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Pinball Hall Of Fame
Rating Details »
1610 E Tropicana Ave
Las Vegas, NV 89119
(702) 000-0000
Las Vegas, NV 89119
(702) 000-0000
- Hours:
Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
112 reviews for Pinball Hall Of Fame
New location! Still in the process of being upgraded.
Calling "Julie Pinball"! This is your Nirvana. So many classic pinball games that bring back so many memories and lost quarters! It's awesome to see these games restored to their full working order and fully playable. I wasted many a time playing a lot of the games here. They have pinball machines dating back to 1957 (at least that's the oldest one I found) to the present day. Seeing how the game has progressed from it's simple beginnings to what it is now was really cool. Just about all the games had an index card with a brief history of the production of the game. I found it curious that the owner renamed the most of the games on the card, like calling "Ice Revue" "Mice Revue" and "Xenon" "Xenox" and such. Intentional? Who cares. As long as he knows how to fix them and make them playable.
I don't know how today's kids would respond to these "low tech" marvels. There weren't any there when I was there. It was definitely an older crowd around 50. There was even a grizzled Lucille Ball raspy voiced pinball version of a slot jockey that admonished me for being at a pinball game that wasn't being used because she said her husband was playing it. Uh, there wasn't anyone there. Was she seeing things?
There's also some classic video game machines like Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, Asteroids, Super Mario Bros, etc... to add more history to coin operated games.
I wished that this new location was done when I came. I heard there are more machines that are in storage waiting to be put out on the floor. I wonder if they have that Gator pinball machine that The Fonz used to play on Happy Days. It would be cool to see that.
Stop by and play some games and get something in return for your money. Unlike the casinos!
Fanboy alert:
I can't stand the usual ta-do in Vegas. I hate gambling, not much of a drinker and I have to go here every year for work. So when I turned my receipts in to the business office they laughed at me. If I'm in Vegas, I'm at one of 4 places; here, Gameworks, New York, New York upstairs arcade and I finish off at the Paris with a Hennessey XO. This place is simply pinball nirvana. This is wonderful place for the 35+ nostalgic crowd. If you are in this group, break away one night from your party, the standard blackjack and nickel slots and head over to the Pinball Hall of Fame.
+1 for Bride of Pinbot
Our trip here started off rocky. I had printed the directions off their website. They have moved but the instructions for how to get there by bus had not been updated so we got off at the old location. A sign on the door showed a map to the new location, which was NOT drawn to scale. We started walking back towards the strip only to discover that the 2 blocks shown was inaccurate. We finally caught a bus.
That being said, once we finally found the place, the proprietors were apologetic about the mixup on the website and said they would correct it. We played pinball for a hour or so and had a great time. They are still in the process of relocating so there weren't as many games as I had hoped but they said that eventually they should have around 400 games when they are all moved in.
We will return (to the correct location) next time to play again. It was a fun experience and we took LOTS of good pictures.
Wow, what a place. We saw shows, ate at the best restaurants, hit the Spas, Sports-books and Roulette tables, but the Pinball Hall of Fame was the most fun I had on this trip. It's cheap, gritty, and when I walked in the door I was instantly transported back to the arcades of my childhood. This is a gem; I can't wait to go there again.
Pinball is way harder than I remember... maybe I've always sucked at it, but wow, $5 didn't last me very long here at all.. LOL.
Bonus points to this place for letting my group bring coolers of beer here to enjoy. Pinball + beer = happiness.
As an acolyte of the Holy Temple of the Pinball Hall of Fame, I had been meaning to make a pilgrimage.
I have fulfilled my obligation.
Walking in, I was greeted by a bunch of old friends. Some I had not seen since I was a child and others have been in my life much more recently. I embraced them. Literally. I walked over to The Theater of Magic and hugged the machine. (I had actually dropped a quarter on the floor, so I had to bend down to retrieve it. I held on to the machine for balance. It was a hug, an awkward one, but a hug nonetheless)
I got $5 in quarters for Jeff and another $5 for myself. The change machine actually gives change back in bills, if you put in a $20. I liked that. I was worried about carrying around $20 in quarters. Luckily, I was able to get $5 in quarters and 3 $5 bills. Thank goodness!
