Gatlinburg Pinball Museum
Gatlinburg Pinball Museum
Gatlinburg Pinball Museum
4
Speciality Museums • Game & Entertainment Centers
Read more
This location was reported permanently closed
About
The best kind of museum is one where you can play with the exhibits. Our goal is to give our guests a fun, informative experience by sharing our love and passion for pinball. Our collection includes mostly Limited Editions from both modern times and dating back to the 1960’s! Some of our pinballs include: Medieval Madness, Attack From Mars, Lord of the Rings, Metallica, Dialed In, The Addams Family Gold Edition, The Walking Dead, the 1965 classic Gottlieb Sky-Line, and many more! Located off the Parkway on Historic Nature Trail, just past the Space Needle. Admission is $15 for adults and $12 for children age 10 & under.
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view










Top ways to experience Gatlinburg Pinball Museum and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Best nearby
Restaurants
128 within 3 miles
Attractions
135 within 6 miles
See what other travelers are saying
- Dr_XaosPalatine, Illinois1,133 contributionsPay to Play PinballVisited this location with wife and daughters while spending time in the downtown Gatlinburg area. This museum is really more of an arcade, where you can play the numerous pinball machines (or few arcade games) that they have there. They have many classics from across the decades as well as some lesser seen pinball machines. Most of the machines were well-maintained and in good working order. Easy to spend good hour or two playing games if you have the time and money. The one downside of this location is that each machine costs about $1 or more per game. It is not a flat entrance fee with unlimited play. While a dollar per game is not an unreasonable cost for playing pinball, it does mean that money can go pretty quickly depending on how much you’re willing to put on your arcade card. I was able to get a little over an hour of gameplay with a $10 card. My daughter burned through a $10 card in less than 15 minutes.Visited August 2021Written August 5, 2021
- Josh BLafayette, Indiana426 contributionsGreat variety of pinball machines old and newMy son and I had a great experience here! I don't love the pricing change (it used to be one price to play all day, and now each game has a cost that comes off a prepaid card). BUT...we bought a $20 card (which actually comes loaded with $30 of value), and the two of us were able to play on that for over an hour, which I thought was a decent value. There are lots of brand new games with all the bells and whistles, along with classics from back as far as the '60s. I think our favorites were the Indiana Jones game and the Tron game.Visited July 2020Written August 2, 2020
- Morafearna14 contributionsVARIETY! CLEAN! Machines WORK!This is THE best pinball museum/arcade we've been to with regards to cleanliness, variety of machines (brand new to old classics), playability- ALL machines were in excellent working order except maybe 2. I'd rank this as better than the Pinball Museum in Las Vegas. the machines were also spaced out so you didn't hit knuckles with other players. I hope this place takes off and stays! Will be looking forward to returning on our next trip.Visited August 2020Written September 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Contribute
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
104 reviews
Excellent
65
Very good
14
Average
9
Poor
6
Terrible
10
Daniel D
Morven, GA125 contributions
Mar 2021 • Family
NOT WHAT IT ONCE WAS. It appears the place must have been bought out. It is no longer the pure "pay a flat price and get the pure pinball experience" that it once was. I was very, very disappointed and saddened to see that this "museum" has degraded into another money grab for tourists. Many of the really vintage pinball machines that they used to display are gone. I mean the pre-80's machines that really made this place a museum of pinball history are GONE. Almost all of the vintage arcade machines are also gone. Not even Street Fighter II or even Pac-Man can be found anymore!
What they do have is a good selection of more recent machines. There are some classic tables you won't find easily anywhere else. They did have some of my favorites like Mideval Madness, Attack from Mars and the Elvira tables, but even they have been desecrated and contaminated by those horrible LED card readers where the coin slot should be with the price of a buck per game. It is like seeing a Ferrari slapped with a Ford logo.
Also, don't count on the modern machines to all be working. Star Wars Battle Pod was one of the main reasons a friend came with me. He bought a fourty buck card to discover the one here didn't even display and the other a couple doors down at the other arcade did not work.
In conclusion: I was so looking forward to revisiting this "museum" on my vacation this year. I was gutted by what I had found. To add insult to injury, they have completely shut down reviews on places like Facebook. All their reviews are positive until early 2021, and then one or two "would not recommend" reviews and nothing.
There are good tables (hence why I didn't leave only one star), but don't expect a legit museum of pinball history. It's now another tourist trap.
