I highly recommend this place. The most that games cost is 75 cents. A majority of them cost 50 cents. They have the Starwars Trilogy Arcade from the 90's, Ferrari F355 Challenge that uses a lifelike gear box and a clutch pedal, and many more. My kids and I had a blast. read more

Always a fun time. We love playing all the old school arcade games, bring back so many 80's memories.

This was a fun place and I enjoyed the pinball palace caddy corner to the Arcadia in the old bank building. I do wish they would invest some of their quarters in a good playfield wax and clean up the playfields in their pinball machines. Still, a great time and well worth burning a roll of quarters. read more

Passing through McClean, IL and I never realized I would pass through an Arcade Museum here. You walk in and there are about 4 rooms full of arcade games! That's it! Nothing but arcade games. Couple places to exchange your money, a juke box, and games of every kind! I had fun with the pinball machine and was very excited to test those out. There is also a pinball machine museum across the way, I think the same owners. I couldn't believe it. This day, there wasn't anyone working there, per-say. They are open and left unattended at times. They don't serve any food or drinks, it's just games. Also, come with money. They don't have an ATM there. Nostalgia city is what it feels likes. Games from when I was a kid are side by side. I played pinball and felt as giddy as I did as a young child. This is well kept, clean and tidy, and the games are in great condition. read more

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This arcade is obviously a labor of love for the founder- it shows in the smallest of details of the building and also in the condition of the games themselves. Arcadia recently opened a party room for a maximum of 28 people that can be booked in advance for FREE. All you have to do is call to make a reservation a few days ahead of the event. The management will even open up for parties outside of their normal business hours in certain cases. If you have done any comparison shopping for a party room where you can "carry-in" your own food and beverage (refrigerator/freezer, microwave, and toaster oven available for use during your party) Arcadia's party room is a "yuge" bargain. If you enjoy playing video games or pinball or both, you owe it to yourself and your family to put Arcadia and the companion Pinball Paradise (Just steps away!) on your destination "to do" list. read more

Vectorman's Arcadia: America's Playable Arcade Museum - Frontage - Arcades Near Me - McLean, Illinois

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So fun! This was the perfect place to spend a rainy afternoon. Such a short hop from Bloomington. Amazing nostalgic variety. Love the pinball! Arcade game average $.25 to $.50. Cheap fun! read more

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Went to this arcade recently and was not disappointed! Just catty corner from them is their pinball arcade which is amazing as well! Worth stopping by for a few hours of fun! Went to this arcade on Saturday May 25, 2018. They've expanded and added even more games! This place is a real gem! read more

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Highly recommend, lots of hard to find games and well known classics. Games are well taken care of. A little out of the way but well worth the drive. Will be back again when I'm back in the area. read more

Love this place! We used to live in Bloomington and my nerd husband was so happy when we found this gem. They're typically only open on Saturdays. The game variety is great. I really like the Super Mario pinball. Such a chill environment. I've never seen an employee (or the owner) in the hours I've spent there. Maybe he's incognito? I will note the last time we went (Labor Day weekend 2016), the bathroom looked like only males had been using it for the past year. Please step it up for the lady gamers? read more

Vectorman's Arcadia: America's Playable Arcade Museum - All the pinball machines! - Arcades Near Me - McLean, Illinois

This is a really neat small arcade. I may not look big from the outside, but there are more than enough arcade games to occupy an hour or more. The arcade is mainly filled with classics from the 70s and 80s, with multiples of popular games like Pac Man. There are also several large pinball machines and also odd games that most people have probably never heard of. The arcade definitely has a retro feel. The owner also lives close by, so you can just give him a call if a machine steals your money. The games are also changed out every few months, so it's worth stopping by every once in a while to see what is new. Definitely a unique place to go for those that love playing the classics! read more

Worth a side trip for sure. You can tell immediately that the games are cared for and the curation of the collection is well thought out. My 9 year old had an equal amount of fun as his old man. As an avid pinball player, the condition of the older machines was commendable; most appeared to have been recently shopped and several played fast as new. read more

