Goin to Vegas, how much time should I set aside for Pinball Hall of Fame?

cspacefan

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Goin to Vegas, how much time should I set aside for Pinball Hall of Fame?

Hi there, I'll going to Vegas in a month and want to check out the big Pinball Hall of Fame. Thing is, I'll be travellling with three non-pinheads who do enjoy video gaming but will likely want to see other sites (like the awesome Insert Coins bar on Freemont St.). I believe the Hall of Fame is out near the airport, right? Is it a full afternoon activity or is it something my crowd can squeeze in between dinner and a show? I'm just trying to organize our itinerary here.
 
If they had cocktail waitresses I'd be there for days at a time, but it really depends how much you like pinball though; plus what other things you have going on. It's really low key and is basically a warehouse full of pinball machines.

It's located about 2-miles (maybe) down Tropicana. Tropicana is the intersection with Excalibur, New York and MGM. I can't remember the fourth. Its on the left, but look close it's hard to find. No big, grand signs or anything like that.

Enjoy
 
I would personally ditch the stiffs and go hang out yourself for at least 3-4 hours. You really want to get a good experience at this place and having 3 people waiting on you could ruin it. Lucky for me the wife loves pinball so I would probably spend a whole day there when I go to vegas again. Not much of gambler myself but love the area and the drive to LA is pretty cool.
 
Fun place to visit. My father and I spend about 3 - 6 hours there at a time. Depends on your schedule and how much change you have. Not a difficult place to find if you have the address, and yes it's near the airport.
 
I walked there from the strip and it was a lot further away than I thought it was. My wife still hates me for making her walk that far. We started at the Venetian, so it was over a mile and a half to the intersection, then almost 2 miles (or more) from the strip. It was a cool place, but as mentioned, it's pretty low key and several machines were non-working when I was there. There is no admission fee though, so it's worth stopping in.
 
I got there when it opened and stayed until about 6:00. Could have easily stayed longer than that, but had to leave to get food. You could easily make a day of it if you left and came back.
 
This is not where you want to rush your visit! Theres alot to take in and pins to play. Tell them folk that they have old school video games there. I got on some "Robotron" between a playing Pinball. Dont expect a flashy "look at me place! Its a brick building with a banner hanging in front to tell what it is (atleast when I was there) If you like pinball and your in Vegas, its a must go! Have fun!
 
If they had cocktail waitresses I'd be there for days at a time, but it really depends how much you like pinball though; plus what other things you have going on. It's really low key and is basically a warehouse full of pinball machines.

It's located about 2-miles (maybe) down Tropicana. Tropicana is the intersection with Excalibur, New York and MGM. I can't remember the fourth. Its on the left, but look close it's hard to find. No big, grand signs or anything like that.

Enjoy

the 4th is the Tropicana. That made me chuckle.
 
I walked there from the strip and it was a lot further away than I thought it was. My wife still hates me for making her walk that far. We started at the Venetian, so it was over a mile and a half to the intersection, then almost 2 miles (or more) from the strip. It was a cool place, but as mentioned, it's pretty low key and several machines were non-working when I was there. There is no admission fee though, so it's worth stopping in.

Holy Crap Man...

Take the Cab. $15 plus a tip. I have spent hours there and could not squeeze out a full $20. Then take the $15 cab back. I'll bet there is not much you can do in Vegas for that amount ($50) for 4 hours.

It's a ball and you don't want to be in a hurry. Last time I went, the wife went shopping and I went to the PHOF. I assure you she spent more than $50. I could have painfully watched her drain the bank account, or joyfully play pinball while she did it. I chose pinball!

Oh.. I love the vending machines. Hot Tamales by the quarter!

Be sure to see Beatles Love while you're there.
 
I always drive from LA to Las Vegas so I usually drive over there by myself from whatever hotel we are staying at. Having my family wait around for me to finish playing is a drag for them and for me. You can really lose track of time in that place. I'd say give yourself 3-4 hours there and you should be able to walk around and see all the machines, play games, and leave satisfied.

I much prefer that it's off-strip and not a tourist trap.
 
Do a quick search on YouTube, it is better to plan for a good 4 -6 hours. It took me at least 45 min to take in everything then playing the games will suck you in. You will need lots of time just to play every game at least once. I am planning a return trip just to play the games with my buddies and not with business coworkers who don't play the pins or classic arcade games.
 
the 4th is the Tropicana. That made me chuckle.