What they do have is a good selection of more recent machines. There are some classic tables you won't find easily anywhere else. They did have some of my favorites like Mideval Madness, Attack from Mars and the Elvira tables, but even they have been desecrated and contaminated by those horrible LED card readers where the coin slot should be with the price of a buck per game. It is like seeing a Ferrari slapped with a Ford logo.
Also, don't count on the modern machines to all be working. Star Wars Battle Pod was one of the main reasons a friend came with me. He bought a fourty buck card to discover the one here didn't even display and the other a couple doors down at the other arcade did not work.
In conclusion: I was so looking forward to revisiting this "museum" on my vacation this year. I was gutted by what I had found. To add insult to injury, they have completely shut down reviews on places like Facebook. All their reviews are positive until early 2021, and then one or two "would not recommend" reviews and nothing.
There are good tables (hence why I didn't leave only one star), but don't expect a legit museum of pinball history. It's now another tourist trap.
Written March 28, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MandersHP
Bowling Green, OH5 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
This is no longer a pinball museum where you can play for one price. It is an arcade with a few pinball machines and you pay per game. The advertising is false and screwed up our trip. There is still a pinball museum where you can play for one price in Asheville, NC.
Written January 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alyssia N
Keyser, WV79 contributions
Sep 2020 • Friends
Our family visited here in May 2019 when it was ACTUALLY a pinball museum and you paid a one time fee to play all the pinball games all day. It was great and our family played for hours. So when we planned our 2020 vacation to Gatlinburg, this was on the list again. We were so sad to see that now its just a regular arcade now and its $1.00 a machine. This was the worst change your could have done. What you had before was so much better than this. As we were standing outside, I even heard other people saying that it was a shame that it had changed. I know my family and I won't be back as long as it remains like this. There are other arcade that are better prices in the area. Please change it back to what you had before.
Written September 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jtrain997
Anderson, SC73 contributions
Jun 2022
I fell in love with this place when I first visited. I spent literally all day in here on a vacation just playing the insane collection of pins they had. Then about a year ago It shut its doors for remodel. I messaged several times during trips to ask but was always told they were still deep in remodel and would open when they could. Then finally in early June of 22 I got to return and.......Its awful.
The remodel apparently consisted of buying as many rare arcade cabinets as possible and jamming them in here to make a near unnavigable maze. When I went to the front I found its no longer pay per game but rather a flat entry fee of 20$ at first I was excited but then the attendant stated "just so you know these games are all really old and a lot are down". That's a top notch salesman with the unenviable job of trying to sell what was maybe 15 pins working period let alone as they should.
The arcade cabinets that littered the floor were rare and I had never seen most but if you wanted to play one you had to go and get the attendant every time so he could add credits to the machine. This was tedious and a mood killer.
Nearly all the pins were in some state of disrepair if they functioned at all. I could rattle off a list of machines with problems or that were down but it would be easier to tell you I played about 5 pins with no noticeable error.
Again I noticed no remodel other than the labyrinths worth of arcade machines many still wrapped up from transport from a recent auction and no newer games from the past several years had been added that the neghboring competition offers.
I sincerely hope this place turns around and goes back to the amazing hang out it used to be.
The remodel apparently consisted of buying as many rare arcade cabinets as possible and jamming them in here to make a near unnavigable maze. When I went to the front I found its no longer pay per game but rather a flat entry fee of 20$ at first I was excited but then the attendant stated "just so you know these games are all really old and a lot are down". That's a top notch salesman with the unenviable job of trying to sell what was maybe 15 pins working period let alone as they should.
The arcade cabinets that littered the floor were rare and I had never seen most but if you wanted to play one you had to go and get the attendant every time so he could add credits to the machine. This was tedious and a mood killer.
Nearly all the pins were in some state of disrepair if they functioned at all. I could rattle off a list of machines with problems or that were down but it would be easier to tell you I played about 5 pins with no noticeable error.
Again I noticed no remodel other than the labyrinths worth of arcade machines many still wrapped up from transport from a recent auction and no newer games from the past several years had been added that the neghboring competition offers.
I sincerely hope this place turns around and goes back to the amazing hang out it used to be.
