Fun fun fun! - The best spots to get your game on this summer

By:  | July 22, 2024 |  Features |  Monmouth County

By Ryan Loughlin

By its very nature, the summer is all about playtime, (and that goes for adults as well as kids). Everything from the games of chance on the boardwalk to the video-game classics and pinball machines at the arcades offer up a fabulous opportunity to release some stress and feel like a kid again. And with that in mind, we present to you the best places to get your game on this summer!

Silverball Retro Arcade (Asbury Park)
There is a reason Asbury Park is known as the cool kid on the block, and spots like the Silverball Retro Arcade illustrate that point perfectly. Located right on the boardwalk, this effortlessly hip spot features the largest and most impressive selection of vintage pinball machines you will find anywhere at the Jersey Shore, each labeled with their date of production. Throw in a few skeeball lanes, a duo of air hockey tables and a rotating gaggle of classic old school video games (think Frogger, Galaga, Tapper, Space Invaders and more) and it all adds up to one of the most enjoyable summer afternoons imaginable. SilverballMuseum.com

iPlay America (Freehold)
Who says you need to travel to the beach towns to have a little fun? iPlay America offers up all of the boardwalk-style good times you know and love in the decidedly suburban location of Route 9 in Freehold. The latest video games are all in house, but that really only scratches the surface, as iPlay offers everything from indoor go karts and the incredible XD Dark Ride to a mini ferris wheel, laser tag, balloon darts and more. Onsite food choices include boardwalk-style snacks at Sonny’s, slices from Rob’s Pizza as well as robust menus at The Loaded Spoon and Topgolf Swing Suite. iPlayAmerica.com

Keansburg Amusement Park (Keansburg)
From a visual perspective, arcades and games of chance seem most at home when the aesthetic of the environment that surrounds them is a bit rough around the edges. The arcades in the ’80s always had a bit of an edge to them as did the traveling circuses where this type of entertainment’s roots lie. Keansburg Amusement Park, has a few bumps and bruises, but that ultimately adds to its charm. A sort of boardwalk-without-boards, the park offers a full lineup of rides as well as games for all ages. Spinning wheels, frog bogs, basketball shooting challenges and traditional arcade classics are all in the mix. KeansburgAmusementPark.com

Jenkinsons Boardwalk (Point Pleasant)
If there is a more quintessential “summer-at-the-Jersey-Shore” experience than strolling the boards in Point Pleasant, we have yet to find it. Your options for fun and games are all but endless, with all the boxes being checked off at nearly every turn. Kiddie rides like fire engines and jumping motorcycles, big kid rides like the Super Himalaya and Pirate’s Plunge as well as nostalgic faves like bumper cars and the Tilt-a-Whirl all live side-by-side with some of the best arcades and boardwalk games of chance you’ll find anywhere at the shore. The crashing waves and whiffs of cotton candy and funnel cakes just add to the intoxicating nostalgia of the entire experience. Jenkinsons.com