This browser does not support the Video element.
Spend a day with Pac-Man, Mario, and plenty of pinball, too
No quarters needed! It may be called the Replay Museum, but you can play with every game that's on display. Charley headed over to Tarpon Springs on Tuesday to see the latest additions to the collection.
TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. - A Tarpon Springs museum will take you back in time – back when you had line up your quarters on a stand-up video arcade game. The winner stays and the next opponent steps up.
Of course, things have changed, somewhat. Inside Replay Museum Museum, you can leave those quarters at home. When you walk in, you can see pinball machines and arcade games as far as the eye can see.
After paying an admission fee, you can play pinball and arcade video games all day. You can leave to have lunch in downtown Tarpon Springs, then come back and play some more -- as long as it's within the same business day.
"This is a lost period of time where you can't go and find these games anywhere anymore,” explained Brian Cheaney, the owner. “We decided to make it something that people can come back and remember. There's always that one moment in time that you remember that one game that you played -- but you can't find it."
Cheaney said the museum is a product of his collection getting out of control. It began with a street fighter game – then one purchase led to another. The museum has about 120 games. He said it was important to keep the “museum” part in the name considering there are old-school games as far back as the original Paul Bunyan pinball machine.
Cheaney said there are two technicians on staff that manage machines weekly.
“I don’t think the games were meant to last for 30 years,” he said.
There are also about 100 machines in storage. He hopes to open a second location somewhere in the Bay Area. The details are still in the works.
Typically, Replay Amusement Museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, but for the week of Thanksgiving and Christmas they will be open all week to cater to those who are on vacation.
Daily admission for adults is $14. For children between the ages of 7 and 12, it is $8. Those under the age of 6 can get in for free. All children must be with a paying adult.
LINK: For more information, head over to Replay Amusement Museum's website.