(Photo Credit : Sara White | Used Under "Do Whatever You Want" Unsplash Policy)
Growing up during the invention of the stand-up arcade, I have an affinity for the classics, as well as pinball machines. After analyzing both types of games, I have made a commitment to spreading the word about pinball machines and where one can still play them in public.
Originally from Tulsa, OK, I ventured home to visit family and during my stay I wanted to try something different. Until 2006, I had lived there my whole life and thought I knew where everything was and which places were the best for family fun and video game goodness.
From going door-to-door, I can tell you that these pinball machines are slowly dying. The standard answer I got, as to why the establishment wasn't carrying them anymore was :
"The parts are too difficult to get these days, so we got rid of it."
"We'd rather have a pool table or some other machine that can earn more than pinball."
In the spirit of knowledge, I've created a new adventure series that I will be writing about over the next upcoming months. By seeking out pinball machines, I have visited places and driven to parts of town that I rarely frequent. Hunting for pinball machines has given me a new perspective to my hometown and made me appreciate it even more.
Below is a list of places in Tulsa, OK that have pinball machines. I've created this in a tour type of format and highly encourage you to seek these places out for a fun trip around town.
1) Hero's Subs & Burgers | 6508 E. Admiral Pl. | Tulsa, OK
After spending most of my day looking for pinball machines with zero luck, a nice lady told me about this sub shop. It's one of those mom & pop type of places where if you don't know exactly where it is, you may miss it. After having Siri boss me around for 10 miles, I finally found the spot and barely made it before they closed. My first find in Tulsa was this gem and I'm glad I made the effort. Really good flipper action and it brought back a lot of great memories from my college days.
Star Wars (Data East, 1992)
======================================================
2) The Max Retropub | 114 S. Elgin | Tulsa, OK
If you want to play several different types of pinball machines, I highly recommend The Max downtown. They currently have 4 machines and a ton of old video games. It's everything 80s at The Max and the Skee-Ball is divine. They have their own tokens and if you aren't careful, you can get yourself drunk while playing Burgertime or Galaga. It's great for game enthusiasts or adults that want to reminisce. Great music and a friendly staff make this place a slam dunk.
Doctor Who (Bally, 1992)
Fish Tales (Williams, 1992)
Hardbody (Bally, 1987)
Street Fighter II (Premier / Gottlieb, 1993)
======================================================
3) Eton Square 6 | 8421 E. 61st St. | Tulsa, OK
Much like Cinemark, I stopped by here during the day and there were maybe a few dozen people milling about. Matinee movies during a school week equate to having the entire place to yourself. I've never seen a Striker Xtreme machine before and it was just sitting in the corner, minding its own business. This is definitely a diamond in the rough.
Striker Xtreme (Stern, 2000)
======================================================
4) Xtreme Racing | 708 W. Kenosha St. | Broken Arrow, OK
This place absolutely blew me away. There's only a few places in town to get your Go Kart action on and this place had been sitting here for over 3 years. I don't know a soul who was aware of its existence, but I made sure to contact several of my friends with kids. This course they had set up was like a Formula 1 Grand Prix track. They also had some pool tables, shuffleboard, several arcade games and a Nascar pinball. This was the surprise of my trip.
Nascar (Stern, 2005)
======================================================
5) Cinemark IMAX Theatres | 10802 E. 71st St. | Tulsa, OK
There wasn't really much to my visit to Cinemark. I'm not a huge movie buff, so I made a beeline straight for the arcade room. Lo and behold, they had a classic Rolling Stones machine. Definitely not something I see everyday.
Rolling Stones (Stern, 2011)
======================================================
6) Smitty's Garage | 7104 S. Sheridan Rd. | Tulsa, OK
This used to be a Mexicali Border Cafe mexican restaurant, back in my day. These guys took it over and even though their game room was a bit small, it packed a mean punch. They had 2 skee ball machines, a really cool Wrestlemania pinball machine and a few choice arcade games. A little bit for everybody and a great place to grab a gourmet burger and some suds.
Wrestlemania - Pro Edition (Stern, 2015)
I will readily admit that this list is incomplete. I simply ran out of time. Word on the street is that Bar 46 (downtown) has two pinball machines. I'm bummed I didn't get a chance to check it out, but plan on doing so on my next trip there in the Fall.
My favorite part about exploring my hometown for pinball machines was the fact that it forced me to go to several new places I previously had no clue even existed. It was great to see the few machines I did and I'm eager to see what else I can find there later in the year.
