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National Videogame Museum is the coolest museum in Frisco

One of the nation's biggest video gaming experiences is located right here in Collin County. The National Videogame Museum is one of several fun things to do in Frisco, with interactive exhibits, rare games and educational programs.
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The NVM’s Timeline of Consoles allows visitors to learn the history of the game consoles, and even play games on them | Photo by Stephanie Tann

One of the nation's biggest video gaming experiences is located right here in Collin County. The National Videogame Museum is one of several fun things to do in Frisco, with interactive exhibits, rare games and educational programs. Across the museum's 10,400 square feet, guests can enrich themselves in the history of the gaming industry and play from a vast collection of classic arcade and console games.

Local influencer, Brandon Does Dallas poses with Mario at the National Video Game Museum in Frisco | Image by Alyssa Vincent.  National Video Game Museum is one of the best museums around.
Local influencer, Brandon Does Dallas poses with Mario at the National Video Game Museum in Frisco | Image by Alyssa Vincent

1. National Videogame Museum - Exhibits

Since the 1970s, over 50 different video game consoles have been released in North America. On display at the National Videogame Museum's Timeline of Consoles exhibit are 50 video consoles including the Magnox Odyssey, Super Nintendo Entertainment System and more. The physical timeline details the rich history of the consoles, noting the kind of games played on them, their best and worst features and their competitor consoles.

Currently, the National Videogame Museum is showcasing a Sega Channel exhibit, which features a modified version of the subscription Sega Channel service. It ran from 1994 to 1998 and was available to gamers with a Sega Genesis console. The Sega Channel allowed Genesis owners to download full games, demos and access codes for their favorite games. The exhibit allows users to cycle through Sega Channel menus, plus, they even get a look at a prototype cartridge of an unreleased Sega Channel game called "Klondike Solitaire." The Sega Channel exhibit will run until October.

Read more: National Soccer Hall of Fame opens in Frisco

Local influencer, Brandon Does Dallas poses with Mario at the National Video Game Museum in Frisco | Image by Alyssa Vincent. National Video Game Museum is one of the best museums around.
Retro home exhibits at the National Video Game Museum in Frisco | Image by Alyssa Vincent

2. Interactive Gaming

Upon entry to the museum, visitors are able to play a giant-sized version of the classic "Pong" Atari game. They can also play games on the displayed consoles, including classic, rare and out of print games.

Visitors can play all sorts of arcade games in the '80s-style Pixie Dreams arcade at the National Videogame Museum, Frisco | Image by Stephanie Tann

With admission to the National Videogame Museum (NVM), visitors are given four tokens, which can be used in the Pixel Dreams arcade. The arcade contains several classic video games, each of which, visitors are allowed to play for a chance to be listed on the NVM Leaderboard.

3. Educational Programs

Children and adults are invited to participate in the NVM's science, technology, engineering and math programs. The programs are designed to entertain as much as they are to educate.

4. Cool Photo-Ops

No museum visit is complete without a stylish Instagram pic. The NVM's life-size Mario statue, as well as the '80s- and '90s-style bedroom and living room setups, make for great props and settings to feature in a social media picture to share with your friends and family.

A photo with the life-size Mario statue makes for great way to remember a day at the National Videogame Museum | Image courtesy of National Videogame Museum

General admission tickets to the NVM are only $12 and are available for purchase at the museum.

National Videogame Museum

8004 Dallas Pkwy., Frisco

Hours:

  • Monday: Closed
  • Tuesday - Thursday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
  • Friday & Saturday: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
  • Sunday: 12 p.m. - 5 p.m.

More: 972.668.8400 | nvmusa.org

The National Video Game Museum is housed within the Frisco Discover Center which is also home to the Sci-Tech Discovery Center, one of the best museums for kids in the area. The Sci-Tech Discovery Center offers endless hours of fun and learning in the form of hands-on exhibits. Click here to find out more.

Also in the same building is Traintopia, perhaps the most impressive miniature train exhibit you'll ever see. The exhibit was once the pride and joy of Steve Sanders who built it over many many years in his home. Following his death, the family donated his collection for us to enjoy. You can spend hours pouring over all the many intricate details that expands Arizona to Texas and includes Downtown Dallas, a Palo Alto drive-in theatre complete with movie playing, West Texas refineries and working saw mills in Colorado! Click here for ticket pricing and opening times.