Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum is an arcade/museum devoted to a huge collection of coin-operated animatronic dummies, mechanical games, and other oddities. Exhibits include, for example, the classic gypsy fortune teller machine that used to grace many a carnival sideshow. You’ll be glad you read this!
Nestled between halves of a shopping mall north of Detroit, it’s packed floor-to-ceiling with masses of historical and modern arcade machines and curiosities. This hyper-compressed, mind-blowing fully interactive museum is open 365 days a year with free admission.
Arcade Games
Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum is an incredibly unique and fun place to visit. It’s a one-of-a-kind location that’s filled with arcade games, coin-operated machines, and a menagerie of oddities!
You’ll find everything from turn-of-the-century fortune tellers to a giant RC plane. If you’re looking for a family-friendly, fun place to take your kids, Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum in Farmington Hills MI is the place!
It’s been featured on the History Channel’s “Modern Marvels” and has been listed among the World Almanac’s 100 most unusual museums. Founder Marvin Yagoda died in 2017, but his son, Jeremy Yagoda, continues to operate the museum.
Over 5,000 square feet of vintage coin-operated machines, macabre, oddities, unusual nostalgia, and the latest video game crazes await your arrival at Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum. The family-friendly attraction is located on the corner of Orchard Lake Road and 14 Mile Road in Farmington Hills, Michigan.
Oddities
There’s a lot of stuff to see at this quirky arcade museum in Farmington Hills MI. It’s all packed into the 5,500 square feet of the building that sprung from the imagination of owner Marvin Yagoda.
The place is a mashup of old and new arcade games, mechanical devices that tell stories, and amusing oddities. It’s like Dave and Busters meets Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!
Overhead dangle signs, animatronic dummies, over 50 airplane models gliding along a steel rail, vintage fans of all kinds, and classic sideshow posters are just some of the weird and wonderful things to see at this one-of-a-kind museum. It’s listed in the World Almanac’s 100 Most Unusual Museums in the U.S. More places to also visit by clicking here.
Curiosities
Tucked behind a Bed, Bath, and Beyond in a bland shopping center off 14 Mile Road in Farmington Hills, Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum is one-of-a-kind. It’s filled from top to bottom with arcade games, coin-operated machines, and a menagerie of curiosities.
The collection sprung from the imagination of a pharmacist by trade named Marvin Yagoda. He traveled the world looking for unique coin-operated devices that could be found nowhere else.
He filled this 5,500-square-foot space with historical and modern arcade machines, sideshow wonders, and curiosities. From buzzing, clattering coin-operated dummies to overhead dangle signs and dozens of airplane models gliding along a steel rail, it’s impossible not to be swept up in the energy.
The museum is open 365 days a year and admission is free, with onsite change machines and stacks of paper cups. However, playing the games and using the machines costs a quarter. The museum is still in need of funds to help it pay for rent and insurance on all of the vintage games.
Family Fun
Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum in Farmington Hills MI is a family-friendly attraction that offers many exciting things to do for kids and adults. The place is packed floor to ceiling with toys and games that kids will love, while adults can also enjoy the awe-inspiring atmosphere.
This arcade/museum houses a huge collection of old-school arcade games, animatronic dummies, and coin-operated mechanical wonders. You can play arcade games, test your strength or courage with a variety of machines and see whether you can win a fortune from a classic gypsy fortune-telling machine.
The storefront was founded in 1980 by Marvin Yagoda, a pharmacist who collected unusual things he enjoyed. Today, his son Jeremy continues to fill it with fun and nostalgia. Browse the next article.
Driving directions from Pink Pro Wash to Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum
Driving directions from Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum to Pontiac Lake Recreation Area
