Best Nickel Arcade in the Salt Lake Valley: Nickelmania
One of the best family-friendly outings in Salt Lake is to Nickelmania, located at 6051 South State Street. While it's one of many nickel arcades in the valley, it stands out for its working games, cleanliness, and especially its helpful, attentive staff. We love them!
Here's how it works: you pay a modest $2.25 entry fee, then all the games range from one to five nickels to play. They've got tons of classic video games, arcade and ticket-spewing games (including skeeball), a bank of games and a couple of "rides" for smaller children, lots of machines involving shooting, the ever-popular Dance Dance Revolution, and even a row of pinball machines in the back for those who remember them. The best time to go is any day but Saturday (but even Saturdays aren't totally manic).
Once you've got your pile of tickets, the "loot" at the ticket counter is varied (which is how I ended up with a flying monkey that actually flies across the room), and ranges in price from a few tickets to several thousand. If you're a couple of tickets short, they'll usually round up so you can have the trinket you've set your heart on.
A word about the staff: they are lovely. While some people cringe at bouncy groups of kids or teens, these guys make everyone feel genuinely welcome, give cheerful refunds for defunct machines, and are the key to why Nickelmania is the best in town.
There are four party tables in the back. Nickelmania offers two party packages: the Basic, consisting of reduced admission of $1.50/person and $5.00 to use the party area, and the Supreme package, where for $7.00 per person, you get admission, the party area, cake or pizza, drinks, partyware, a goody bag, and 40 nickels per person. All that, and you don't even have to clean your house for company beforehand.
While the obvious choice for a group is a birthday party, they've also hosted several family reunions, church youth groups, and even college fraternities.
Secret tip: if you're bringing a group on any day but Saturday, and want to bring your own snacks, call ahead and ask if you can use a table for your group if you agree to spend a certain amount on nickels (at least $60). They'll usually let you have the table, and if you go high enough, might waive the entrance fee, leaving you with more change to go play.
