Shannon McCarthy, 33, of Asheville, N.C., said she was the first customer at the Asheville Pinball Museum. The museum recently opened in downtown Asheville. It features more than 30 vintage machines from various eras. The museum is interactive and visitors can play the machines.
ASHEVILLE – Atlanta residents Burton and Rebecca Posey were recently on their way home from visiting relatives in Virginia when they decided to make a stop in Western North Carolina's most populous city.
The married couple, in their early 30s, were strolling near Asheville's historic shopping center, Grove Arcade, when Burton saw something that grabbed his attention.
Across the street, on the ground floor of the Battery Park Hotel, was a window sign for the Asheville Pinball Museum.
“When I saw it, I had to stop in,” Burton said. “It's really neat. I'm glad that there's something around like this. Pinball machines are kind of magical. To me, they're like an amusement park wrapped into this little box.”
Taking a quick break from playing such classic machines as 1981's Black Hole and 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Burton revealed that his interest stemmed not only from childhood nostalgia but also from the fact that he works as a video game developer.
“I get to do a lot of interesting stuff but nothing like this,” Burton said. “These machines require a lot of craftsmanship. It's a blend of manufacturing and technology.”
The museum only opened Aug. 30, meaning that the Poseys are not the only ones discovering it for the first time.
Given that there are nearly three dozen machines from various eras available for play, first-time visitors are sometimes overcome with a sense of wonder.
“I've seen grown men raise their arms up in almost praise to these machines,” said T.C. Di Bella, a 46-year-old Enka Middle School teacher who owns and operates the museum. “Some of these machines, they haven't seen in 30 or 40 years, and they just get so excited.”
Continue reading via blueridgenow.com
The married couple, in their early 30s, were strolling near Asheville's historic shopping center, Grove Arcade, when Burton saw something that grabbed his attention.
Across the street, on the ground floor of the Battery Park Hotel, was a window sign for the Asheville Pinball Museum.
“When I saw it, I had to stop in,” Burton said. “It's really neat. I'm glad that there's something around like this. Pinball machines are kind of magical. To me, they're like an amusement park wrapped into this little box.”
Taking a quick break from playing such classic machines as 1981's Black Hole and 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Burton revealed that his interest stemmed not only from childhood nostalgia but also from the fact that he works as a video game developer.
“I get to do a lot of interesting stuff but nothing like this,” Burton said. “These machines require a lot of craftsmanship. It's a blend of manufacturing and technology.”
The museum only opened Aug. 30, meaning that the Poseys are not the only ones discovering it for the first time.
Given that there are nearly three dozen machines from various eras available for play, first-time visitors are sometimes overcome with a sense of wonder.
“I've seen grown men raise their arms up in almost praise to these machines,” said T.C. Di Bella, a 46-year-old Enka Middle School teacher who owns and operates the museum. “Some of these machines, they haven't seen in 30 or 40 years, and they just get so excited.”
Continue reading via blueridgenow.com
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