Arcades at the beach...Wildwood, NJ

orion3311

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I hit up Wildwood, NJ this past weekend, figured I'd take a few pics of a couple 'cades to show they're alive and still functioning! I would say "well", but one didn't have many people in it, prob due to lack of air conditioning. A lot of the arcades now are mostly redemption as you know, but a lot of these still have a handful of vids around. A couple even have their original MS Pacs, with a LOOOOOT of miles on them. (Both seemed to have non-original joys on them).

There's prob at least 6-7 'cades on the boardwalk, but I really took pics of 3 of them.

First two pics are of Gateway 26, prob the largest arcade on the boardwalk, and also used to be one of my favorites. I guess it still is, but I haven't forgiven them for getting rid of their old school Skeeballs that still used the metal flaps for scoring! (They were pretty beat though).

Next is a wierd new game I found in the arcade located in the basement of the "Boardwalk Mall". It projects an image downward, some kinda shooting game. Looks like you simply insert a coin (quarter per play!) to shoot something. Didn't try it though.

(This particular cade in the basement is where I fondly remember playing Hard Drivin' a LOT whenever I'd hit the shore!)
 

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These pics are from Mariner's Arcade, which is sort of in the middle of the boardwalk where it doglegs a bit. I don't normally play in here but its pretty nice nonetheless. Skeeball array is sweet.

PS - A lot of these cades are LOADED with vintage slot machines that spit out tokens. Being about 30 minutes from Atlantic City I guess these were readily available. They often have poker and slot tournaments for redemption credits - a hit with the 'rents I suppose.
 

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WoW! Thats where I used to go on vacation when i was a kid! At the time DK was on fire and all the arcades where giving away the dk stuff animals... Love to see the pics. Thanks
 
This is from a place called "Lime Ricky's" - they have 2 smaller locations on the board walk. I played here a ton last year since they had Skee Ball and Basketball tournaments. I won a SkeeBall tournament last year.

Since then it looks like the Skee's are hurting though, the displays all had issues adding up the scores, but that still didnt' stop me from getting the 100 a few times :)

One big reason I played here is for the fact that they actually have marquees up for grabs as prizes!! All good names too! I don't have much of a use for what they had but I may claim one before the year is up.

This was the location that had no ac, and thus, not many people.
 

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Last but not least - pics from Gateway 26. This is like an arcade, casino, and "redemption hall" all mixed into one. Its huge inside, nice cold AC and has been here since I can remember. Again not much with the vids but I can tell you they had an original MS Pac, Lethal Enforcers, Area 51 site 4 and a few others I recognized. They have a bunch of newer large games too.

When I used to play here as a kid, the Skee Ball and Pokerino games could be played for a dime (with less tokens/credits given), so I got mega play value out of this place. However its all quarters now, and their skee ball is down to 2 lanes (boo hiss!!).

FYI - This "Pokerino" game I mention may not be well known. Its a company right in Wildwood (or was) that makes them. Basically they're sort of like a shuffle bowler meets pop-a-ball...you roll rubber tennis balls down the table and they fall into holes representing cards. You're aiming for Poker hands, like a Full House, Straight, Flush, etc. Some of them have a bonus light that will pay 3x for certain hands. When you insert the quarter, the balls fall through the holes and roll down to a hole at the front of the table where you retrieve the balls. Yes the balls can get stuck and they have broom handles with a plastic cup on the end to retrieve them :) After a long day on the beach and walking on the boardwalk, its awesome to sit down at one of these in the AC and play for an hour or so, even if you don't get much tokens/credits for them. (You can if you get good poker hands).

PS - this is one of the ONLY arcades I've ever seen quarter "Roll" dispensers. Insert a $10 and get a roll of quarters!
 

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Hope you liked these - all cell phone (iphone) pics but I figured this place could use some actual "arcade" content for once :)

Next time I go I'll try to get pics of the few other smaller 'cades.
 

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First two pics are of Gateway 26, prob the largest arcade on the boardwalk, and also used to be one of my favorites. I guess it still is, but I haven't forgiven them for getting rid of their old school Skeeballs that still used the metal flaps for scoring! (They were pretty beat though).



I worked there sometime around '85. I actually have a couple old
pics of that arcade and those Skeeballs. Last I heard the owner Marty
Shapiro sold the place last year and retired.

