June 23, 2023. That’s the day I began writing about Dayton, Ohio. It’s now April 26, 2026. Nearly three years later and I’m finally, FINALLY finishing up the first town on this journey. So, to send off this leg of our journey, and to empahsize why it took so long, let’s take one count of the arcades I visited those two days:
1. Gaming Adventures
Ah, I remember this one. An arcade I expected would have a mere 10-ish machines off to the side, ultimately ended up being way, way bigger than I’d expected. Of the arcades I visited in Dayton, I believe this was probably my favorite.
2. Englewood Fun Center
During my trip, there were a bunch of small ticket arcades I popped into. Once in a while I’d come across across a neat one, but the vast, vast majority of them were nothing special.
This particular one was interesting… ish?
I had no idea where the hell it was at first. There was a mall parking lot, and in the back was one of the smallest, most thrown-together mini-golf courses I’d ever seen. I wandered around in the area trying to figure out where the arcade was for a good 10 minutes. Then I noticed a discreet door on the side of the building that I initially thought was a staff entrance.
The inside was pretty lively. They had batting cages awkwardly shoved into a side room. Lots of neat decorations like the Halloween Spirit Store inflatables that gave it some personality.
Ultimately, it wasn’t really interesting enough to get its own blog post, so just enjoy a carousel of photos. It says more than I could.
3. Clarkade
Of course I liked Clarkcade! I’d be crazy not to!
4. Round1
Of all of the arcades in Dayton, this is the one that single-handedly justified my trip out there. Sure, Clarkade and Gaming Adventures were amazing, but this arcade felt like a send-off to Round1 for me.
I haven’t bothered to travel to anyplace with a Round1 since. Without the candy cabs, they’re about as same-y as Dave and Busters. I probably will stop into one just to see the new rhythm games they’ve gotten in since 2023, but I feel like I’m otherwise over them. You can only see so many of these places before the initial excitement wears off, you know?
Although, by all means, if they’d like to build a local one I can visit regularly, that would be another story. You don’t really have time to get into the new rhythm games when you can only come for a couple hours a year.
5. XD Max
This was an arcade in the same mall as the Round1. I believe it closed down a few months after my visit.
This whole arcade was built around the fact that they have a big XD Theater Ride in the middle, hence the name. Honestly, when I visited, I thought the arcade was owned by Cinemark theaters. See, there was also a Cinemark in the mall and they call their big screens Cinemark XD, so I’m far from the first person to make this mistake.
The only thing I really have to say about it is that the XD Theater Ride was right in the center, so the rest of the arcade felt like a long hallway that wrapped around it. Made it really bloody hard to get good photos. Quaint arcade, though. I liked it.
6 DK Effect
Pretty good barcade. Probably the best of the three in Dayton.
7. Hole in the Wall
Although DK Effect was the best of the three, this is the one I still have the clearest memories of four years later. It’s small, but not a place you can really forget. Wish I had more time to spend in here, honestly. Will probably stop in again if I’m ever in the area.
8. Canal Arcade & Deli
This was absolutely both an arcade and a deli.
For those reading this post and not the actual post I made about it, I’m not being dismissive of it. I only got to spend about 5 minutes in here because my bus was about to leave. I was running WAY behind schedule and it was starting to rain.
9. Magic Castle
Honestly, I like these old fun center-type arcades almost as much as the curated retro-style arcades. Sure, retro arcades have way better game lineups, but it just feels good to be in these places, you know? You can feel their history with every step. Each and every game tells a story.
Oh, right. They got back to me about the Star Wars machine. The only thing they knew was that Namco used to be their machine provider, so that’s where they got it.
10. Poelking Woodman Lanes
My goal for this trip was 50 arcades, so I stopped in basically ANY arcade I could find. I wasn’t just padding the numbers or anything. Once in a while, you stop in a place like this and discover gold. There were a few where I was blown-away by what I found tucked away in a random bowling alley.
This was not one of them.
