A few years back, I took Jim (and Bree) to Farmington Hills, Michigan to visit Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum as part of our annual Surprise Father's Day Trip. I had heard about this place through conversation with an acquaintance and did a little searching on the internet, but, still, it was a shot in the dark if this place was going to be worth it or not.
And it was
We went back not even a year later with Jacob and even took some extra family along with us. And we have already planned yet another trip this Spring to head back up. It is today, sadly, that I read online that Marvin, the founder of this unique museum, has passed away. It is also today that I discovered I never blogged about this adventure!
Right from the moment you step inside you are engulfed in lights and sounds. There is so much to see from the floor...
...up to the ceiling! The airplanes move along a track through the whole museum.
One of the very first things you'll see is an entire wall of pinball machines! Some old, some new.
But your eye won't stay there for long! There is so much to see. Before playing anything, you'll just need to walk through the whole place, taking inventory of what to play first.
Not all machines are strictly video games. Bree loved this simple machine where a chef reaches into the oven and pulls out a gumball for you.
There are so many unique machines in this place. Like this crazy guy electrocutes himself...
...to this guy vomits on himself. And most notoriously, you can play tic-tac-toe with a chicken. Who comes up with this stuff?
Of course, there are some standard machines in this place where you'll be a winner every time.
Marvin didn't just collect video games, he also collected old circus posters!
In the middle of your trip, when your feet hurt from all the walking and standing, have a seat on this foot massaging machine. However, I will warn you - it is loud!!!
As you get further into the museum, the gaming machines become newer and your efforts are rewarded with tickets for a redemption center.
But then in the middle of all the new machines sits this:
Before you leave, you'll take anther walk through the place and discover so much more you didn't see the first time around. How do they fit all this stuff in here?!
Just before leaving, as you stand in the doorway zipping your coats, look up. The entrance way ceiling is made of old pinball tops!
I recommend taking a trip up there. A roll of quarters goes a long way.
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