Put Myrtle Beach Pinball Museum on your to-do list

MYRTLE BEACH,  S.C. — Maybe it would not excite everyone but finding out there was a pinball museum here I knew I had to go and the Myrtle Beach Pinball Museum did not disappoint.

The museum touts a “journey back to the 1980s and 90’s” at the museum but for me it was a trip back to the 1960s. That’s when I was a paper boy and often went to a restaurant near the newspaper and spent 20 cents — a nickel for a RC, a nickel for a bag of peanuts and a dime to play two games of pinball before delivering my 150 newspapers.

What makes this museum so special is that not only do you get to see about 30 pinball machines but you get to play them. Your $12 admission — tickets must be purchased in advance online — gives you an hour of unlimited play on any or all of the pinball machines.

Not sure you can spend an hour having that much fun for only $12 anywhere except on the beach but for me this hour was priceless.

I am not quite sure how I had been to Myrtle Beach so many times without knowing about this attraction.

There were about 10 others in the museum with us and several children were also there enjoying the pinball machines with the flashing lights and unique arcade sounds.

I got to admit my favorite was the Wheel of Fortune because I watch that show most nights with my mother. I was thrilled when I found out North Myrtle Beach native Vanna White — the Wheel of Fortune co-star — had visited the museum and autographed the back of the machine.

“We are 100 percent volunteers with no salaries so our schedules do fluctuate,” Jerry Pinkas told me after explaining how other celebrities have also visited the museum. “It’s really a labor of love for all of us. We just love seeing people having fun and we get so many great comments.”

Pinkas said they obviously are busier during peak tourist season but the museum has a steady flow of visitors.

It’s easy to find as it is just four blocks off the beach in the heart of Myrtle Beach.

So if you are looking for a very affordable hour of fun, visit the Myrtle Beach Pinball Museum to rekindle memories or create memories if you have never had a chance to play pinball.

And make sure to pay attention because each pinball machine has information about the game on it. The “Old Chicago” machine was one of 7,155 units made in 1976 and featured John Dillinger.

The “Wheel of Fortune” machine was from 2007 and had voice over by Pat Sejack, the co-star of the show with White. There were only 1,000 of these machines.

“People find out about our museum and will donate to us,” Pinkas said. “We have some machines that were just sitting in garages or not being  used and now we can share them with people.”

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