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Summer is a fun time on Pinball Map! Or, at least, it seems to be a fun time for Pinball Map users because during the summer months they venture forth and update the map in far-flung locales like Saxon, Wisconsin, Leeds, Maine, and a bunch of beautiful coastal regions in Europe. We frequently get feedback like, “I plan my vacations using Pinball Map.” We love that! And as weird as this sounds, from the eagle eyes of admin we can actually notice this. Like, “Hmm, every few days this user is submitting a new campground. They might be on a road trip across the US!”
When we have more lodgings with pinball on the map, that makes it even easier to plan a pinball vacation! And while there has been a nice influx of hotels, resorts, and deluxe campgrounds coming in lately, they are not included in the below June update because those places tend to just have a couple machines (though Lake George Escape Campground is new and has five machines). Some nice spots opened in June! Though no whoppers like in May.
What follows is a smattering of new and notable pinball spots around North America. This is the third article in a monthly series!
Bad Penny is in the Keg and Case building in St. Paul, Minnesota (which is kitty-corner to Minneapolis). The line-up is a great mix of ‘90s rubies like Judge Dredd, early ‘00s diamonds like Lord of the Rings, and the emeralds of today (see what I did there? They are all “gems”). I think there’s another arcade next to Bad Penny called Starcade, but it doesn’t have pinball? Or, is it that Starcade and Bad Penny are technically the same business, but with different names for the different sections they’re located in at Keg and Case? It’s pretty confusing from afar, especially because they all have half-completed websites. The moral of the story is that pinball is good, Bad Penny has pinball, and therefore Bad Penny is good.
Stop yelling your name at me, RETRO. retro (that’s better) is an arcade in Corpus Christi, Texas, that harkens back to a bygone retro era when games CLACKed at you if you did well; when bubblegum was Hubba; and when conversations were conducted in pits. Okay, not really. Simply put it looks like a nice arcade with a luscious view of the Corpus Christi bay.
Tilt 118 is a restaurant in Allegan, Michigan, with a comfy menu and a sweet arcade on the side with a sweeping expanse of pinball machines. They have a good range of machines, with three from the ‘70s, a couple from the ‘90s, and the rest from this new millennium. They just opened!
Realms barely made the June cut (opened on June 30th). This all ages spot in Boise has pinball and arcade games, and a reasonable cover charge covering unlimited play (discounts for students and minors). I heard this place was in the works for a long time, so congrats on opening!
Damn Fine Pizza opened in late June and is slicing a nice even 8 pinball machines. One of my favorite pastimes is to pretend that I work at a place and am answering the phone by saying the business name in a kind of monotone voice. I pick up my imaginary phone and say, “Damn Fine,” while twisting a string of gum around my fingers. It’s a great pastime because when I’m driving around I see so many businesses, and I can pretend to answer all their phones and my family thinks it’s hilarious. It truly doesn’t get old.
Rock the Mall Video Pinball is in the Rockaway Mall in Rockaway, New Jersey. The name has “Video Pinball” in it because the venue has video games and pinball in it. I hope that clears things up. Great to see mall arcades adding pinball machines. So many mall arcades seem to not have pinball! Let’s hope this trend continues.
Hailstorm Brewing Co. is in Tinley Park, a fair bit southwest of Chicago. The line-up is a nice mix of new pins and ‘90s/’00s ones. Plus Oktoberfest! Not too many of those on location. From the pictures, they have a stage and so probably have some cool live shows. Do NOT visit their website if you are not over 21, lest the frothy mugs tempt your young mind.
Heart State is in Columbus, Ohio, and boasts a line-up of new Sterns, plus Attack from Mars. Judging from the website, their beers look good and interesting.
4 Wheelies is a brand new rolling skating rink (opened June 24) with food, a bar, and an arcade. It’s in Ottawa, Canada. Sorry for talking about myself again, but the skating rink near me has bizarre hours (only opens at night, even on weekends) and so I never get to go there. It’s cool to see a new skating rink opening up in the world. Fun times!
Ok, that is it for the June 2023 pinball location highlights. Thanks for reading. Thanks for updating Pinball Map. We just eclipsed 9,000 locations on the map. And we have a hefty app update in the works that will have some cool stuff. Peace and love.
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