Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum!

This might have been the coolest place we visited on our trip to Michigan. Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum is a little outside of Detroit in Farmington Hills in a shopping center. It isn't like a traditional museum, it is more like the most amazing arcade I've ever been too! It is the personal collection of Marvin himself, who has been collecting games since the 1960s!  This place is PACKED to the ceiling (literally!) with amazing coin operated machines from all eras. I tried really hard to narrow down the photos in this post, but there was just so much to show you! These photos show a TINY fraction of what there is to see. I'm sure it would take multiple trips back to see it all! And he adds new things all the time. It if free to get in, but bring a bucket of quarters!
I could have just looked up at the ceiling for hours!
This machine was basically a lit up flip book that flips when you turn the crank. It showed the Phantom of the Opera. I loved it! I've never seen anything like it.
Humpty presiding over the snack bar.
There is a whole wall of pin ball machines from all different eras. Travis says that the Addams Family machine has always been his favorite. We played it a few times. We would LOVE to have that machine for our house!
These marionettes play their instruments when you drop a quarter in.
One that I REALLY loved was Wally and Wanda the Polka Babies!
You drop the quarter in and the two little babies get jerked around on the string and seem to be dancing. It was so cute! The little sign said that it was made in the 1930's in Chicago.
I remember riding a little ferris wheel like this at Showbiz Pizza when I was a kid. I loved it! For that King Cobra machine you had to put your hand up and hold it there as long as you can. It freaks you out because when that cobra "strikes" it blows air on your hand!
There were a few fortune telling machines.
Travis testing the strength of his personality.
I love the options for the job you could have in this machine. I think I would like to be a love pirate. Or maybe a hot air artist.
There were lots of machines that were scenes like these. I wish I had put quarters in. I have no idea what they did!
Apparently this used to hang in a ladies room.
If you lift the fig leaf that big camera above it flashes and an alarm goes off! Ha! Poor Travis, I made him do it.
This was my favorite machine in the whole place! I put three quarters in it. The monkeys dance and great old music places! It is short, and it kind of reminds me of an old cigarette machine. I would LOVE to have this thing in my living room. Gorgeous! I took a video of it, but I'm not sure how to get it online. But trust me, it was a delight.
Travis' favorite was Time Crisis. He helped that little boy figure it out too. It was cute. 
We won some tickets! Mostly playing Fruit Ninja, which was awesome on a big touch screen! There are lots of modern games mixed in with the old ones so everyone would have a good time there.
There were tons of great prizes of course. If only we'd had enough for a switchblade comb.
That is Marvin in the photo booth pictures! He was actually there and asked us if we were having fun. Of course we were! What an amazing collection he has! And I LOVE that so much of it is on display  and out for anyone to enjoy (though I'm sure he has even more that doesn't fit in the shop). We had such a good time we actually talked about going back the next day but didn't end up having time.
This is the ceiling in the entrance. 
We used our tickets to get some really attractive vampire fangs!
After Marvin's we went back to our apartment and cooked dinner. Then we went to the drive in! We used to go to one in Tennessee all the time but we don't live close to one anymore. I love that they do double features for less than the price of one movie at a regular cinema.
There were almost no other cars there! I guess because it was cold. But we were cozy in our car with the heated seats. We drank cute sodas and ate popcorn and watched 42. I really enjoyed it. The costumes and sets are great, I'm easy to please if the movie takes place from the 20's through the 70's.

25 comments:

  1. You and Travis and your vampire fangs! What a fun museum to explore and so much to see. I want the Humpty Dumpty in the fourth photo. We have a drive in somewhat near us and have taken the kids and their friends there countless times in the summer. Our is seasonal so only open in the summer and the movies always sell out. Strange to see your car all alone...

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    1. I can't believe they are open all winter! It was even snowing a little bit!

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  2. So much fun!!! Thanks for the tip; if I'm ever in the motor city, I will definitely go to Marvin's! 42 looks really good too. I LOVE the drive-in!

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  3. This place looks awesome! Hahahahahahha the fig leaf!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D

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  4. you find such cool places to visit

    urban hounds

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  5. That places looks awesome! I've seen one of those cobra machines before, scary as hell!

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    1. there was a scary spider one too! where one dropped really fast down onto your hand.

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  6. ah!!! it looks amazing! i want to go!!!

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  7. Oh yeah, that place looks awesome! I can't decide which I like the most - the cobra or Burt Reynolds.

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  8. Yay!!! Isn't Marvin's rad?! Ahhhh I love that place! We went with my dad and gramma and they loved it too! It was so cute seeing my gramma going around playing all the games and machines. She even got photo booth pics made. haha :)

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    1. that is so cute! and yes we LOVED it! I really wish it was closer to me! i would go all the time!

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  9. IT'S EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN YOU DESCRIIIIIIBED, omg! There was an Addams Family pinball machine like that in the lobby of the Rivergate Carmike that I used to go to ALL. THE. TIME. I love everything in this posT, hope I get to go some day!!

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    1. I remember seeing one somewhere when I was younger too, but I don't think I ever hung out in Rivergate.

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  10. I love it.............Looks like total sensory overload.

    I may have asked you this before, but have you been to House on the Rock?

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    1. No I haven't! But it is totally on my list!

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    2. I would say House on the Rock is the greatest roadside attraction, bar none....At least from what I have seen.....It takes hours to go through and its so random, creepy and amazing. They have some vintage anamatronic shadowboxes that are about the coolest things I have ever seen

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  11. This almost makes me want to go back to Detroit. My cousins live in Farmington hills and I'm so angry that I never knew about this plave

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  12. How amazing! I like how you always make Travis do things like that, lol. My 5 year old found this post because I'd left it up on the computer and she said "Mom, I found the best website ever!" ;) We love your blog over here!

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  13. Looks like a great day! I loved the pictures, especially the first one at Fido with the dog in the background.

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  14. That looks so neat!!

    Friday night was drive-in night in high school, still remember the concession booth!

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    1. i really wish there was a drive in near me. it is so fun!

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  15. So cool! Reminds me of the machines in the Wisonsin Dells- House on the Rock. The place is the same sort of amazing. Awesome you got to meet Marvin. What a cool day!

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