

Preface: My husband would give this review four stars. He enjoys pinball, so he really liked his trip there.
I, on the other hand, do not enjoy pinball. I am terrible, and the ball always falls through the center within like 30 seconds of me starting the game, so the experience was not as enjoyable for me.
It’s a bit pricey to get in, but we had a coupon from one of the deal sites, which included two cards with $ 5 credits on them to play the pinball machines, and admission to the museum.
As far as actual exhibits, it was lacking and the parts that did have text seemed a bit lengthy for an exhibition. It was interesting to see some of the older machines and learn about some of the history. For example, pinball machines were considered a form of gambling in the early years.
The playing room was dark with one fan and no air-​conditioning. That’s a bit depressing. My husband thought it added to the experience, for some reason. Again, I’m terrible at pinball, so the actual playing of the game was not thrilling to me (nor was watching my husband play game that lasted five or so minutes…). They had a lot of machines you could play (approximately 40 or so), though. Most games run 50 cents, so you get ten games to a card.
if you like pinball, go. If you don’t care about it, don’t. It’s closing in a few months, so if you want to go, now’s your chance!

Just found about this place a couple of weeks ago when I read an article about the newly opened Pinball Musuem to close. I was exctied to go as my brother’s and I are all fans of this hard-​to-​find type of gaming.
We went this past weekend and they recently reduced their rates for entry. I think it was about $ 3 for admission and each machine was .75 cents. The museum part was short and a bit boring to be honest. I’m not the muesum go-​er though. The more interesting part was of course the pinball machines. Overall I think there were 20 or so different machines to play. There were a few from the 70’s and 80’s and the rest from the 90’s. It was fun to finally get to play a pinball machine that wasn’t broken and where we could try more than 1. But the problem was smaller than I had hoped and the actual gaming room was cramped and very hot. Thankfully it wasn’t busy the day we went.
I hope that when they close they can move to a better location. It would be great to have more modern and playable machines. Most of their machines were not playable and apart of the museum experience. They were the wooden type that looked cool but wouldn’t be much fun to play anyway.

I am obsessed with pinball. I became addicted while growing up very close to a seaside arcade, and also having friends with a pinball machine in their house. So when I heard about the National Pinball Museum, I was excited.
The museum is small and is unfortunately located in a mall in Georgetown. The brief exhibits review the history of pinball, the U.S. prohibition of pinball, and the manufacturing of pinball machines and pinball machine art. The antique pinball machines are cool, especially the ones without flippers, but you can’t play them. I’ll be honest: I kind of rushed through the exhibits so I could get to the machines.
The museum was running a special on the price: for $ 21, my sister and I gained admission plus a total of 8 plays on the machines. I do not necessarily think the price is worth it for everyone, but if you love pinball, you will get over it. They had some fun machines — Guns N’ Roses and Avatar were two that I liked, but alas, Monopoly, my favorite pinball machine, was not there. The gift shop is small and not particularly inspiring — I would have expected some cool artwork for the merchandise, but no such luck.

Ah, pinball. Combine this with a skee ball museum and I’d be extremely happy. Oh wait that’s the arcade. I love pinball. I’m not sure where this love came from. I have an early memory of playing pinball in a hotel arcade on family trip to New Jersey. I grew up with friends that had pinball machines in there homes. Yup more than one friend actually pinball machine there house. Must be a North Beverly thing. Personally I find the history pinball pretty cool. Although I had actually read an article somewhere on the history of pinball so I didn’t feel the need to spend tons of time looking through that part of the museum. Pinball is definitely a large piece of Americana. I found the pinball machine area a bit small but lots of cool and interesting games. Was extremely impressed by the big sister’s pinball skills. had no idea she could play like that, but I digress.
We got lucky and the pinball museum was running a special that admission for two was $ 21 and we got 8 free games, but we didn’t know this and would have been willing to pay the normal $ 13.50 each plus gaming costs. Was also disappointed in the giftshop selections. Not much there was hoping for some postcards to send to other pinball loving friends but no such luck. Got a magnet for the bf.

The National Pinball Museum is quite unique and will especially interest those who are gamers or those who enjoy seeing how technology and/​or pop culture evolved during the last century. The museum features a large collection of pinball machines from the earliest days of the game to the present, and many of the machines are playable. Also, the museum features exhibits on the history of pinball machines and past and present manufacturing techniques of machines. If all of this sounds good to you, then you’re probably geeky enough to get your money’s worth out of this place. I admit that I’m a big geek at heart, and I had a great time here! Sure, its $ 13.50 for admission, and, in addition, you have to fill a card with credits for playing the machines… but there’s not many places where you can have this much fun (Vinny and I stayed about 1.5 hours) for less than $ 20.

