We frequent our local Yestercades often. It is always great fun, and a good place to spend an evening with friends. Especially if the weather is not great. We go to the one in Westfield, however, we have been in Somerville, and it is just as great. From what I hear Red Bank is also good.
Since they open at noon on a weekday, that is when we arrived. In fact, and this is very unusual for me, we were there early. We got there about 20 minutes before they open. That means that we had the chance to explore downtown Somerville for a bit. It is a lovely town, and lots to see and do. The street that Yestercades is located on is right in the center of town, and just happens to be a promenade with lots of fascinating shops, tables and chairs with umbrellas and some fantastic music from the music shop right there. It was a pleasure to sit and wait there while having my coffee. The kids of course went off to meander and explore the space.
At noon the arcade opened up and our kids were let in. They dissipated so quickly and disappeared among the many games at Yestercades. They do have a lot of games. Most games are truly nostalgic games, as in a few decades ago, but they are still a lot of fun. There was a pool table, and a concession area, and a clean bathroom. What else can a mom ask for? I also like the fact that it is an arcade without the tickets, points or prizes. Just games. It makes it so much better then a regular everyday arcade.
There were some games that I would enjoy, but I was enjoying a conversation with a friend. They even had a chess board for people like me:
The kids and parents might also enjoy the enormous amount of pinball machines. I love pinball, and they had a big selection.
My youngest loves pinball, but he was drawn to the couches with game systems. Here is my issue with that: he can play most of these games at home, on our couch, for free. However, I think that having friends there, and having all these games available to him to play with friends was a big deal. While the older boys liked all the arcade games, the little ones just wanted the video games. I had to try and convince him to at least try some of the other games there. He did have a great time, though, so I am not complaining.
We found the young man there was helpful, and since we paid under $20.00, for two kids, the prices were very reasonable. The best part is that there are no prizes and tickets like in a more traditional arcade. After the arcade there are plenty of places to eat in downtown area. We wound up with pizza and an ice cream. It is always a great day, and we look forward to it. HERE is the link to their site.