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The Arcade Formerly Known as Paul’s Pinball Palace

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Decades ArcadeDecades Arcade
Decades ArcadeDecades Arcade
Central VA’s Largest Arcade!
  • Games
    • Pinball Machines
    • Arcade Games
    • Other Games
  • Admission
  • Events
  • Gift Vouchers
    • Purchase Gift Vouchers
    • Redeem Gift Vouchers
  • Merch
  • Contact
  • Book Now

Book Now

PLEASE NOTE: Upon opening our doors for the day, our online sales close. You may still come play during public hours – just walk in. Check our current occupancy to see if there is room for your group!

Public Hours FAQ

Online pre-registration is to make your entry faster. If we’re at capacity (80ppl) when you arrive, you will be placed on a waitlist to enter. Max capacity can be reached due to walk-ins & re-entry being allowed. Average wait time for parties of 2-5 is less than 30 minutes. You may check our live headcount prior to arriving.

CAN I DROP OFF MY CHILD AND LEAVE?
Only if they’re 16 or over. See below.

HOW MANY KIDS CAN I BRING?
We require a ratio of 1 adult per 3 children
to ensure rule-following: no running, abusing games, hiding, spilling drinks, or other misconduct. You are responsible for your children’s actions in the arcade. For children 6 & under, we recommend 1 adult per 1 child as they require direct supervision. Ages 3 & under are allowed in with a paying adult at no charge (start them young!). If you’re hosting a group, see below.

CAN I HOST A PARTY DURING PUBLIC HOURS?
You may, but your entire group must enter together and you must abide by the adult to child ratio above. We do not allow partial group entry. If some people will be arriving late, then make a separate booking for them. We do not allow any cake or food inside, but you may use, at maximum, half of our patio for food as we need half of our patio available for other customers to use. No balloons, decorations, coolers, presents or anything else other than food & drinks are allowed on our patio during public hours. If you would like to have these, you can rent the entire arcade for your group for $299!

DO I HAVE TO PAY IF I WON’T PLAY?
Everyone must pay to enter. Entry is $12 per person, age 4 and up.

CAN I BRING IN FOOD OR DRINKS?
No food or candy is allowed in the arcade to protect our games, but we have a 20-seat patio you may use to eat. You may have drinks, but no open cups. Drinks must be placed in cupholders or the floor, not on top of any machines. No outside alcohol is allowed.

DO YOU HAVE ALCOHOL?
Unfortunately no – our prior partnered brewery vacated the building in June 2022.

DO YOU ALLOW RE-ENTRY?
Yes! Your entry fee is a day pass for that day’s hours. Keep your wristband on & show it at the door when you re-enter. If we’re at capacity, you’ll have to wait to re-enter.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING RE:COVID?
We have hand sanitizer in every room, UV light sanitation every night and a robust air circulation & purification system. Read more

DO I NEED QUARTERS?
No, all 100+ games are on free play! You would only need money for the toy crane (1 quarter per play) or the drink / snack machines ($1).

ARE YOU HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE?
Our parking lot, entrance, and main floor are all handicapped accessible at 32 inches wide. The Wood Panel Room & Yellow Room upstairs are only accessible by stairs. As our building is quite old, the bathroom has a smaller entrance of 24 inches wide, but is on the main level!

ANYTHING ELSE I NEED TO KNOW?
We don’t allow bicycles, strollers, large bags/bookbags, large or multiple gifts, because we have to ensure walkways are clear.
We do not allow fireworks, explosives or weapons of any kind (including anything with a blade or any gun), even with a concealed carry permit.
You may take photos for personal use, but commercial use is prohibited without our written consent.

Private Events FAQ

HOW LONG DO I GET THE ARCADE?
Two hours, exactly the time frame booked. No early arrival. At the end time, all must vacate the inside. You may occupy the outside patio area for a short time after your party, but must clean & depart by 20 minutes after your party end time. For example, if you have a 11am-1pm party, the patio should be cleared by 1:20pm.

HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN I HAVE?
Your rental includes up to 50 attendees. If you would like to have up to 80 attendees (our current max capacity), each additional attendee over 50 people is at an additional $10.
For example: 60 attendees = your initial cost of $299, plus $10 per person for 10 people, for a total cost of $399.
Please ensure your number of attendees for your booking is correct so that we can staff appropriately. We will count attendees at your event & will require payment for extra attendees if your count is over 50.

HOW MANY CHAPERONES DO I NEED?
We require a ratio of 1 adult per 3 children to ensure rule-following: no running, abusing games, hiding, spilling drinks, or other misconduct. You are responsible for your children’s actions in the arcade. For children 6 & under, we recommend 1 adult per 1 child as they require direct supervision.

For more than 10 children, 7 adults is the *minimum* chaperones needed since we have 7 areas of visibility in the arcade.

For example:
5 children? 2 adults required
7 children? 3 adults required
12 children? 7 adults required
25 children? 9 adults required
36 children? 12 adults required

Please do not plan less than the required number of adults per children – if you do, we will contact you ahead of time to adjust your numbers. Responsible teens 16 & up can count as chaperones as long as at least 2 adults over 18 are present.

CAN I HAVE FOOD AND DRINKS?
No food or candy is allowed in the arcade to protect our games, but we have a 20-seat patio you may use to eat. If you would like extra tables and chairs set up on our patio for a serving table or extra seating, please email lindsey@decadesarcade.com to request this at least 1 day prior to your event. Do not move or rearrange the patio tables.

You may have drinks, but no open cups. Drinks must be placed in cupholders or the floor, not on top of any machines.

NEW 6/22/22: You may bring your own NON-GLASS legally-purchased beer or wine pursuant to VA Code § 4.1-200. No glass containers will be allowed on the premises. Anyone drinking alcohol in your party must be of 21 years of age and must drink responsibly, following our house rules and all applicable laws.

WHAT ABOUT STORING OR SERVING FOOD?
We do not have anywhere to store food, or hot or cold storage. Please plan on food that you can sit outside on the patio. Coolers are allowed on the patio! We can provide 2 electrical sockets outside if you have something like a crock pot.

DO YOU SERVE ALCOHOL?
Unfortunately no – our prior partnered brewery vacated the building in June 2022.

CAN I DECORATE?
You may arrive 10 minutes prior to your party slot to decorate the patio. We allow decorations that will cause no damage to our walls or tents, and you must remove them at the end of your party, especially taking care to remove all tape. We recommend masking tape, painter’s tape or clear packing tape – no duct tape. We reserve the right to deny any decorations that could be considered offensive, and do not allow any political messaging.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING RE:COVID?
We have hand sanitizer in every room, UV light sanitation every night and a robust air circulation & purification system. Read more

DO I NEED QUARTERS?
No, all 100+ games are on free play! You would only need money for the toy crane (1 quarter per play) or the drink / snack machines ($1).

ARE YOU HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE?
Our parking lot, entrance, and main floor are all handicapped accessible at 32 inches wide. The Wood Panel Room & Yellow Room upstairs are only accessible by stairs. As our building is quite old, the bathroom has a smaller entrance of 24 inches wide, but is on the main level!

ANYTHING ELSE I NEED TO KNOW?
We do have a small desk up front you may place presents when walking in.
We do not allow fireworks, explosives or weapons of any kind (including anything with a blade or any gun), even with a concealed carry permit.
You may take photos for personal use, but commercial use is prohibited without our written consent.

Decades Arcade

221 Carlton Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22902

Monday Closed
Tuesday Closed
Wednesday Closed
Thursday Closed
Friday 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Saturday 1:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Sunday 1:30 pm – 6:00 pm

© 2018-2023 Decades Arcade

 

We are moving soon! We’re open at 221 Carlton Rd through late February 2023, but bookings past then are closed. Bookings will re-open when we have completed our move. Stay tuned to our social media for details!