Funspot in the Lakes Region of NH - World's Largest Arcade & Classic Games
Written: Nov 11 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: plenty to choose from, great games, classic games, bowling, indoor golf
Cons: ticket redemption levels high
The Bottom Line: A great place for a rainy day or any day. The kids enjoy the ticket games and parents can enjoy indoor golf and classic games.
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| AliventiAsylum's Full Review: Funspot, NH |
Since I was little, I’ve spent time at Funspot. It was a part of my growing up with every summer spent on the lake. Nowadays I live about 45 minutes away and it’s still a place I love to go to. They’ve improved on it over the years and there’s basically something here for everyone.
Funspot is located in Laconia, NH. It’s on Route 3 in between the towns of Meredith and Weirs Beach. You really can’t miss it as you drive by as the place is so huge. It’s in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest arcade In the world. Not only that, but there is an indoor bowling alley, mini golf course, children’s play area, as well as a separate Bingo Hall.
WHAT TO DO
Everything operates on tokens. The tokens are about the equivalence of a quarter, give or take. The more tokens you buy, the cheaper it is. When I go with the kids, I get them each $20 worth of tokens and let them have at it.
The main thing here is games. Whether you are someone who likes to play games for tickets you can redeem for prizes or if your enjoyment is strictly in beating the game, you can find it here. On the first floor is the ticket redemption area for prizes. These are amazingly inflated, in my opinion, but it can be fun. In this area are the majority of the games which spit out the tickets as well. There’s Skee-Ball as well as slot machines. You can roll the bowling ball and try to get it to stop before it rolls back. I like a baseball game that’s reminiscent of an old-time pinball game where you need to score 40 runs for a token that’s the equivalent of 10 tickets.
There’s also driving games here which don’t spit out the tickets as well as air-hockey tables. The driving games are pretty expensive - most are 4 tokens. But if that’s your thing it can be a lot of fun. The games are maintained very well and attendants are walking around. If you have a problem with a game not paying out or if it eats your tokens, they are very accommodating and helpful.
The second floor up from here has some more games for tickets as well as some modern pinball games. There are a number of rooms on this level stretching quite a long way. Next to this first room is the kiddie play area. They have games geared toward the younger set, such as getting the balls into garbage cans which open and shut the lids as well as wack-a-mole type games. There are also some rides here such a bumper cars, and the types I used to see outside of the supermarket when I was a kid. The general age guidance is 9 and younger for this area but you’re the best judge of your child. The age guidance isn’t really enforced, do sometimes I have had to cope with older kids being jerks to the younger kids in this area. There are also a few Little Tikes play pieces here for kids to climb on and play in.
The next area over is the bowling center. This has both the standard bowling as well as ten-pin. It’s all automatic scoring and the alleys have automatic bumpers as well. In general the cost here is $4 per game per person and shoe rental is $2,50. During slow times, there are specials so I would check the website for those.
There used to be an outdoor driving range right down next to the first floor. That’s gone and now everything is indoors. That’s right, Funspot has an indoor simulated driving range. While the kids are running around blowing tokens, Mom and Dad can practice their golf swing. It looks pretty nice and there are even leagues which play here.
Mini-golf is also indoors with a 9-hole course that costs $3 to play.
CLASSIC ARCADE MUSEUM
This is my favorite section, and it’s generally where the kids know they can find me. Remember all those games you played growing up? You can probably find them here. A couple weeks back I played Tempest, Donkey Kong, Pac Man, and Space Invaders. I beat my 14 year old daughter at a game of Pong. There’s the classic Star Wars game, Frogger, Q*Bert - just about every game that existed in the dawn of the video game era. Classic pinball machines are also here.
For a list of all the current games, see http://www.classicarcademuseum.org/gamelist2.htm
NOW I’M HUNGRY
There are two options for food at Funspot. Down on the first floor is a snack bar called the Braggin’ Dragon that has pizza, hot dogs, chili, nachos, and other finger-food as well as drinks. My kids usually have the pizza when they get hungry and it’s fine for them.
Upstairs near the Classic Arcade Museum is the D.A. Long Tavern. This area has some games and a pool table. It serves beer, wine, and other drinks as well as appetizers. These aren’t anything special, just the usual frozen bagged foods that you can find in many restaurants. Still, the atmosphere here is nicer than in the snack bar and when I want a break and I’m up on the third level where the arcade museum is I’ll sit here rather than head all the way down to the snack bar - it’s a long walk!
In both places I feel the prices are fairly reasonable and I don't feel like they are gouging people for what they get. If you're willing to take a ride, there are other food options to the south in Weirs Beach or at the Tamarack Drive-In less than a half-mile north.
ANTHING ELSE?
Gift cards are available for tokens or food. If you’re in the area and looking to have a party, they accommodate groups and parties with a party room. There are many events going on through the year, especially in the summer. Once a year there’s a Classic Video Games Tournament which is a lot of fun. My kids get bored watching all the “old people” crow about their scores on these games but for me it was a lot of fun to go for the first time this past year (I didn’t participate, just watched).
I haven’t visited the Bingo Hall, but they have Bingo going every night. Many nights benefit local charities and clubs.
I think they could lower the redemption levels for prizes and still do pretty well. They just seemed really high to me, especially the last time when I was killing at Skee-Ball and with all the tickets I won as well as my daughter, she didn’t even have enough for a mug.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Funspot is still one of my favorite places to go. I love to go here when I need a “mental break” and I so enjoy playing games in the Classic Arcade Museum. My kids enjoy the games down below and there’s something here for everyone.
Funspot used to be open 24/7 365 days a year when I was a kid. That's changed and operating hours do change seasonally as well. Check the website for the current hours they are open if you are going to visit.
website: http://www.funspotnh.com
© 2009 Patti Aliventi
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Member: Patti Aliventi
Location: Mount Washington Valley, New Hampshire
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