Surprise: Kids weaned on Wii still like pinball. The low-tech thrill of bleeps, bloops, and a couple of flippers lives on at the Pacific Pinball Museum in Alameda. Ten bucks gets you in the door (a mere $5 for kids), and all-you-can-play pinball in any one of a warren of rooms. Which one you’ll like might depend on when you were born. Did you grow up playing the gentle pinball machines of the ’60s, with just a couple of dingers and no multi-ball challenges? Did you learn how to play on a machine with a buxom broad painted on the back in the ’70s, or did you learn on Indiana Jones in the ’80s? They’re all represented here, and many more.

All the machines are set to free play and kids are free to wander. There’s no alcohol sold on the premises, just sodas and Wright’s pink popcorn for $1. The kitsch value is incredible, and a lot of the games are still surprisingly fun to play. Make sure not to miss the notorious Orbitor 1, which uses magnets to send the ball on unexpected looping trips around the board. Oh, and be sure to leave all your stuff in the car, you don’t want to be dragging the diaper bag when you’re working the flippers. If you come on a Friday or Saturday evening, the Museum opens the “back 40″: an old gaming parlor called Lucky Ju Ju with an additional 40 vintage machines.

Pacific Pinball Museum, 1510 Webster Street (at Santa Clara Avenue), Alameda; 510-769-1349; pacificpinball.org.

POSTED IN: Activities, East Bay, Museums, Rainy Day
TAGS: lucky ju ju, lucky juju, pacific pinball museum, pinball