Pinball Pete’s – Activity Review

This review of the Ann Arbor’s Pinball Pete’s is part of our Summer Series: Wednesday Activity Reviews.

Pinball Pete’s Review

My husband and I grew up in the 80s and loved taking our daughter to Pinball Pete’s and introducing her to some of our favorite classic games.

My daughter has grown up with video games, but was fascinated with the Pinball Machines since there are no longer many around.

She was also thrilled to find Mario Kart where we could sit next to each other and compete. She loves Mario Kart on the Wii U, so it isn’t a surprise that she beat me.

We played mostly arcade games and pinball games. But they do have games like Skee-ball that give tickets which can be redeemed for prizes.

We had a lot of fun on our visit. They are in a “student section” of town, so I recommend visiting when there are less students around such as summer, winter break, or spring break. We went over summer, the week before students arrived and it was uncrowded and a lot of fun.

Like many arcades, Pinball Pete’s is dark with a lot of bright flashing lights and plenty of video game sounds. If your child has sensory issues, this may not be the best environment for them.

About Pinball Pete’s

Location

Pinball Pete’s address is 1214 South University, Ann Arbor. Their entrance is at street level in the Galleria Mall. There are a few games at street level, but most are downstairs. Street parking is available and there are several university garages nearby that offer visitor parking.

Hours

According to their Facebook page their typical hours are noon-2a. On their website, they recommend calling to verify since they sometimes close for private parties.

Prices

Entry to Pinball Pete’s is free. Games are run by quarters. Make sure you have cash to change for quarters. Game prices vary. We found a few quarter games, and others that were a dollar or even more.

Visiting Pinball Pete’s

The South University area offers numerous options for lunch/dinner or a snack near Pinball Pete’s. We stopped at Insomnia Cookies before our Pinball Pete’s visit.

Have you been to Pinball Pete’s? Do you have a place nearby you like to get a meal or a snack?

Other Ann Arbor Gaming Options

If your kids want to explore more gaming options, there are several options in the Ann Arbor Area.

Over the summer we also visited the UM Computer & Video Game Archive. My daughter has been asking to return so she can add some games to her wishlist.

Zap Zone is a gamers paradise. They feature laser tag and an arcade. They recently added a virtual reality room.

Revel & Roll offers bowling and an arcade. They periodically offer discounted gaming with unlimited play but without prize earning. Personally, I’m happy with the unlimited gaming and not collecting prizes.