Wildwood Live

About

Retro Arcade & Fascination is a small arcade at 2900 Boardwalk, run by Randy Senna, who the Wildwoods tourism authority says has been at it since 1995. It is built around old machines: vintage pinball, rare baseball games and other one-of-a-kind finds, according to the Wildwoods tourism authority. It is also home to Fascination, a game you will not find in most arcades.

Fascination is a little like bingo played with a ball. You sit at a long wooden table, roll a rubber ball toward a grid of 25 holes at the far end, and each hole you land lights a square on a board. The first player to light five in a row wins, and an announcer runs each round. It is a social game played alongside strangers, and this is the only Fascination game still operating in New Jersey.

History

Fascination dates to 1918, when the game began at Coney Island, and Wildwood once had several parlors. The machines here came from the Olympic Fascination arcade in North Wildwood. Senna moved his arcade to 2900 Boardwalk from the Boardwalk Mall in 2019 and refurbished the game system the following year.

When to go

Hours change with the season and aren't published on an official page, so check before you make a special trip.

Price

No price list is published, so check at the arcade before you play.

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