Favorites?
Theater of Magic, my handsdown favorite
Bride of Pinbot, a close second favorite
Pinbot
Black Knight
Black Knight 2000
Xenon, so frickin' cool
Funhouse
Data East Star Trek
Original Star Trek
Dr. Who
I played several older machines that I had never played before. They take a certain level of skill that I did not possess. I like that.
I would have been there until I ran out of money, but Jeff got tired and had to leave. He didn't even spend all of his $5. WTF? He is not a follower of the Order of Pinball. For shame!
One-of-a-kind cultural treasure
Pinball Hall of Fame's 100th review!
"Video killed the radio star."
VHS made the porno star.
And video games killed the pinball wizard.
But at the Pinball Hall of Fame, you can be your own Tommy and play the pinball and arcade games of your adolescence.
Located behind an unassuming storefront in a dingy strip mall east of the Las Vegas Strip, the Pinball Hall of Fame is a one-of-a-kind cultural treasure. These pinball and arcade games are the best machines in Vegas to put your money: 100% payout in fun and memories that are truly priceless.
The machines cover several decades of pinball history, providing not only an exciting and nostalgic experience for the player, but also offer a unique view of American cultural history through the images and figures of the machines.
The organization owns twice as many games than the space they rent, leading them to periodically rotate games through the facility. No two visits to this place are the same.
There is no other repository of pinball machines like this in the country, so be sure to stop by when in Vegas. (On a related topic, see the Musée Mécanique in San Francisco: http://www.yelp.com/bi...).
Even though I'm not a pinball nerd by any stretch of the imagination, this place is definitely nirvana for those into waxing nostalgic with this old-school form of entertainment. According to the owner, he has a warehouse full of vintage pinball machines that are rotated out every couple of months to give them some good use.
I'm not entirely familiar with many of the classic machines, but this place has just about every awesome one you can think of. KISS, A Nightmare on Elm St., Dracula, Guns N' Roses, classic pinball machines from the 40's/50's/60's... you name it, they probably have it. They've got one of 2 machines made for the difficult-as-hell Circus, a three-level game which requires great skill to get anywhere. They also have Revenge From Mars, the game intended to reinvigorate the world of pinball back in 2000.
The place is kinda dingy, though that adds to the charm more than anything. Still, I'd love to see these machines housed in a properly air-conditioned, state of the art facility. The air conditioning as of right now consists of some box fans from Target hung from the ceiling using plastic ties in front of an open air pipe. Obviously, a new system is in need. As an added retro bonus, check out the merchandise case. Some interesting items lurk in there... Bottom line: this is an awesome place to kill an hour or two.
Hear yee hear yee fanboys.
If you want to get your pinball on, this is the place.
They have some pretty amazing things here and all of the favorites you need to play.
This place is also a non-profit, so there are a bunch of copies of checks to made out to charity on the wall.
So in addition to all the games on-site, there are 1100 more pinball games in a warehouse.
They are also going to be moving closer to the strip soonish.
There are some totally bizarre pinball sets here. Orbiter1 is like pinball on the moon; unlike any pinball games I've ever played.
Play some Street Fighter, play some Comet and Cyclone, play some Invaders from Mars. Play House of Magic and F-14.
There is a vertical pinball game here which cost $1.5M to develop and only two were ever made. One is in a private residence and not available to the public, and this one is available to play. When it breaks, it's broken, so come quick and try it out!
Located about a few miles south of old Vegas, this place is hidden in a strip mall next to the movie theaters. You will have to look out for the big sign that just reads "Pinball". When you pull in, it's hard to figure out where exactly it is since they are missing a store sign.
As you walk in, the smell is a bit reminiscent of a Goodwill store. Once you get past that sudden whiff of funky musk, childhood memories of the being at the arcade will slowly set. The great thing about this place is that they operate using quarters and not tokens. The place is decent in size and is about the size of 3-4 In-N-Out dining areas large.
As you walk up and down the aisles, you will notice an eclectic mix of old and new arcades, video games and misc. vending machines. The older machines operate on $.25, while the newer ones fetch for about $.50-$1.00, fair market value of play for the genre for which the games were around. Once you begin to play, you may notice that there are little 3x5 cards and strips of papers which highlight the history of the game or how they recovered the game. Sort of reminded me of VH1 pop-up videos.
