The Pinball Hall of Fame, located just ten minutes off the well-beaten path of the Las Vegas Strip, offers every pinball enthusiast’s dream—a gallery filled with nothing but pinball machines and arcade games of every era from the 1950s to the 1990s. Tim Arnold, the owner of the Vegas pinball museum, started to realize his dream with the purchase of just one pinball machine, working little by little on growing his museum. Stopping by this unique attraction to play pinball in Las Vegas will appeal to everyone in the family, regardless of their age, which makes this one of the best things to do in Vegas with kids.

From a fairly young age, the owner of the Vegas pinball museum became avidly interested in this game and arcade machines in general. In 1972, at the age of 16, Tim Arnold, of Michigan, bought his first pinball machine simply for fun. However, when he learned of the eagerness with which many of the neighboring children and teenagers longed to play his game, he developed a plan that allowed everyone to play for ten cents a game. Progressively, he began to buy more games, installing them in local areas, such as laundry mats and grocery stores, and collecting the gains. Four years later, he opened his first establishment, Pinball Pete’s, in Lansing.

Arnold later packed up his own pinball machines and moved to Las Vegas after selling his interests in the owned arcades to his brother. By 1993, he established Fun Night, allowing his friends to play pinball in Las Vegas on his back porch. Fun Night’s popularity continued to increase, and the space continued to move and grow to accommodate the size of the parties; at its largest, Fun Night hosted a party of 1,000 guests. In addition to creating a bit of an income and advancing his dream of the Pinball Hall of Fame, Fun Night also donated to local charities, one of the largest being the Salvation Army.

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Located on East Tropicana Avenue, about a mile and a half from Las Vegas Boulevard, the Vegas pinball museum is open to the public seven days a week from 11 am to 11 pm. Entrance is free, but be sure to stock up on quarters to be able to enjoy the games. Profits from the Pinball Hall of Fame are contributed completely to various local charities. This establishment boasts a self-proclaimed obsessive focus on the games, and this is to avoid the focus on financial gain that can sometimes take the pleasure out of life.

The Pinball Hall of Fame gives the lights and sounds of Vegas a whole new meaning; not only is this a youngster’s delight, but nearly every generation of the family can find something to bring a sparkle to their eyes as they recall memories connected to these classic games. In addition to promoting the continued restoration of the game, by playing pinball in Las Vegas, visitors are contributing to charitable causes as well. Fun, excitement, and entertainment complete the package for those who visit this Vegas pinball museum.