Just don't try to cash out your winnings. They pay in tootsie rolls.
Because it is attached to a functioning arcade (Nickelmania), the museum doesn't feel "sacred." Teenagers will run past a 1915 Mutoscope to play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . That could annoy a purist, but it actually makes the place feel alive. History isn't roped off; it's just the weird corner of the party.
Housed inside the massive, neon-lit cavern of (a retro arcade open to the public), the IAM isn’t a sterile collection of glass cases. It is a living , breathing archive of coin-op entertainment. You aren't looking at a 1910 Caille "Jockey Club" slot machine; you are pulling its lever to see if three horses line up.
The Premise: Most museums tell you not to touch the exhibits. The International Arcade Museum (IAM) hands you a roll of nickels and says, "Go break history."
Most arcade museums celebrate video games (Pac-Man, Donkey Kong). The IAM celebrates coin games. There are no screens here (until you get to the 1970s section). The genius of this place is that it forces you to confront gambling as a mechanical art form. You see a 1907 Mills "Liberty Bell" and realize it is a mathematical trap made of brass and cherry paint. It is beautiful. It is also designed to rob you.