The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York is a large interactive destination devoted entirely to the history and exploration of play. This includes toys, video games, childhood characters, games and a few rides. It’s not unusual to spend 3-4 hours or more to do a quick run through all the exhibits and a deep dive could extend your visit even more. Highlights include a toy hall of fame, video game hall of fame, historic pinball area, a butterfly garden and there are a few rides including a carousel and a train. The museum is also conveniently located near several New York theme parks and amusement parks making it a great addition to a credit tun or a diversion on a rainy day.
The carousel at the museum is historic in that it was manufactured in 1918 by the Allan Herschell Company in nearby North Tonawanda, New York and has been lovingly restored. It is named the Elaine Wilson Carousel (a generous supporter of the museum) and features leaping horses, ponies, a chariot, and a “whirling tub” or “lovers tub”. It’s a great example of a country fair-style traveling attraction and rides cost $2 per person. The train is a Zamperla mini locomotive on tracks surrounded by scenic postcards from across America and rides cost $2 per person per ride
The museum is also home to the Video Game Hall of Fame a massive exhibit on the 2nd floor. The museum website offers the following description, “The World Video Game Hall of Fame at The Strong, established in 2015, recognizes electronic games of all types that have enjoyed popularity over a sustained period and have exerted influence on the video game industry or on popular culture and society in general.” This area is like a “greatest hits” of all things gaming from Oregon Trail to Grand Theft Auto. Pong, Tetris, Mario, Sonic, Halo, Minecraft, Angry Birds, Mortal Kombat and Madden are all represented here. Many are playable and games from arcade, console and mobile are all represented with an online list of all the inductees here. This is an impressive space and worth the price of admission alone.
“The World Video Game Hall of Fame at The Strong, established in 2015, recognizes electronic games of all types that have enjoyed popularity over a sustained period and have exerted influence on the video game industry or on popular culture and society in general.”
https://www.museumofplay.org/exhibits/world-video-game-hall-of-fame
In addition to the World Video Game Hall of Fame, you’ll also find many other areas of gaming fun. There’s an area dedicated to just racing games, an area dedicated to home consoles and a full arcade. Interactivity is everywhere across the museum, so you’ll find arcade cabinets and interactive screens of all types everywhere. The games are everything from classics to modern hits with most being free or only being a quarter to play. A video game fan could literally spend a day here ignoring everything else.
Pinball Playfields is also a highlight with essentially every machine being playable for $0.25 and many machines having free credits on them. This exhibit has nearly 100 years of pinball history from the basic mechanical machines of the 1930’s to the sophisticated electronic versions of today, they even publish their complete pinball machine inventory online. These range from a 1931 machine named Whiffle to to Game of Thrones pinball from 2015 to Hercules, the world’s largest commercial pinball machine, from 1979.
One of the most impressive areas is the 17,000-square-foot outdoor Hasbro Game Park where you can stroll along a colorful path amid towering Candy Land candy canes, giant Scrabble tiles spelling “PLAY,” and a 14-foot-long Scottie dog from Monopoly. There are also many interactive elements such as taking a spin on a carousel spinner from the Game of Life. traversing giant, wooden Jenga blocks. testing your memory on an over-sized game of Simon. or rolling the die and taking your chances with a fire-breathing, five-headed dragon from Dungeons & Dragons
The line between theme parks, TV, movies and video games is more a blurry shade of gray than a distinct line. This is especially true when it seems every new themed land or ride needs a known intellectual property (IP) to get built today. You’ll notice lots of cross-over at the Strong Museum with some areas feeling like themed lands from parks such as the Sesame Street area or the Comic Book Hero Zone.
One of the core areas of the Strong Museum are of course the toys. You’ll see everything from Barbie to a Magic 8 Ball. Not only are the toys honored, however, but also the inventors and business people responsible for their success. Theme Park fans will recognize a few familiar faces here such as Bob Iger from Disney, who oversaw a big build out of the Disney theme parks. Theme parks are a way to sell toys through their integration of IP in the rides and themed lands, so there is quite the synergistic relationship.
The museum can also be a great addition to a trip to ride some New York and Canadian roller coasters. If you’re headed to greater Buffalo to check out Six Flags Darien Lake or ride the “Burger King Coaster” in Niagara Falls this can be a great stop or an option in bad weather. Rochester itself is also home the Seabreeze Amusement Park, America’s 4th oldest operating amusement park that is home to 4 roller coasters.
My review of the Strong National Museum of Play couldn’t be more positive. We spent the better part of a week in Upstate New York and the museum was a sincere highlight of the trip. The museum is just $25 to get in and you can easily spend a half or even a whole day here. It’s also open late until 8pm on Friday and Saturday if you’re looking for evening fun. If you’re of a certain age you’ll reminisce over the toys and games of your childhood while perhaps simultaneously a younger generation to them. The Strong Museum of Play has “play’ in the name and if there’s one thing this museum is it’s fun!
