For a heavy dose of nostalgia – or the chance to expose a generation raised on technology to the tactile game of pinball – the new Classic Arcade Pinball Museum downtown is a great way to while away a few hours (or an entire day).
It’s easy to lose track of time amongst the flashing lights and pinging sounds of the dozens of different games attempting to draw you in. “I don’t think people realize how long they end up playing,” says Michael Rowland, who co-owns the museum with Dave Alverson.
Rather than exhibits behind glass or other barriers, the interactive museum features just shy of 40 classic pinball machines produced between the 1930s and 2016, most of which are playable.
Over the past year, the duo has traveled the country purchasing the machines from private collections, where most ended up when arcades started closing down in the ’80s. People can pay by the hour or the day for unlimited play, with the ability to come and go as they choose. Rowland says most people who pay the hourly rate end up springing for the all-day pass, once he taps on their shoulder to let them know their time is up.
Chattanooga’s Classic Arcade Pinball Museum is among a crop of similar establishments popping up over the past few years from New York to Wisconsin to California. There’s a pinball museum in Asheville and Gatlinburg, and one opening soon in Atlanta.