[Locations and Events]
Where to Play
Access the Bay Area Pinball Map at http://pinballmachine.org
The Map features:
- 250 locations and 600 pinball machines in 67 cities throughout the greater bay area
- Free mobile apps for iPhone and Android
- Use GPS to find the nearest pinball game
- Submit your high scores
- Submit new locations and report maintenance issues directly to the arcade operators!
Leagues
Leagues are a fun and social way to get into the game. Yes, you’ll be worse than everyone, but don’t worry about it. You’ll get better, and most people will help you along the way.
The Flipper Room Pinball League – Concord
Bay Area Pinball Association (BAPA) – South Bay
Capital Corridor League – East (CCPL) – Sacramento and Folsom.
San Francisco Pinball Department – San Francisco
Solano Pinball League – Solano
Monterey Flipper Pinball League – Salinas/Monterey
Pacific Pinball League – Alameda (this website! You’re already here! Paradise! You found it!)
Pinball Shows
California Extreme – A pinball and video game show which features a pinball tournament, seminars, and vendors. Held annually in July in Santa Clara. If you want a convention-style atmosphere in a modern hotel with several dining options nearby, this is the show for you. It also tends to have a younger crowd since it caters to a variety of interests including console games.
Golden State Pinball Festival – A pinball show in Lodi which features a pinball tournament, seminars and vendors. Held annually in May. This show is “Business up front, party in the back.” In addition to the main show buildings housing hundreds of games and a very family-friendly atmosphere, there’s a huge adjacent campground that fills up with RVs. Many people set out their games for anyone to wander by for a game and to hang out, and the party goes deep into the night.
Pin-a-Go-Go – A pinball show in Dixon which features vendors and a swap meet. Held annually in October. This is the most laid back show with a breezy vibe.
Tournaments
The International Flipper Pinball Association (IFPA) is the ranking organization for competitive pinball. If you’re looking to see how you stack up or want to see some of the best in action, check out a bay area local IFPA Tournament!
Pinball Forums
Forums are a great source of news, social connection, buying tips and technical advice. And drama. What niche hobby wouldn’t be complete without that?!
Pinside – The most popular forum. Lots of great community features.
Tilt Forum – A forum with emphasis on competitive pinball discussion.
KLOV Pinball Forum – KLOV is a digital arcade museum site which hosts a pinball forum.
Pinball Info – A UK-based forum.
pinballbayarea.com 
Thanks for the site just found it tonight!
Went to the museum in Alameda a few months ago and spent 5-6 hours in awe plus got 1st (beginner luck?) on the new Metallica game that I’d been dying to play. Had no idea until now of the place in Concord.
Looking fwd to paying Phoenix Games a visit.
Cheers!
Argh. The pins at SC boardwalk are almost comically bad. AFM is visibly tilted to the right, the stern games all have ball traps that will end your game, and Addams Family was turned off. SPBP was all right I think.
It appears the Santa Cruz machines got serviced recently. They’re in better shape and most are playable. An Addams Family in fantastic shape also arrived.
Santa Cruz is on the pinball map (pinballmachine.org). Unfortunately, it has a reputation for letting the games get dirty and fall into disrepair, so I can’t recommend people make a trip down there for pinball.
Santa Cruz counts as bay area – there are a good number of pins at the boardwalk. Some are in the main Casino Arcade, but most are upstairs in Neptune’s Kingdom.