TIP #1: This is a great place to serve as your last destination before hitting the airport. It is conveniently located just a few small miles away.
This place is the best! Many of the posts here are complaining about
the decore. Please remember this is a not-for-profit working on a shoestring budget. Maybe one day a high roller will fall in love with the place and donate 20g's to put in new carpet or maybe even find them a prettier home. Until then I am gonna keep pumping my quarters in to support them!
The first time I came here, I walked up and down the aisles for at least 15 minutes giggling and talking to myself. As I was alone, I don't think this was necessarily a good thing. The ensuing pinball high led to a fight with my travel companions and I almost got left behind (no big shame, until I ran out of quarters, that is).
This is absolutely, hands down, the best time to be had in Vegas. I haven't been back lately, but when we do finally get out there, this will be our first (and second, and third) stop. Yay!
p.s. My friend got proposed to here.
So glad Vegas has this place. Its really fun to spend sometime in here and play all the different machines plus its next to a $2 movie theater, cant get a cheaper better date than that. Very fun!
My only complaint about this place is they need the Tommy pinball machine and it is perfect!!
You can even hang out in here long enough to get snacks and drinks at the vending machines. This is the kinda place that you could get lost in for hours, as long as you have a pile of change in your pockets.
There is a great collection of old and new games, some that offer cheap plays of 3 games for the price of 2.
I think this is a great choice to get off the strip and enjoy a fun few hours blowing your change here instead of gambling.
I'm not a huge pinball fan, but this place is definitely worth a visit for the pinball and more so for the classic arcade games. I did find myself utterly entertained by some vintage pinball games (baseball?) but moreso by the vintage video games that were almost all - still! - a quarter.
I played the original asteroids, mr. do, donkey kong, mario brothers/super, and more and it was totally entertaining. These games are almost psychedelic in intensity - the colors, the sounds, and the gameplay is excellent. But Vegas is kinda ghetto in general and this is away from the well manicured Strip.
On the way in to the parking lot I was asked "for a ride to get away from her abusive boyfriend" from a totally wasted freckle faced woman. This kind of grinding poverty is sadly everywhere in Vegas. I opted to idly indulge myself in retro-gaming instead of driving this woman around. Did I mention this was in a kinda ghetto part of town?
The place wasn't terribly clean, and one corner of the place doubled as a work shop for repairing pinball machines looked like an explosion of solder, JB Weld, small pieces of plastic and other odd stains surrounding the guts of some machine in progress. This place is a testament to the talent of those who keep these machines going.
There is the obligatory non-nutritious sugar product vending machines to allow you to suck down a manzanita soda while playing Tron or to eat a handful of some M&Ms for a quarter.
The clientele was mostly adults, surprisingly, and few children. The days of the public arcade are dead and this place is where people relive their days of playing Donkey Kong while stoned and ditching third period PE.
One reviewer mentioned that this was a place to see 40 year olds who crawled out of the parents basements, but perhaps that is part of the entertainment value of video games - they are a place to have fun without invidious comparison and social pressure. Its nerd gaming. Although it made me realize how social public gaming was and how the move towards private home gaming consoles might have lost something. We have become afraid of the public, each other.
So bring your cash to this dirty little place and have its change machine shoot out your quarters all over the floor (as it did for me) and get your (video) game on. Your mom needs to vacuum your basement room anyway and you need to get out. Seriously.
I don't know what I could say that would really give the idea of how amazing this place is. There is without a doubt the widest assortment of pinball machines that I have ever seen here. I highly recommend that everyone try Orbiter1 (gravity defying pinball is the best way I can describe it).
There is a wide and varied selection of pinball machines here, everything from a machine for "The Dark Knight" to some amazing antique baseball pinball machines that were a blast to play . Many of the machines have hand written writeups attached to give you a bit of the machine's history.
Also all of the machines are configured to give the maximum number of balls per play so even if you're dropping 75c in you're going to get your money's worth. In addition the prices on the snack and drink machines were more than reasonable.
It is obvious that the focus of this this place is on the Pinball machines, they are all immaculately maintained and a joy to play. This is on my must visit again list when I'm back in Vegas.
