Oregon Pinball Arcade Still ‘World’s Favorite’ 3 Years On
HILLSBORO, Ore. — It’s official: Hillsboro is the best place in the world to play pinball after a local pinball venue won the 2023 TWIPY award for the third year in a row.
Next Level Pinball Museum in Hillsboro won the coveted TWIPY in the category “World’s Favorite Pinball Location” in a contest where the public votes for their favorites in the world of pinball. Located at 1458 N.E. 25th Ave., the owner of Next Level Pinball Museum, Whitney Carlson, confirmed that the award is a testament to the team’s dedication combined with the fans’ passion as they continue to support Next Level year in and year out. It fuels them to get bigger and better every year for visitors,” she said. “We are so grateful for the award.”
The TWIPYS- organized by “This Week in Pinball,” which is a prominent pinball enthusiast website, are known as the people’s choice awards in the pinball world. The voting process took place through their secure online voting system and several of Portland’s pinball locations placed well. Ground Kontrol, came in at 10th place, QuarterWorld, finished 13th, and Wedgehead was just behind at number 14.
Launched in 2017 with a reasonably modest- but still decent, 100 games, Next Level’s 10,000 square feet of warehouse space is close to the Hillsboro airport. Their collection has grown to over 250 arcade games and 240 pinball machines in the last few years as their space expanded into a 20,000-square-foot building.
Aside from the size that sets them apart, their and unique payment model makes Next Level a fan favorite. All their pinball and arcade games are permanently set to free play and no swipe cards or coins are needed. Unlimited play costs visitors $22 for a day pass.
In addition to many games, Next Level’s stand-out feature is the thousands of pieces of pop culture memorabilia throughout the arcade. From movie posters to life-size superhero statues, the collection also includes what’s believed to be the world’s largest lunch box collection. With a planned opening of an additional 7,000 square feet in March, Next Level’s owners have been working on an expansion, adding another 150 games.
