Pinball Hall of Fame Facts for Kids

For other uses, see Pinball Hall of Fame (disambiguation).

Quick facts for kids
Pinball Hall of Fame

Established	February 2006
Location	4925 S. Las Vegas Boulevard Las Vegas, Nevada
Type	Pinball Museum
Collection size	~700 pinball machines

The Pinball Hall of Fame is a super fun museum in Las Vegas, Nevada. It's a place where you can play lots of pinball machines! It first opened in February 2006. Today, you can find it at 4925 S. Las Vegas Boulevard.

This museum is run by the Las Vegas Pinball Collectors Club. It has pinball machines from many different times. You can even find some very rare ones there. These include Williams' Black Gold, Bally's Pinball Circus, and Recreativos Franco's Impacto. The museum has almost 700 different pinball games. It also features classic video arcade games and other cool novelty machines.

The Pinball Hall of Fame is a nonprofit place. This means it doesn't try to make money for owners. Instead, any extra money helps others. It was created with help from donations, and they still accept them. Tim Arnold runs the museum. He used to run an arcade called "Pinball Pete's" in East Lansing, Michigan. Many people who work there are volunteers. Any money left over is given to the Salvation Army.

The Museum's Journey: A Look at Its History
- Where the Pinball Hall of Fame Started
  - A Temporary Spot at the Riviera Hotel
- Plans for a Bigger and Better Museum
  - Overcoming Challenges to Open the New Location
Gallery
See Also

The Museum's Journey: A Look at Its History

Since 1990, Tim Arnold worked hard on this museum project. He raised money by selling DVDs and VHS tapes about how to fix pinball machines. He also held fun pinball nights at his own house. He has a very large collection of pinball machines there too.

Where the Pinball Hall of Fame Started

The Pinball Hall of Fame first opened in February 2006. It was located at 3300 E Tropicana Ave, Las Vegas. Back then, it had about 200 pinball machines. It also featured classic video games and other arcade games.

In late 2009, the museum moved to a new spot. This new location was at 1610 E Tropicana Ave. By 2018, the collection had grown. It now had about 260 machines.

A Temporary Spot at the Riviera Hotel

In 2013, a smaller part of the museum opened. It was at the Riviera Hotel and Casino. This extra location closed two years later. It shut down when the hotel itself closed.

Plans for a Bigger and Better Museum

In 2016, there were rumors that Tim Arnold might close the museum. But he said that was not true. Instead, he planned to make the Pinball Hall of Fame even bigger. The idea was to build a new building right next to the current one.

In 2020, the museum announced plans for another big move. They wanted to go to a new, much larger place. This new spot is at 4925 S Las Vegas Blvd. The new building was made just for the museum. It is a huge 28,000 square foot warehouse. It is big enough to hold all 700+ games in the collection.

Overcoming Challenges to Open the New Location

Just like the older locations, the new one is smoke-free. It is also easy to get to by rideshare. Plus, it offers free parking. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused many public places to close. This made things very hard for the Pinball Hall of Fame. The future of the museum was uncertain.

To get the money needed, Tim Arnold and the museum started a GoFundMe campaign. This happened in January 2021. The money helped them finish the new building. It also helped move the games and keep the museum running.

The Pinball Hall of Fame officially opened at its Las Vegas Blvd location on April 15, 2021. The grand opening at the new spot was on July 1, 2021.