The One-Of-A-Kind Arcade In Asheville Will Let Your Inner Child Out As You Play

The clacks and clangs of pinballs banking off bumpers and bells are ringing once again. Thanks to a mix of nostalgia and marketing, and perhaps a thirst for an analog escape in a digital world, pinball has become popular again. This has led to a slew of new arcades opening across the country, like the Pinball and Pizza Arcade in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Pinball Planet in Parma Heights, Ohio, and Special When Lit Pinball Electro-cade in King City, Oregon. 

In Asheville, North Carolina, the pinball renaissance has helped turn the Asheville Pinball Museum into one of the city's top sites, which is saying something for a place also home to the Biltmore Estate, Blue Ridge Parkway — the East Coast road called "America's Favorite Drive" — and more than 50 local breweries. 

More arcade than museum, the space sports about 40 pinball machines, most of which are playable and span the nearly 100 years of pinball's existence, turning each visit into a quasi-history lesson in pop culture. Themed machines pay tribute to Godzilla, Evel Knievel, The Beatles, The Simpsons, Iron Maiden, and the most famous pinball machine of all time, the Adamms Family. The oldest machine at the museum is Marjorie from 1947. That's a significant year in pinball history, as it's when the first flippers were added to pinball machines. It's also a period when pinball still carried a bad reputation as a gambling machine and was outlawed in some places.

While a fan of the game — enough to have two machines in the basement — T.C. Di Bella didn't see the proverbial lightbulb spark above the head until he received a link to the Seattle Pinball Museum from a friend. Turning to his wife, Brandy, he said, "That'd be a great idea here in Asheville." She agreed, telling WRAL News, "I could see the gleam." It was a significant roll of the financial dice for the couple, but so far it's paying off. That's particularly visible during weekends and peak tourism periods, when lines regularly extend out the door, as only 70 people can play at a time. 

The entry fee is all-inclusive, too, eschewing the need for handfuls of quarters or tokens. This encourages trying as many machines as possible rather than focusing on a few favorites. The retro spirit continues in a second area behind the main one that beeps and blips with 40 classic arcade games, including Dragon's Lair, Ms. Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, and Space Invaders. There's also the highly coveted, sit-down version of 1983's Star Wars: The Arcade Game, one of the few games there that requires quarters. Adding fuel to the fight is a bar serving local beer, soda, and snacks. With all this, be sure to add the Pinball Museum to your Asheville itinerary. Consider checking out other area highlights as well, such as the "Grand Canyon Of The East"  and the massive rock slip 'n slide in Pisgah National Forest.