Seriously, a fun time. This was the perfect place to kill time from checking out of one hotel and waiting to check in to another one.
There were a ton of games that we played including Bride of Pinbot, Bonsai Run, Star Trek: TNG, old and new baseball games, and a few other old video games from my childhood like Paperboy, Spy Hunter and Super Punch Out! All the games were reasonably priced at 25 cents, or 50 cents (and 2 plays for 75 cents). For a few brief moments it was easy to get lost in being a kid in an arcade again!
The only let down is that both Kristine and I had a machine in mind that we remember from our childhoods and they didn't seem to have it (called Fire! if anyone remembers is). We may have to track that one down and recondition it ourselves!
Holy long john silver, Batman! There are a lot of old school pinball machines here! The Batman was pretty cool. There was thing crazy one and darnit I can't remember the name of it but it looked like the surface of a new planet or something. It was crazy. If you know what I'm talking about, let me know because I sound ridiculous. The Street Fighter was pretty rad. The picture of Chun Li and Ken are narly. Chun Li straight up looks Hispanic and Ken just straight up looks retarded. Horrible artwork but hilarious. The only downfall is no AC... that kind of sucked. There's only one chair in the whole place but don't make the mistake of sitting down on it like I did. I had like 3 people come up to me telling me there was trouble with their pinball machine. "Uhh, I don't work here."
I can sit here and try to pound out a witty review for this place, but nothing I say will do it justice.
The machines here are in beautiful condition and you can really tell the owner loves what he does. If you love pinball, you need to come in here...they even have the holy grail of pinball machines, Pinbo. I had the sheer pleasure of watching the elephant tip a ball and I loved every second of it.
And...my all time favorite....Twilight Zone. *sigh* Those were the good ol' days...going to Chief Ike's in DC, sipping on some cocktails and playing hours of Twilight Zone......except this one worked much better.
Thank you for preserving these machines! If you ever need to get rid of Twilight Zone, drop me a note! ;D
Fun, fun, fun!
Classic pinball and video games machines at classic prices!
It's a tad off the beaten path, so a few cabbies had never heard of it, but it was nice to get away from the strip and all the B.S. Definitely a locals hangout, but even in my touristie-garb I didn't receive any obnoxious attitude or icy-looks.
Everybody was there for classic arcade action.
If you love old two player baseball pinball machines you'll particularly enjoy their selection, but if you don't there is much more to enjoy.
Seriously, don't waste your money donating to the one-armed bandits (slot machines). Take your quarters and go to the Pinball Hall Of Fame. Believe me, you will thank me! This is a place that will bring out the inner child in everyone.
We had an adventure finding the place. Of course the day that we decide to venture out in the rental car, Vegas has torrential downpours...just our luck. Pinball Hall Of Fame was a fun (and inexpensive) place to go. The games range in cost from $0.25 - $1.00 and you get typically 3 rounds for cost. If your looking for something to do and get tired of the Strip, venture over and give this place a whirl!
Wow. Just wow.
Came here with a bachelor party. I'm glad strippers were on the "no-no" list, we spent 4 hours here just playing the awesome games that this place/museum keeps. Almost all functioning, all fantastic!
I have not played pin ball since I was a tween, and I'll tell you this, I am no pinball wizard. I had forgotten how fun pinball is (when you can actually afford it), most of the pinball games are 25 cents, unless they're special, then they're 50-75 cents. One of them was one dollar, but it was 1 of 2 concept games that were built but never put into production. Give that one a go, it's on casters so you're supposed to try to tilt it!
15 bucks lasted me 4 hours, this is one of the best, cheapest things to do in Vegas. Our group was allowed to bring alcohol in (call and ask first) so we had a grand time playing, drinking, and reading the history of each machine!
This is the best $10 we spent in Vegas. They have stand up Donkey Kong or Asteroids which I havent played in 20+ years. They also have a ton of pinball machines, Simpsons, Kiss, and Gun n Roses. This is definatly a place to check out to get away from the Strip and feel like you get more for your money.
