Last Thursday, Rob and I kicked off our semi-annual Arcade Road Trip (TM). This was the first one that required me to fly since my family trip to California arcades pre-COVID. The preview day for the Midwest Gaming Classic gaming convention didn't open until Friday evening. That meant that Rob and I had just under two full days to explore Wisconsin arcades and we took full advantage of it. Our first stop was the amazing Garcade in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.
I've known the location's namesake, Gar Nelson, for years on Facebook and have enjoyed following his journey from mega arcade and pinball collector to the co-owner, along with his good friend Tim Byron and Gar's wife Mara, of what is now a super-successful public arcade. Gar always seemed like a nice guy on-line, but he was even nicer in person. Rob and I spent HOURS at The Garcade on Thursday getting the full tour and swapping stories.
The Garcade's website says that they have 175+ games. I believe it. I honestly think that there's even more than that. They had just about every classic arcade cabinet imaginable, other than the OG Gauntlet (which Gar is looking for, so if you're near Wisconsin and have one that you would sell, hook him up because he's on the hunt). Here's the current Garcade Pinball lineup, courtesy of Pinball Map:
Avengers: Infinity Quest (Pro) (Stern, 2020)
Beatles (Stern, 2018)
Black Knight: Sword of Rage (Pro) (Stern, 2019)
Blackout (Williams, 1980)
Cactus Canyon (Remake Special) (Chicago Gaming, 2021)
Earthshaker (Williams, 1989)
F-14 Tomcat (Williams, 1987)
Firepower (Williams, 1980)
Godzilla (Pro) (Stern, 2021)
Gold Wings (Gottlieb, 1986)
Guardians of the Galaxy (Pro) (Stern, 2017)
Gulfstream (Williams, 1973)
Hollywood Heat (Gottlieb, 1986)
Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast (Pro) (Stern, 2018)
Jurassic Park (Pro) (Stern, 2019)
Lethal Weapon 3 (Data East, 1992)
The Mandalorian (Pro) (Stern, 2021)
Metallica (Pro) (Stern, 2013)
Monster Bash (Remake Special) (Chicago Gaming, 2018)
Mr. & Mrs. Pac-Man (Bally, 1982)
The Munsters (Premium) (Stern, 2019)
NBA Fastbreak (Bally, 1997)
PIN-BOT (Williams, 1986)
Revenge from Mars (Bally, 1999)
Rush (Pro) (Stern, 2022)
Space Invaders (Bally, 1979)
Space Mission (Williams, 1976)
Star Trek: The Next Generation (Williams, 1993)
Star Wars Episode 1 (Williams, 1999)
Stranger Things (Pro) (Stern, 2019)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Pro) (Stern, 2020)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Williams, 1991)
Total Nuclear Annihilation (Spooky, 2017)
I'm drowning in work today, so I'm going to have to be a man of few words and let the pictures and videos below speak for themselves. I've included all of the info for the Garcade below. If you're in the Wisconsin area (or even Chicago, I learned that it's not that far a drive) the Garcade is a must-visit!
The Garcade
N85 W15920 Appleton Ave
Menomonee Falls, WI 53051
(262) 293-9944
Website: https://thegarcade.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGarcade
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Garcade2012/
