Nashville's 5 best video arcades

In the heyday of Pac-Man and Donkey Kong, you'd have been hard-pressed to find a laundromat, pizza parlor or convenience store without a video arcade game or pinball machine. That's a far less common sight these days, but you can still find them if you know where to look.

The Nashville area is blessed with a handful of video arcades — several of which are labors of love for their owners — and another big one is on the way next year. Here are our top five picks:

1. Game Galaxy. Middle Tennessee's biggest and best collection of vintage arcade and pinball games. Game Galaxy now spans two locations in Goodlettsville and Antioch. No quarters required, as machines are set to "Free Play" mode. Admission is $5 for 30 minutes, $7 for an hour or $10 for the day. Here's its impressive game list. (5346 Hickory Hollow Parkway and 1000 Rivergate Parkway)

2. Two Bits. Nashville's independent "barcade" has a full menu and tons of beers on tap. In addition to a handful of arcade classics (Galaga, Mortal Kombat II, NFL Blitz) on free play, it has a selection of home consoles (Nintendo, Sega) and board games. (1520 Demonbreun St.)

3. The Flashback Arcade.This Murfreesboro spot opened earlier this year and boasts wall-to-wall pinball classics and lesser-known arcade favorites (Sinistar, Wizard of Wor). Admission is $10 for all-you-can-play. (258 River Rock Blvd., Murfreesboro)

4. Dave & Busters. A behemoth, and a chain, but D&Bs still deserves notice for having a huge inventory of video games and other electronic amusements. You won't find many vintage machines here, but it's the only spot where you'll probably find a brand-new game or two. (540 Opry Mills Drive)

5. Headquarters Nashville (opening in 2016). The new Chicago-based "barcade" is planning to open a downtown Nashville location early next year in the former space of SEEN. You can follow the latest developments on its Facebook page.