‘Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum’ Is A Marvelous Hidden Treasure

A rainy day and a road trip with my husband gave way to a discovery of spectacular proportions. Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum is a hidden gem tucked away in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan. If you are looking for the creepy and unique in arcade game form, then you will find all that and more in this cloistered den of oddities.

From the road, one can only see an archway sign that helps in finding this tucked away treasure, since this interactive museum is in the back of a plaza. The anticipation of the adventure ahead was filled with excitement as we approached the front door. Just walking in sends you into sensory overload, the feeling of being bombarded with colors, sights, and sounds that are coming from all directions. It all made it near impossible to decide where to start the day’s adventure.

Naturally, we were drawn to the dark creepiness that was nestled inside Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum. Although one would not expect to see this odd arrangement amongst classic pinball and arcade games like Batman, Pac Man, Centipede, Donkey Kong, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The gloomy idiosyncrasies are hidden throughout this museum, and we managed to find them all.

The first to draw our attention was the The Addams Family pinball machine. This was in a row of classic pinball machines in the front of the museum. It was fun taking turns playing and being part of the kooky family for a game or two.

The next discovery provided quite the grisly history lesson on the Spanish Inquisition and use of the guillotine. There were multiple scenes of torture with these mechanical, antique arcade games. Just put in your change and patiently wait for the horror to unfold.

There were three machines near the food stand that were created to strike fright into the hearts of all Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum visitors. The first machine claimed it would cure your fear of spiders. All that was required was for you to place your hand in the machine and wait for the cure. If you want to know if it worked, take your fear of spiders down to Detroit and try it yourself. The next experience was the 3 Trials of Terror, and it caused me to panic. I kindly let my husband take my place to experience this one. Last up was The Great Chopandoff. This one has you place your hand in the machine to see it get chopped off. Luckily, it is all an illusion.

We experienced some of the lighthearted fun to be had at this museum as well. There was the Burt Reynolds’ Cosmopolitan nude spread with a fig leaf strategically placed. We had fun playing skee ball and Mario Kart, too. We also got married, but the machine only honors the marriage within 50 feet, so it was probably good we had already tied the knot prior to this adventure…

If you are going to be in the Detroit area and are looking to spend a few hours having fun playing new and old arcade games, this is the place. Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum will not disappoint with its collection of vintage coin-operated machines. Take the time to discover what this hidden treasure has to share with the dark and creepy and lighthearted as well.