National Pinball Museum Opening in Georgetown

The F.A.O. Schwartz in Georgetown may be gone, but something equally fun - and throwback - is replacing it: a pinball arcade.

Describing the new installation as an arcade, however, may be an understatement.  Filling nearly 14,000 square feet of space in the Georgetown Shoppes, owner and curator David Silverman prefers to think of the collection as a museum, and not without merit; Silverman's personal hoard of over 850 pinball machines spans nearly three centuries of gaming.

The National Pinball Museum, though, is not all fun-and-games.  Silverman views the pinball machines both as entertainment and totems of the culture in which they were created; to seem them is to catch a glimpse of American history that is slowly fading away.

The museum's experience is designed to be an interactive one, with 40 of the machines open to the general public for play.  Silverman also intends to offer educational programs at the museum, including classes on pinball electronics, woodworking, and art design.

Admission is $13.50 for adults and children over 9 years old; those younger are free.  The museum's Georgetown opening is December 4th, and is open from 10am to 8pm.  For more information and tickets, visit www.nationalpinballmuseum.org.