Vectorman's Arcadia: America's Playable Arcade Museum - Arcades Near Me - McLean, Illinois

Best arcade outside of Chicago. Halfway between Chicago and St Louis, and just 4 minutes off I55, it's a great location and a lot of fun. If you grew up in the 70's 80's or 90's you will enjoy it. Spent a $1 or $20, depending on how much time you have. Clean and well kept arcade. read more

I love having an actual arcade within a reasonable drive of my home. They have a ton of choices. This arcade occasionally switches out some of the games. The last time I was in they had the Simpson's arcade game. I was actually able to beat it after all these years. They have the Star Wars Trilogy arcade seems to be a regular game. There are some that you can people play less than others. It would be better if those games were switched out for more desirable ones. They have a lot pinballs even a Doctor Who one. Most of arcade games are reasonably priced. My issue with some random arcade games in stores are they expensive. 2 dollars a game. You can play games here for 25 to 50 cents. If you come at the right time then there will hardly be anyone in there. When it starts getting busy it gets cramped. Especially when kids are running around. It's a fun place to spend a Friday night though. read more

Man, I wish I lived a lot closer to this place. I am a big fan of 80s era arcade machines and only found out about this place when I ordered some replacement parts for a game of mine and realized the seller also ran this arcade/museum. The town this is located in is ludicrously small- literally, the whole downtown area is one big loop and has the general store, library, post office, church, and a few other buildings, one of which is this gem. I stopped in on a trip down to Springfield, and when I first pulled up, I was afraid it was closed because I didn't see anyone inside. Tried the door and realized it was open and immediately headed for the change machine. There was a nice mix of pinballs and arcade cabinets, and the machines were all in pretty good shape and in better than I expected cosmetic condition. (The only thing I noticed out of order on my visit was some of the "extra" features on the Rocky and Bullwinkle pin.) The arcade was also bigger than it looked from the outside, as it extends back and has a whole second room. This is definitely a must visit for anyone in the Springfield-Bloomington area who is nostalgic for the old arcades of their youth. The atmosphere is extremely laid back, and since it's a pay-per-play venue rather than one that charges a flat admission, you can stop in for as little or as long as you'd like. There have been more arcades (especially arcade bars) popping up lately, which I absolutely love. All of them have their own strengths and weaknesses, but I tell my arcade enthusiast friends that this one is my personal favorite. read more

A fun pit stop with great air conditioning on a hot hot day! I wish I had brought more cash to play more games- the closest ATM is about 4 or 5 blocks away. I'm not even into arcade or video games, but I still experienced a wave of nostalgia among these machines. Every game I tried worked (unlike a lot of the beercades I've seen in hip city bars). read more

Honestly, I spend a lot of time at this arcade because it's very close to my home; a simple 45 minute drive. I have seen several YouTube videos from arcade enthusiast and other adventurers who come across good old Arcadia, and most have the same thing to say. "Why is this here?" Arcadia is in a very very small town (Population 800) called McLean. It's about 15 minutes south of Bloomington, IL, and frankly.. in the middle of nowhere. The arcade/museum itself resides in a beautiful building located in the town square next to the public library. You can spot it out pretty easily because it's decorated with several large neon signs straight from 1982/1983. Seeing as it IS in the middle of nowhere, there are very few visitors that linger and hangout all day leaving optimal time to enjoy many of the classics on display here. The experience allows you to enjoy all the beeps and boops from the game previews and cheesy music from the pinball machines. Speaking of music, the owner has recently placed an old Wurlitzer Jukebox jam packed with all your 80's favorites right at the front of the arcade. Need a refreshment? While there is no one on staff (yes, it's still watched over), there are several vending machines outside to grab a soda or candy bar at with a full service gas station and a couple fast food places down the street. The arcade is split into 3 different rooms (with a rumored expansion coming sometime withing 2014 from my understanding), all beautifully decorated and completed with a hardwood floor for the games to rest on. What about the games? I'd say there are about 1 dozen pinball games in total including titles like Medieval Madness and Twilight Zone. They also have about 60 classics on the floor including some modern games beyond the 87' mark with a few of those pesky 60-in-1 cabs that I don't like. Titles include: Dance Dance Revolution 2000 Solo, Bubbles with a super rare duramold cabinet, APB, BurgerTime, Pac-Man, Tron, Tapper, and the list goes on. Recently they've opened another game museum in Atlanta, IL (about 5 miles south of this location) it features games from 1980 and earlier while the focus of this location is to now feature games from the mid 1980's to modern fare. Pros? Couches to relax on, no attendant to watch over you, all games are a quarter or 50 cents, very calming and enjoyable environment. I once witnessed a family of like 10 people stroll in with half a dozen pizzas and soda and throw an impromtu birthday party, it was awesome. Cons? On occasion some of the games will be in disrepair for several weeks. The genre distribution is a bit-lacking, and my biggest peeve as always if that there are a few games that are not housed in dedicated cabinets. All in all, this place is a real gem. I've been coming here consistently for 4 years now and will definitely visit it on my way back to town when i travel back home from college. Thank you to the owner John and all of his hard work that goes into preserving these games and keeping them around for people like me to play. read more