11. Game Swap Arcade
I’m sorry Game Swap. I really, really, REALLY wanted to do you justice, but I’m not the right guy for the job. All I can give you is half a blog post.
But I do want to emphasize I loved this place. When I think of my trip to Dayton, this is one of the first places I remember. Even more so than Clarkade or Gaming Adventures. I can still remember exactly what it felt like to stand in here.
12. Poelking Lanes South
Seriously! What am I supposed to say about these places??
I blame them for this project being as daunting as it was. There were lots, and lots, and LOTS of these tiny arcades that all had extremely similar game lineups. Not so much in Dayton, but later. Especially once I found my way down to Indianapolis, where there were three good arcades and a bunch of bowling alleys. And Skating places.
Look forward to hearing about that in a few years.
With that, there was one final arcade I needed to stop by, then I could finally bid farewell to Dayton, once and for all. It had been a long two days, but I was ready to finally move on to the next town.
Well, actually, two arcades. Poelking Lanes South was right across the street from the mall that held the final arcade.
But once that was done, there was one final arcade of the day. I was on my last legs. My legs were tired from walking (I think I counted up 12 miles on this last day), my body was tired from 2 hours of sleep, and my legs were chaffing hard because I slept in my hiking pants last night. I had no choice but to book a motel when I was done.
It would end up being the last motel I’d be staying at for the next week. Nothing but camping outside for the next several days.
Maybe I should stop talking about the camping situation. Just thinking about it tires me out.
But the final arcade of Dayton was tucked away in a pretty standard mall. Let’s look around a bit, since we’re here.
Not the arcade we’re looking for, but Life Finds a Way.
Whenever I see a lone arcade machine sitting around at a mall, it’s ALWAYS this one. This is probably the fourth or fifth time.
Oh, they still had a FYE. I’d completely forgotten. Always nice to see this old holdout of the 2000s. I wonder if this one managed to survive? I hear physical media’s making a comeback, you know. Try to hang in there just a little bit longer. Things will work out.
13. The Amazing Space
Here we are, finally at the last arcade of Dayton, Ohio!
…Really, what do you want me to say about it?
It was crappy enough looking that I was kind of hoping there’d be something really weird and off-beat in here, but it’s just a few crane games, some kid rides, gumball machines, and a quarter gambling machine that I don’t really think is legal.
Oh well, sometimes you find treasure, and sometimes you don’t…
…But sometimes the only thing better than finding what you’re looking for, is finding something you’re not.
This is Treasure Trove Collectables and Marketplace. I don’t remember what it was that grabbed me attention, but I decided to take a peek inside on my way out. Oh man, was this place cool.
It’s basically an indoor swapmeet-type place where people can rent out spaces to consign whatever it is they’re selling. From people selling their old cookie jar collections to handmade pseudo-vintage wood workshop projects, every shop was fun to paw through. Prices were good, too. If I weren’t already pressed for space in my backpack, I don’t know if I’d have been able to resist some of these finds.
Unfortunately, while running a quick Google search, I find that this place officially closed its doors last month. What horrible timing. Well, at least I can put the fallen tag on this blog post in its memory.
…We’re done? We’re finally done?
Yep! After three blasted years, I’m finally done writing about Dayton, Ohio! No more low-quality photos! No more stressing out over how to write about video stores that are also arcades! I’m free.
Haha, I’m just kidding. This was just the first two days of a ten day adventure.
Speaking of which, I think it’s time I finally reveal this.
I mentioned this in the prologue, but I got an idea a couple days before I left: Every time I’d stop in an arcade, I’d get one of the workers to write the name of it in the book on my goal toward hitting 50 arcades in one run. Maybe I just wanted to show every arcade that they were being visited by a real enthusiast. Or maybe carrying the arcades I’d visited with me was what kept my motivated while sleeping in the woods for those 10 days.
Either way, I had so much fun that I’ve been doing it since. My new book is only up to 40 arcades, even though I’ve been keeping it for a few years now. This big Midwest trip made me care more about quality than quantity for a long while…
Next time: I Hate Cincinnati.
