Game Terminal Super Arcade and Bar Opens in South Nashville

When Patrick McKennon was a kid in the 1980s, he loved to take a quarter to the video arcade and see how long he could make it last.

A native Nashvillian, McKennon grew up and kept that love of the game alive. In 2017 he opened Music City Pinball, a dealership for pinball machines. In his free time, he restored vintage arcade games.

Today at 4 p.m. McKennon’s “lifelong dream” comes true. He’s opening the doors on Game Terminal Super Arcade and Bar, an 18,000-square-foot indoor-outdoor venue with a mix of vintage and new games, both analog and video.

Game Terminal, at 201 Terminal Court, was designed by Nick Dryden’s DAAD architecture firm. The 1960s-era truck terminal now has glass windows, like you’d see at a car dealership, where you can watch repair and restoration of arcade and pinball games behind the scenes. There’s also a 4,000-square-foot on-site basketball court and two large bars.

McKennon bought the 8-acre parcel in the neighborhood he is calling “Terminal South,” an area close to the Lane Motor Museum, the new soccer stadium and an affordable Lyft ride from downtown. 

You probably won’t be able to get out of there for just a quarter, like McKennon did in arcades as a kid. But he is committed to making the place affordable and family-friendly. Most games cost $0.50 to $1.00, and kids are welcome until 9 p.m. daily. Parking is free. 

If you’re not ready to hang out indoors yet, go to The Backyard, the 8,000-square-foot outdoor space, with ping-pong, shuffleboard, Connect Four, cornhole and Jenga. 

There will be a rotating lineup of food trucks — including Hattie B’s, the Gambling Stick and IL Forno — offering eats, but you won’t have to stand in line. The food trucks will essentially serve as the Game Terminal’s kitchen: Staff will take your order, bring you your food and will ring up your order. Staff will also be on the floor to sanitize games and assure social distancing is being respected. Masks will be required, and temperatures will be taken at the door.

The project took nearly two years to complete — McKennon attributes his gray hair to the normal complications — but he’s now as giddy as a kid with a quarter at an arcade. In the future, post-COVID, McKennon hopes host events at the facility, from 30-person birthdays to 1,000-person corporate events.

Friday’s opening will include DJ sets, swag, token giveaways and prizes for the first 50 guests. Game Terminal Arcade and Bar will be open Monday through Thursday from 4 to 11 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Hours will expand when COVID restrictions are lifted.