Best throw back to the 70's and 80's arcade games. Had a blast on my birthday and going back soon!!!

Spent a nice afternoon at Arcadia. They have an awesome assortment of pinball machines along with the other classics. Really enjoyed playing Dance Dance Revolution as well. read more

We stopped here for an hour to get out and stretch our legs as we were on a long road trip -- BEST STOP EVER. We loved introducing our kids to all sorts of classic games, and with the games being so reasonable (most $0.25-$1.00), it was easy on the wallet. The bathrooms were clean and the layout was really family friendly. When my youngest wanted to keep playing one particular game over and over, I could usually find a game nearby that I wanted to play as well. Plus, we were all standing for an hour which was a break from all the sitting in the car. :) Don't forget to check out the jukebox as you walk in too! (Yes, I loved this place so much that I'm posting this review on a few different sites. If we lived closer, it would actually be a serious threat to our supply of quarters around the house! ) read more

Stayed in Bloomington and drove to just to check out Arcadia. Definitely worth the drive!! Spent $20 and played games for over 2 hours! Hidden gem and worth going if you have never been read more

Awesome arcade, a real blast from the classic arcades of the 80s. Everything in the place is in great condition, from the games to the decor. Our family had a great time here. read more

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I'm glad this place is a true operating arcade priced per a game 25 for most games, or in the pinball realm multiple game pricing. I enjoy this concept two-fold. It allows me to relive the past with my son and it generates revenue to keep the games in good working order. It shows the owner really takes care of the machines, And the fact you have to pay for the time you play gives the machine the respect they deserve. I have played at may open play arcades in the US. and it nice not reaching in your pocket but the feeling and atmosphere are not the same. These machines are kept in brilliant shape and are not abused like the pay once arcades. If there happens to be an issue with a machine you just need to "POST" the issue on the machine with a "Post It". All the Games a classics and there are two buildings, And an additional one being fitted to hold more machines. If you love pinball this is worth the trip. I spent over two hours there on a machine and spent only 2.50. Of course, my son spent the rest of the twenty we put in the change machine but we both had one great day. Yes, this may not be an all-day affair. but give it a few hours and multiple trips if you're in central Illinois or if you're just passing Mclean from the interstate take an hour or two to relive a real arcade. But show respect to the machines and let's keep them around as long as possible for generations to enjoy. read more

What a neat place. I wanted my kids to have an idea of what video games were like back in the seventies and eighties. It was a great family day and this one, and the one that's in Atlanta Illinois we're great. read more

An amazing number of fully working pinball and arcade games from the 70s onwards. Most of the classics in 80s video games are covered here. Also a healthy dose of pinball, and more modern video games in the racing & shooting variety. Plenty of chairs & footstools so my 5-year-old could enjoy the gaming as well. A couple of the cabinets have a dozen or so classic games loaded on them, so there are more games here than meets the eye. Of the two dozen or so games I played, all of them had fully working controls - nothing ragged out that I could tell. It's been 30 years since I've seen this many arcade games in one place. read more