If you are an arcade junkie, then you will love Red Rocket Retro Arcade. This is NOT one of those places where you spend your money trying to earn tickets to cash in for a Chinese trinket. This is gaming purely for the love of the games! Read on to learn more.
Don’t let the name fool you. The front of the arcade is lined with pinball machines, so the place does draw you in with that old school vibe. But other than the retro vibe, all of the machines are modern and top notch. There are even a couple of virtual reality machines (which are way more expensive than the other games, by the way). It is a really nice mix of different types of games that might appeal to different generations of players, both kid and adult.
We did spend some time in the pinball machine alley. It is unusual these days to see a row of that type of machine. It doesn’t spit out tickets. It doesn’t (for the most part) involve gameplay on a screen. It’s just a silver ball and a couple of flippers…and lots of lights and electronic stuff going on around it.
With a couple of exceptions, almost all of the machines were in excellent working order. We also liked the way it is wide open to the street. It’s got a “come on in” kind of feel. Retro and friendly.
There are all the classics here like skee-ball, basketball, baseball and hunting. You can compete to see who has the fastest fastball. See who is ready for that big NBA contract. Or crush your competition in a battle on the air hockey table. Whatever you’re into, it’s probably here.
Red Rocket Retro Arcade is located at 815 Parkway, right on the main strip in Gatlinburg. From Edgewater Hotel, cross over the street, walk straight to Parkway, turn right and walk about two blocks. It’s an easy walk.
If you are in town and just looking for somewhere to have some goofy fun for a while, then this is it! Now, if you’ve ever been to an arcade, you know you can burn through money pretty quick. But from an economic standpoint, we felt like our money lasted longer here than the prize-oriented arcades. If you can’t stand going to an arcade and not leaving with a prize…there are other arcades in town that might be more to your liking. This one is all about the games.