FUN!
I know there are some gripes about the cost. Its $ 13.50 just to get in the door and all the pinball games were 50cents per play. But so? Scott and I put 5 bucks on a play card and that got us about an hour+ of entertainment.
If you’re not a gamer or into Pinball you might want to think twice. I found most of the fun in the arcade. Playing some of the older machines is a hoot. There are about 30 playable machines from every decade since the 50s!
There is a crazy wierd life sized diorama of Pinball through the ages. Takes about a minute to walk through. I wish the video room was working on our visit.
Go! Get some good pictures.

The National Pinball Museum is split in half, half museum, half arcade. The admission is around $ 14 and you have to pay $.50-​$ 1 for 1 play per game.
You can go into the video room and watch segments about the history of pinball and other stuff. There is also a LOT of information on how pinball came to be! And a rocking floor that simulates an old wooden ship’s deck. So cool! Did I mention the GIANT Pinball???
So yeah, it’s a lil steep to pay all that money to go. But totally worth it! I mean, it a BRAND NEW museum, that’s an actual museum, not an arcade touting itself to be a museum (cough…las vegas… cough…)
give it a chance, you will like it. And hey, Kids under 9 get in free! If you really like pinball, this is the place to visit at least once.

Unfortunately, I have to agree with the other negative reviews. The educational exhibits are interesting but it seems excessive to pay $ 13.50 per person to get in and then pay 50 cents or a dollar per game to play one of the pay-​to-​play machines. It would be a lot better if the admission price included $ 5 or so in free play.

Yee-​haw! It’s part museum, part arcade — and all of it seems to be the life-​dream of a passionate historical collector and massive pinball fan. It’s a massive trove of really cool machines, many wooden ones from the 40’s and 50’s. Many of them are still in good working order, and many of them you can play for free.
I thought the museum was pretty good, and even if not comprehensive, did have a pretty nice history of the game. Big issues it takes on: the invention of the flipper, pinball vs. the gambling lobbies, the dominance of the Gottlieb company, and the backboard art of a guy named Stan Fukuoka. There’s a wacky water-​floored room you can walk through that simulates being on a boat — be sure to check that out!
It’s a bit pricey to get in: $ 13.50 for adults (9-​and-​under are free). Games on the new machines are mostly 50 cents, while a lot of the older machines are free. I’d suggest that as a business model, they might consider expanding the arcade, and opening that up separate from the museum. Repeat visitors aren’t going to want to pay the full admission again, *or* pay the $ 80 for a year-​long pass. Serious pinballers might be disappointed that not all the new machines are working, so I’d suggest they either finish repairs, or at least post on the website what’s working and what’s not.
The location is on the main floor of an upscale-​but-​partly-​empty shopping mall in Georgetown.
It’s got its flaws, but seriously — this is one unique place, and a very enjoyable way to spend a few hours.

I had no idea what to expect when I visited, having only read a brief newspaper mention — but I thought it was a totally enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours with the kiddos. It’s certainly NOT a professional quality museum — nothing like a smithsonian or the spy museum or whatever. But there is a good bit of history, some easy to digest displays, and a ton of old school and modern pinball games just waiting to be played. There were maybe 20 free machines and a bunch more that cost 50 cents or a dollar each play. We totally enjoyed, and walked away with a bit more appreciation for the history and evolution of the game.

$ 13.50 just to enter the door, then $ 1 per game. It’s as if the person who started this TRIED to come up with a business plan that was sure to fail. And the décor reminded me of a bad nightmare I once had — like a nursery made by someone with lots of money but no taste.
I went in hoping to play about 3 straight hours of awesome pinball from my youth. I walked out of that place thinking «you people are out of your damn minds!». Check out the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas if you want to see how this is supposed to be done.

Rock n roll!
With such great games such as twilight zone, Addams family, etc. I am in one hundred percent love! The passion involves in the curators mission, is alone enough to get you to go.
Moving at the moment to Georgetown park, check their website for more info!
Any lovers of Pinball will not be disappointed, as the curator has the greatest wealth of knowledge I have ever been privy too.