Pacific Pinball Museum

Address:	1510 Webster St, Alameda, CA 94501, USA
Phone:	+1 510-769-1349
Site:	pacificpinball.org
Rating:	4.8
Working:	Closed 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–9PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 13

Sandy Tang

I had a great time here and this is coming from a chick whos only played pinball on good ol Windows XP. Whether you love pinball machines or have never played before, youll have fun without having to pay for each play! [+] got a Groupon deal for $7 entry (normally $15) [+] unlimited play on pinball machines from the 1950s to 1990s [+] cool display of antique machines (before the creation of pinball) [+] each room has machines and a jukebox dedicated to each decade -- absolutely LOVE! especially the 80s jukebox, which is free to play too [+] the "fireball" was my fave from the 70s; it had some trippy spinning wheel in the playfield [+] the 80s had some pretty cool machines: "pin-bot", Phantom of the Opera, this one w/ a freaky talking doll head... [+] 90s room felt like memory lane w/ machines themed after Addams Family, Doctor Who, Indiana Jones [+] there are soooo many machines that you dont have to worry about waiting for a machine to free up [+] some rare ones too, like the see-through pinball machine [+] and theres this room w/ some random old arcade games I spent a lotttt more time here than I expected to. Who knew playing pinball for several hours could tire you out so much! Cool hangout spot; good for families, friends, and date nights.

Jared Morgan

PPM is special. It is a museum. It is an arcade. It is a party venue I wish I had when I was a kid. I made a beeline for PPM when I was over on Business back in April 2014. I went on a Saturday, not by choice but this was the only day I could make it. You are greeted by the hum of EM tables when you walk in. The electrical fusion smell you fear with modern devices is normal with EMs. They smell as old as they look. PPM has plaques on the backboxes explaining the historical significance of each table that ushered in a new feature in pinball. It is educational as it is fun, if you can pull yourself away from playing the tables until your fingers bleed. The museum is divided up into sections. EMs up the front, early solid states in a few other rooms. Back to the 80s in another, and then onto the modern era of pinball in the very back room (arguably the most popular). Im jealous of Alameda (heck San Franciscans) that have access to this amazing place on their doorstep. To give you some perspective, the cost of admission at PPM is about the same as I pay here in Brisbane for unlimited games on three crappy machines between 6pm to midnight. Two days a month. Youve got it good, SF. Dont take it for granted!

russ sweetser

Yeah. Go here. Take a 2 or 3 hour chunk of your day, set it aside, and go here. 15 dollars gets you entry to four rooms, organized by year. They are tight rooms, and in a strip mall, but they are filled with pinball machines and pinball players. Dont be fooled by the first room. They have awesome newer games in the way back. They also have some really new games in the front, but those arent free. Dont be fooled by that. I recommend when you go here, you write your scores down. Then, try to beat them. Learn the machines. Get the hang of some intermediate ball trapping skills. You arent playing per game, and unless you just went to a Gameworks in Vegas or something, when was the last time you were at a pinball arcade set to free play for a flat entry fee?

Clark Annable

A great way to spend a few hours. The price of admission is definitely worth it, since all of the machines are on free-play, with the exception of a few in the entrance that you can play without paying admission. Theres usually a fair amount of people, so a lot of the machines might be in use when you go. Despite this, the wait times are not long by any means, and you can usually go from playing one machine right to another almost immediately. Plenty of the older machines also allow for up to four players, making it a great place to go with friends or family.

Eva Vasileva

Nice place every 3d Friday they have stand up comedy and free play very enjoyful :) parking was not hard to find. 15$ at the door. You can try groupon or discover and go program with your library a count for a free pass during the day. Every third Friday it starts at 6 until 10 really good idea to spend Friday evening you can bring groups. They have drinks - wine and beer 5$ and - every 3d Friday only. The games are fun antique and free whhat?:) juke boxes at your service .check it out!

Albert L.

This place is for the adult to reclaim their childhood. A plethora of pinball machines ranging from the 30s to present, but most are old school bands and springs activated. Time goes by so quickly that youll find yourself still on the same machine after couple of hours. Its never crowded and some look like hustlers. Not sure if theres any illegal betting amoung players here. Saw a guy handing over $20 after last ball left the ball.

Alan W.

4+ rooms of fun!! Each filled with pinball machines from different era. All machines are playable except for a few in the main room, I would have loved to play it, but $20 seems to be a lot of 15 minutes of fun. But then again, I have to admit, I have never been a huge pinball fan since I grew up in the video game era. However, if you love pinball, this is the place for you. Go check them out!

Molly Reisman

Lucky Juju, Pacific Pinball Museum, I love you! For $15 you can come in and play pinball to your hearts content. Thats $15 and the games are on free play! If youre a pinball lover, curious about the game, or want to learn more about the history--seriously, they have decades of games--this is a place worth checking out.

Sean Schluntz

Its an incredible place only made cooler by the juke boxes that are included in the "all you can eat" play model. Room after room you learn about the progression of the pinball industry while playing until you almost cant stand anymore. Dont want to learn? No worries, ignore the signs and just play youre but off.

Steve Schutt

Lots and lots of pinball machines on free play. I love pinball and spent 3 hours until my nephews made me leave. Same games where not working but if you know about these machines you know they go down sometimes. Staff was very friendly on our visit as well. BTW: adults cost $15 and those 16 and under are $7.50.

Amy MacKinnon

Youd think youd get bored with nothing but pinball but thats not the case here. Endless entertainment! I actually found myself more enthralled with a lot of the older games than the newer ones. Its great getting unlimited play because you have the time to figure out the object of each game.

Christoph Zachhuber

There is a top10 list of the greatest ever pinball machines on the YouTube channel watchmojo and this place has at least 7 of these in their inventory. Its is a great place to go to find out about pinballs history and to play some awesome machines from the days of old to more recent ones.

Nathan Marcus

I have been to a pinball museum collection on the East Coast before- and this was a top notch operation for the West Coast. HIGHLY recommend visiting this place when you get a chance if you enjoy having a good time, chatting with cool people, and playing all the pinball you want!