What began as a neat little clubhouse for friends to quarantine through the pandemic, has morphed into a whirring Houston pinball speakeasy for pinheads, a podcast studio, tournament battleground, and future cousin to a planned pinball museum. If you’re not much of a pinball fan, Wormhole Pinball in Houston just might flip you.
Houston is no stranger to arcades, or even pinball for that matter. But Wormhole Pinball has quickly become the heart of the community.
Housed in an unlisted, non-descript local, Wormhole Pinball is a some-odd 1,250-square-foot space packed with a rotating array of 23 pinball machines – some from the collection of manager, John Speights. As a private club, the space also features a bar.
The space itself is reminiscent of your local dive bar – adorned in a medley of Americana, beer signs, backlight pinball panels, retro posters, and one decapitated head of Ronald McDonald.
Wormhole Pinball is foremost a community space for local pinball players. As mentioned, their address is unlisted and reserved for regular players. So if you came here as a casual fan, sorry to say that it’s one of those places that you have to be “in the know” to know. That said, you might be able to find more details through the website’s tournament schedule… just saying.
The venue, however, does allow for rentals to individuals and/or corporations for birthdays, team-building, or other activities. Eddie Van Halen’s son, Wolfgang Van Halen, celebrated his birthday at Wormhole back in 2023.
If you are a pinball player and are wondering where to play pinball in Houston, the venue hosts three tournaments monthly. You can find more information about tournament details, as well as the monthly woman-based Belles & Chimes monthly competition, through its website. Entry fees depend on the game.
Wormhole Pinball is the brainchild of Tim and Christine Hood. A couple of pinball fans and owners of one of the largest collections of pinball machines in the country. The couple have purchased a 14,000-square-foot space inside a 130-year-old building at 2215 Congress where they plan to open a pinball museum dubbed Wormhole East.
The timeline isn’t set in stone, but the couple aim to fill the space with 120 pinball machines, as well as a recording studio for tournament streaming and podcast recording.
In the meantime, you can check out the goings ons of Wormhole Pinball its website, Twitch, and/or Youtube page.