Written June 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
James J
Bristol, VA1 contribution
Sep 2022 • Couples
I’ve been to this place multiple times in the past, twice when it was pay per play, once when it was one flat fee. It was a 5 star experience, loved the place. Came back this time, and left disappointed. Used to give off the vibe of the arcade from your dreams, now feels like someone’s workshop that you’re paying 20 dollars to walk around. Half of the machines are currently inoperable, and half of the operable ones had major issues. Stuck balls, malfunctioning flippers,etc. I still had a good time with the working machines, but they definitely need to get more machines running, or lower the price to accommodate. I really hope they get this place back on its feet, because I’d hate to lose it, but it’s hard to recommend right now at the current price point.
Written September 25, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
F4981JCmichaels
Vancouver, WA1,960 contributions
Jun 2021
I love pinball. Wish my wife did too, so we could stay longer at places like these, but I have to accommodate her needs too. We visited three such locations on the trip we took.
This location had a reasonably good diversity of games. Not all old school, not all new school. It wasn't that crowded either. I think pinball isn't as popular with the current generation as it is with the older generation, and that may be the reason it wasn't packed, given that Gaitlinburg in general was extremely crowded the day we were there. But that's fine with me.
The first game I tried, the ball got stuck. The second game I tried, the ball already was stuck, but I deliberately tilted it, to release the ball, played for a minute or two, and the ball got stuck again in the same spot. Finally, the third game I tried, everything went well. Promised my wife I would only play for a brief time, since she was waiting in the car. Would have loved to stayed for at least a half hour or more!
As for parking, there is a parking lot across the street for about $10 or $15.
This location had a reasonably good diversity of games. Not all old school, not all new school. It wasn't that crowded either. I think pinball isn't as popular with the current generation as it is with the older generation, and that may be the reason it wasn't packed, given that Gaitlinburg in general was extremely crowded the day we were there. But that's fine with me.
The first game I tried, the ball got stuck. The second game I tried, the ball already was stuck, but I deliberately tilted it, to release the ball, played for a minute or two, and the ball got stuck again in the same spot. Finally, the third game I tried, everything went well. Promised my wife I would only play for a brief time, since she was waiting in the car. Would have loved to stayed for at least a half hour or more!
As for parking, there is a parking lot across the street for about $10 or $15.
Written October 25, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Todd and Teresa C
Canton, GA52 contributions
Jun 2020 • Family
Well, I'm sad to report that the Gatlinburg Pinball Museum has been changed for the worse. Before it was a pay one price, play all day setup with a TON of pins and many classic arcades. Now it is called the Gatlinburg Arcade. Still has some great pins, but all the classic arcades are gone or unplugged. Everything is now $1.00 per play. Ugh. You had something good, shame you decided to change it.
Written June 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Deb62862
Memphis, TN11,195 contributions
Nov 2020
Our party of two adults were unsure what to expect of this place after reading differing information online. But, we had a rainy afternoon and time to kill, so we decided to check it out. After visiting, we wished we'd tried it sooner. Its an arcade with some newer machines, but loads of pinball machines, which is what interested us. Some are newer, but many are older. They seem to be well maintained. You purchase a card to play the machines. We bought one $20 card, which gave us $30 to spend with their bonus add on. Two of us spent a couple of hours trying different machines. Most were great fun! It wasn't too busy when we went and the staff that was there were friendly enough. Its a bit off the main drag, so you need to know about it to see it over all the ridiculous mess on the Parkway.
Written November 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ariel S
Sevierville, TN4 contributions
Jun 2021 • Couples
I used to love this place, until the money hungry owners next door bought it out. You used to be able to come in and buy an admission ticket for $10 and play all day with no extra cost. They had 4 rooms filled with nothing but pinball games and classic arcade games. When the people next door got it they got into an ARCADE (not museum!!) and got rid of all the classic games and half the pinball games. What was once an amazing pinball museum is now nothing but another arcade just like the 100 arcade places in the county.
Written June 22, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Callie J
23 contributions
Jun 2022 • Friends
Most of the games weren’t working, it was hard to move around. It cost $20 for an all day pass which is great but when we left it’s not worth coming back. It was very dark. This is not a good place if you have one in a stroller.
Written June 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jmedlin57
Toccoa, GA
We did the escape room that is located at the museum and then they charged us an additional forty dollars on our card a few days later. What was the extra charge for? Anyone else have that happen.
Recently viewed
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing







































