Awesome way to spend an afternoon in Vegas. This place is truly one of a kind -- tons of games, all in mint condition (or as close as possible), all obsessively maintained (no "Out of Order" signs or eating quarters). Old light & bell games, classics from every decade and the newest stuff too. My favorite is Funhouse. If you're having a low-key, cheap Vegas trip make sure to set an afternoon aside here. Break a 20 into quarters and by the time they're gone it's time for dinner. 20 bucks is gone in no time at the casino. Go have some fun away from the crappy generic music and maddening din of the casinos.
It can be tough to find the place, a move was planned when I was there last (2/09) but as far as I can tell it's still at Tropicana/Pecos. It's in a mini mall on the NW corner of the intersection.
This is by far the best selection of pinball machines I have ever seen. Tim, the owner, has assembled quite a collection of games. From games like Twilight Zone to old wood rail machines, this museum has it all. There is even a one-of-a-kind game that I love to play called Circus.
I was told during my last visit that the museum was going to move into a much larger space down the road. I will update when that happens.
If you like pinball, do yourself a favor and check it out. I never leave Vegas without a visit.
I get picked up at McCarran by my buddies who drove here the night before. Instead of taking a left to the strip, I convinced them to take a right and head down Tropicana to here. I only know the spot because I had read the Vegas ROTD from yesterday.
This place is huge. It has a lot of pinball machines and is basically a pinball museum. Starting with the 50s, there are machines from every decade. Their pinball machines range from Star Wars to the Dark Knight. There are also old school arcade games like pong. Being in here, it made me feel like I was six again at the local arcade.
My buddies and I killed a few hours here just playing pinball. When everything is less than a dollar to play, we saved money. No person spent more than $4. It is definitely a cheap, fun alternative to the debauchery that was going to happen at night. If you like pinball, this is a must-visit that won't disappoint.
We stumbled onto this place while looking for something to do with while visiting Vegas with my 5 and 9 year olds. We had a great time - and I do not even enjoy video games very much. Who can resist pinball machines, Donkey Kong, Centipede and Asteroids, among others? Really, it was fun for all!
As far as cost, there were four of us playing and we spent $27. Granted, my 5 year old needed assistance with games mostly - so I would really count that number as three players for that amount of time. Still, we thought it was a pretty good deal.
Thanks again, Yelpers, for making me fall in love! this place is amazing!
I won a stuffed animal from a claw machine made in the 1920's! Other than winning $300 on a price is right slot machine and meeting Ludacris in the club, THAT was the highlight of my Vegas trip! Ok.....it wasn't but it was still awesome!
The only bathroom door didnt lock, and the change machine ate my five dollar bill, but it will take much more than that to make me give this place anything less than a 5-star rating.
In a town that sometimes seems to run on quarters, this is by far the best place to spend them.
I am a pinball fan. I have been a fan since the days that I had to stand on a milk crate to see the whole table. This place is Mecca, and a required stop whenever I'm in Vegas.
I haven't seen this many different working tables in one place since the arcade boom of the 80s. You haven't either. And these are maintained far far better than anything you'd find in the wild, now or in the past. This place is amazing. (And it doesn't have the crowds of CA Extreme or the Pacific Pinball Expo)
An easy bus ride from the four corners, a world away from the strip, and the highlight of many many peoples' trip to Vegas... if you haven't been to the pinball hall of fame, you haven't really played pinball.
Thanks fellow yelpers for making me aware of this place. What a great place to (cheaply) spend an afternoon in Vegas! I loved the Medieval game, the Family Guy game, and the Bad Cats game the best.
We were told that the owner of this place gives the profits to charity too...Awesome!
We were also told that they are currently in the process of getting a bigger location because they have so many more games to put out....I will definitely be visiting again after the move to try some new games.
I finally made it here this time! It was sooooooo FUNNNNNNNNNNN. There are so many cool pinball machines. And they even have Gauntlet, my all time favorite. Well, the only game I really knew how to play and my fiance and I used to play it when we were dating. :)
We forgot our camera, so my fiance kept taking picture after picture with his cell phone. There are at least 7 Star Wars, Southpark, Simpsons, Austin Powers, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Pong, Pacman, and so on. Just too many to name.
If you like pinball machines, you've got to come here. This is not a pinball machine museum. This is pinball machine heaven!!!
