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PAWTUCKET – What started as a 700-square-foot clubhouse for pinball enthusiasts has blossomed over the past three years into a 8,000-square-foot pinballers' paradise just off Main Street.
Electromagnetic Pinball Museum and Restoration is tucked into a corner just off Interstate 95 inside the colorfully painted Creative Commerce Center, a recently renovated mill building. While it might be hard to spot at first, the symphony of clattering metal balls, electronic pings and flipper switches just past the blue double door entrance will be enough to confirm you’re in the right spot.
The first room, dubbed the Green Room, is lined with machines from the 1960s, '70s and '80s. It leads into the Main Room, which features several iconic machines, including Addams Family, Jurassic Park, The Simpsons Pinball Party, Fun House and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Many of the machines have been upgraded with LED lights, side art on the cabinets, and additional scenery and toys by co-founder Emily Rose. Other machine collectors and owners will also occasionally loan machines to the nonprofit, such as the Indiana Jones machine, one of Rose’s favorites, on display in the main room.
Further down in the Main Room, some Stern-brand machines are outfitted with QR codes linking Stern’s Insider Connected app, allowing players from across the country to keep track and compete for high scores on similar machines. Just across from those machines are three one-of-a-kind machines.
Co-founders have a wealth of knowledge about pinball
Around the back of the Green Room and Main Room is the “widebody hallway” which features larger machines, such as Black Hole, one of co-founder Michael Pare’s favorite machines. When he’s not fixing dysfunctional displays or tilting cabinets to free stuck pinballs, Pare likes to give tours to anyone who comes in, explaining the history and backstory of several machines. Both he and Rose have a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the history of the game, and Rose has even posted white laminated signs that can be seen on a handful of machines, giving information about their significance to the history of pinball.
Through the back toward the stairs is a slate of newer additions to the arcade’s offerings, mostly racing games. Upstairs, in the restoration museum and overflow area, also known as the Blue Room, has a stretch of cabinets dating back to the 1940s, including one of the first to feature flippers, a major innovation separating the skill-based games of today from the game’s history as a gambling machine. The upstairs also has private space for parties and corporate gatherings.
Want to visit? What to know
The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, with the exception of holidays and special events, charging $10 a head for all-day game play, no quarters needed. Donation bins are stationed throughout the arcade as well. As a queer woman owned and operated space, Rose and her team said they want the space to be welcoming for all.
This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Are you a pinball wizard? Check out this museum in Pawtucket: Local hidden gems
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