JD
 
Nice! If you can dig up pics post em up! Maybe I'm in one LOL. I was 6 or 7 in '85 and I was probably there that year. Family used to stay for a week.
 
PS - A lot of these cades are LOADED with vintage slot machines that spit out tokens. Being about 30 minutes from Atlantic City I guess these were readily available. They often have poker and slot tournaments for redemption credits - a hit with the 'rents I suppose.


Yeah for some reason they think there AC there in wildwood with all those slot machines. Honestly that's like 90% of all the games in all the arcades on that boardwalk. If you want Arcade's with lots of old school and new games hit up Ocean City lots of great stuff up there.
 
haha. I played that Ms Pac the last two Thursdays when I was at the boardwalk. :)
The cab has seen better days and the monitor could use some attention too, but still nice to see and play it.


These pics are from Mariner's Arcade, which is sort of in the middle of the boardwalk where it doglegs a bit. I don't normally play in here but its pretty nice nonetheless. Skeeball array is sweet.

PS - A lot of these cades are LOADED with vintage slot machines that spit out tokens. Being about 30 minutes from Atlantic City I guess these were readily available. They often have poker and slot tournaments for redemption credits - a hit with the 'rents I suppose.
 
Nice! If you can dig up pics post em up! Maybe I'm in one LOL. I was 6 or 7 in '85 and I was probably there that year. Family used to stay for a week.

Ok, here we go. I don't have a scanner so I used the macro on
my camera. Not bad given their age and sitting in my garage for the
past 25 years.

Now if only someone had some pix of the long gone 49th Street Galleria in
Franklin Malls/Philly ! There's a sort of infommerical video on Youtube but
there aren't a lot of pix of the games. That place was huge !

JD
 

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Hrmmmm...no I doubt I have any, but I was there a lot! My sister used to drag me there so she could go shopping. At least I got paid in White Castle burgers on the way out ;-)
 
Yeah for some reason they think there AC there in wildwood with all those slot machines. Honestly that's like 90% of all the games in all the arcades on that boardwalk. If you want Arcade's with lots of old school and new games hit up Ocean City lots of great stuff up there.

Unfortunately that's what makes the money :(

There's a little treasure up in Lavallete, NJ called Barnacle Bills. It's small
but it's mostly video with some classics and a very nice assortment of pins.
Very little redemption.

The machines are all very well kept.

JD
 
LOL still full of poker games even 25 years ago doesn't look like much has changed.

They bought out some of the property next door. The back row of vids by
the Skeeballs was all opened up to make room for more cranes. Back
then it was all Grayhound video poker. Boy were they a pain to keep
running !

I think Grayhound built the Pokerino's but I'm not sure about that. Further
up the boardwalk one of the arcade's was nothing but Pokerinos at the
time. I guess all the seniors went to blow their wads on the cash paying
machines up north.

JD
 
I think Grayhound built the Pokerino's but I'm not sure about that. Further
up the boardwalk one of the arcade's was nothing but Pokerinos at the
time. I guess all the seniors went to blow their wads on the cash paying
machines up north.
JD

Oops, CRS setting in. Still upset after reading about Peter.

They weren't Pokerinos in the Casino (same owners at the time),
they were Fascination, sort of a roll down Bingo.

JD
 

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Unfortunately that's what makes the money :(

There's a little treasure up in Lavallete, NJ called Barnacle Bills. It's small
but it's mostly video with some classics and a very nice assortment of pins.
Very little redemption.

The machines are all very well kept.

JD


me and my kid may have to investigate this place this week.
 
What, you didn't visit Flipper's Fascination? :D

A few blocks from the beach there's an ice cream shop called Duffer's that has a decent arcade. They still have a few classics and a few pinballs.

Thanks for the pics pcjohn! Gateway 26 is a huge landmark on the boardwalk and it was cool to see it as it was back in the day.
 
I remember that name but I didn't stop in. I think I played there before though - I remember some cool James Bond/Spy shooting game where you looked through a scope to sharpshoot. That was pretty cool.
 
Unfortunately that's what makes the money :(

There's a little treasure up in Lavallete, NJ called Barnacle Bills. It's small
but it's mostly video with some classics and a very nice assortment of pins.
Very little redemption.

The machines are all very well kept.

JD

There is one called Flashback in Seaside Heights thats cool as well.
I haven't been to Seaside since MTV helped to possibly taint it forever, but I'll be down there sometime in August.
 
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