If you are a pinball or arcade aficionado, you would have died and gone to heaven. There is rows of pinball machine from every era. I only wish there was a place like this when I was in middle school.
I would have my high school boyfriend pick me up in a top down convertible bumping NKOTB or a Dr. Dre gangsta song and I would be snapping my pink bubblicious gum in a Olivia Newton "Let's get Physical" gear.
Every type of pop culture reference is featured:
Star Wars
Austin Powers
Family Guy (which is my favorite with the most action going on)
Knight Rider
The Simpson
They even have a vertical pinball machine, the most expensive at $1.00. My friends would be the first to tell you I can't win to save my life....but for some reason I was scoring like Britney with her legs open on the shooting game. Don't mess with me on air hockey I score so bad even a onion would cry.
I had tons of fun for $5. Who says a girl needs a gift from Tiffany's? Take her here and create some priceless "kicked-his-ass-in-every-game" memories.
This place is very overwhelming when you first step in, but a sense of awe takes over as you insert your first quarter into one of the machines. It's a great way to kill a few hours without spending $100 at a slot machine.
It definitely gets a creepy mid-40s clientele with panel vans at times. If you go with a handful of friends you're in for a good time.
Pinballs!!!
This place rules! It's a dark but huge room full of nearly 100 pinball machines of all different types. If you enjoy pinball, you could seriously spend hours here just playing all different kinds of games. Because I sucked, I spent $5 in about an hour playing.
It was really cool seeing the early built pinball machines as well as modern machines. There's definitely a big difference between them too.
It's located in a strip mall a few miles from the strip but isn't too difficult to find. Highly recommended!!
For those who grew up and remembered when the arcade scene was actually relevant, the Pinball Hall of Fame is a return to that nostalgic time, right down to the darkened alleys of pinball machines, lit only by their backlighting.
The amount of machines available is really impressive, dating from the 1950's to even modern games (they still make pinball machines, however few). The games are also rotated out, so it's never the same experience each time.
The games are priced as they would be in the arcades of old, so $10 can last you for quite a while. The staff is always around, and willing to help if you get a ball stuck, or a coin lost.
For non-pinball fans, there's even a row of classic arcade machines, so one can play Tron, Punch-Out!!, and Space Invaders if you need a little bit of diversity.
It's a favorite spot of mine. It sports a wide variety of games, and makes for an enjoyable and nostalgic experience each time I go in.
A buddy who lived in Vegas but doesn't anymore took me there last time I went...I at first didn't want to stay long but I was hooked and we stayed 2 hours...very cheap entertainment in a town where it is hard to find....many classic machines from when I grew up in the 70s...including baseball games...the owner is really nice and helpfull...and can fix frequent glitches quickly....I'll visit the PHOF again when I go back to LV late this year
This place is AHHHH MAZING!
Fun and Inexpensive - a must see for anyone in Vegas or Visiting Vegas! The Dollar Cinema is right next door so a movie and a game all in 1 - Ahhhhh...
One of the best things in Vegas. Its weird and wacky and low rent and FAB. We had a blast on $3 worth of quarters. Way better than slot machines! It's like a hands-on museum. The range of machines was incredible, and the proprietor has made little handwritten signs detailing the history of each one. Obviously a labor of love, which makes it that much better.
No matter what your poison is, he's got it. I loved the super old ones that give you 5 balls for a quarter, but there's also a brand new Batman:The Dark Knight game.
When you're sick of casinos, take a breather and come here.
I will give it 5 stars because I really loved this place. I especially loved all the nostalgia of old cranes and pinball. Very neat.
We will for sure go back on our next trip to Vegas as long as it is still around.
Friendly owners. The place was clean.
IMO There were only a few things I thought could use improvement:
-At least 5 games were out of order.
-needs some paint/decorating inside. I think it could really be a fabulous place.
Visited the pinball hall of fame during our last visit to Vegas. At first we were a little weirded out by the dark interior, drawn blinds and the two 40+ year old guys that apparently just woke up and left their parent's basements for the day.
Once inside, we found tons of old pinball machines and video games that I remembered from years ago. Almost all of the games were in working order and were quite fun to play. Overall, it was a good way to spend an hour or so before our flight out of town and without spending too much $$$.