Now, I feel like an idiot, but seriously does anyone go into the Tropicana anymore? Really?

Anyway, I'd also take charge of the Sigma Derby game at the MGM Grand some night. It's an older horse racing game that's a lot of fun, plus the cocktail waitresses come around often as long as your tipping them. The last time we were there we have the whole table playing quarters (bouncing them into a coin bucket). The first to make one won everything on the table.
 
Now, I feel like an idiot, but seriously does anyone go into the Tropicana anymore? Really?

Anyway, I'd also take charge of the Sigma Derby game at the MGM Grand some night. It's an older horse racing game that's a lot of fun, plus the cocktail waitresses come around often as long as your tipping them. The last time we were there we have the whole table playing quarters (bouncing them into a coin bucket). The first to make one won everything on the table.

I got married there in 03 and it was a bit run down. Was out there last October and they've remodeled it, its pretty nice now.
 
Take the Cab. $15 plus a tip. I have spent hours there and could not squeeze out a full $20. Then take the $15 cab back. I'll bet there is not much you can do in Vegas for that amount ($50) for 4 hours.

I have been there with my wife, brother in law and sister in law. The four of us can play for one hour on $20, then they are tired and want to leave. You can easily spend hours there and not play all of the games. Take your friends, you might turn them into pinheads!
 
We spent what seemed like about 45 minutes there one afternoon (my wife & I). When I checked my watch, we had one of those XFiles type missing time moments, we had been in there for almost 4 hours. As a point of reference, my wife usually goes wandering elesewhere at game shows after about 35 - 40 minutes.

She likes the really old pins. One of the times I caught up with her, she was standing in front of one of the real old EM machines with a frown. So I asked what was wrong? She said the last 5 machines just ate her quarters. I pushed the ball eject plunger and a ball magically appeared in the shooting lane. Once she saw that, and I explained that the really old ones don't have automatic ball kickouts, she went to town on those bad boys. Of course, she went back to the machines that had "robbed" her :D.

ken
 
I was down in Vegas for Halloween last year. What a blast. I took the Deuce. I was near Bally's and asked if the Deuce goes by it. Sure enough it did. Try google mapping it. The trip was about 40 mins depending on traffic.

I spent about 4 hours there. So many machines to see, arcade games as well. I talked to the operator for about a half hour (Tim wasn't around), but give yourself at least 3 hours. I changed $10 into quarters and I still had about $3 left after my stay. I did make the billionaires club on Bride of Pinbot. I wonder if my score is still valid. it's well worth the trip and to be honest, I don't think I spent enough time there.

There's the Atomic testing museum nearby as well. That was cool and sort of creepy. 2 hours will easily cover that.

The area is a little dodgy. The sun had set already when I was leaving. There were drunks wandering around and I decided to catch a cab back to the strip. That was $13 including tip.

Insert Coin was cool, but way too noisy. I liked the idea, but when I was there, some guy was trying to be a dj and I couldn't hear the machines over the "music" and tv screens. No backpacks allowed. Again watch the area. Cops were busting someone for something across the street. Check out Heart attack Grill on the corner.
 

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Just don't expect Tim Arnold to give you the time of day. It's pretty ironic that he runs the place but is not much of a "people person." His standard attitude seems to be, "If you want a friend, get a dog, don't bother me." LOL
 
Just don't expect Tim Arnold to give you the time of day. It's pretty ironic that he runs the place but is not much of a "people person." His standard attitude seems to be, "If you want a friend, get a dog, don't bother me." LOL

I thought he was very nice. Pinball Circus coin slots were both jammed, I let him know and he asked if I had ever played it. I said no, and we bullshit for awhile and he put a couple credits on it. Explained about it a bit and went back to stripping coils for copper.
 
I thought he was very nice. Pinball Circus coin slots were both jammed, I let him know and he asked if I had ever played it. I said no, and we bullshit for awhile and he put a couple credits on it. Explained about it a bit and went back to stripping coils for copper.

Sounds like you caught him in a good mood. Good for you.
 
I went last month and had a good time. I spent maybe about an hour there and spent around $5. It's definitely a nice break from the strip.

I posted some pics here.
 
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