Winstigators,
Last weekend I was walking downtown and stopped in one of my favorite stores on the walking mall, Back to the Media. Located near the south end of the mall, it’s a great place to check out new and vintage vinyl records. Whenever I’m in there, I’m always finding something I didn’t know I needed.
If you’re looking for old school video games (I spied a great looking Super Mario Brothers/Duck Hunt cartridge behind the counter) and comic books they also have a wide variety to pick from. It’s been awhile since I’ve turned on an 8bit NES or Super Nintendo but if I ever wanted to pick up some favorite games and a console, this would be my first stop.
But as I was checking out some records, I noticed something I’d never seen before. There was a door in the back that was curtained off with a sign on a podium in front. Curious, I went to check it out.
What’s in the back room of the store is like a video game speakeasy. No, you don’t have to knock on a door and know a secret password to get into it, but you do have to pay 10 bucks and get your hand stamped for a day pass to play unlimited rounds of old school arcade games and pinball machines.
Yes, that’s right! Back to the Media has a retro arcade where you can play some of your favorites from when you were a kid. You also don’t need a fistfull of quarters to pump into your arcade game after you’ve run out of lives and need to continue; nope, just pay the 10 bucks up front and you can play as many games as long as you want.
My time was a bit limited, but I managed to run through some classics: Punch Out, Bad Dudes, Contra, Pac-Man, Mortal Kombat and The Simpsons. I also tried out the Metallica pinball machine; flipping the paddles while listening to Enter Sandman and hearing James Hetfield bark encouraging words at me was a highlight.
Bald Bull has been a longtime nemesis of mine.
It was an unexpected, awesome find. So far, the arcade has limited availability from Thursday through Sunday but should have more availability this coming summer. It’s the perfect place to hang with some friends and relive some old memories!
If you’ve got a hidden gem in Winchester or the surrounding areas worth spotlighting, send it my way! I’d love check it out and feature it in a future newsletter.
Homes of the Week!
Events and happenings in Winchester and the surrounding territories:
Friday, January 16th
Winchester Little Theater, Winchester - Wait Until Dark (multiple dates and times, check listing)
Downtown Walking Mall, Winchester - Old Town on the Rocks, 4 PM
Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, Winchester - Gallery Conversations: Inside Job, 4 PM
Box Office Brewery, Strasburg - Royal Honey Band @Box Office, 7 PM
Backseat Bar and Grill, Winchester - BOOM! Is back at the backseat, 8 PM
West Oaks Farm Market, Winchester - Steak Dinner & Live Music from Those 3 Guys, 6 PM
50/50 Taphouse, Winchester - Drag bingo at 5050 taphouse, 10 PM
The Venue by Brix27, Martinsburg - The Main Event, 6 PM
Old Opera House Theatre Company, Charles Town - Marquee Reveal Celebration and Karaoke, 7 PM
Tally Ho Theater, Leesburg - Jimmy Kenny and the Pirate Beach Band - The Ultimate Beach Party Tribute..., 7 PM
Capon Bridge Volunteer Fire Department, Capon Bridge - Bingo, 6:30 PM
Barns of Rose Hill, Berryville - Damn Tall Buildings, 7 PM
Harvest Gap Brewery, Hillsboro - Standup Comedy at Harvest Gap Brewery! (Hillsboro, VA), 8 PM
Berryville Moose Lodge 2139, Berryville - The Waychangers at Berryville Moose, 7 PM
Wild Hare Cider Tasting Room (Berryville VA - Cidery USA), Berryville - Trivia Night @ The Tasting Room, 6:30 PM
Lark Brewing Co., Aldie - Lark x Walsh Dinner, 6:30 PM
Tilty McFlipperz, Martinsburg - Axecident Shadow Planet Glib and Arm The Track at Tiltys, 7 PM
Douglass Community Center, Leesburg - Open Skate Night, 5 PM
Murphy Beverage, Winchester - Wine Tasting, 5PM
Saturday, January 17th
Backseat Events, Winchester - Collin Raye in Winchester, 8 PM
James Wood High School, Winchester - University of Scouting, 8 AM
Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, Winchester - 2025-2026 Winter Series #4 : 60 Minutes at MSV, 9:30 AM
Winchester Book Gallery, Winchester - Author Event: Heidi Christopher – Lies the Dirt Keeps, 2pm -4pm
Armstrong Concert Hall, Winchester - ShenCoLAB: A Night at the Conservatory Festival Showcase, 7:30 PM
Bluemont Vineyard, Bluemont - Bourbon Barrel Weekend, 11 AM
The Maryland Association of Anime & Manga, Berkeley Springs - Yutori Con 26, 7 AM
Barns of Rose Hill, Berryville - The Bob Band, 7 PM
Beverly Equestrian, The Plains - Beverly Hunter/Jumper Show Series: Winter 2, 8 AM
Bluemont Community Center, Bluemont - Bluey's Big Meet Up, 9 AM
Guntry WV, High View - Small Business Saturday at GUNTRY West Virginia, 10 AM
Delaplane Cellars, Delaplane - The Cold North at Delaplane Cellars, 1 PM
Bonfire Bookstore & Yarnery, Woodstock - Firestarter Revue, 7:30 PM
The Catamount Lounge, Front Royal - Screaming Mad Dee with Bert Hall @ The Catamount Lounge, 8 PM
Sky Meadows State Park, Delaplane - Astronomy For Everyone, 5 PM
Reitano Vineyards, Front Royal - Cazhmiere @ Reitano Vineyards, 6 PM
Prismatic Art Studio, Charles Town - Loops & Lattes: Cozy Knits and Local Sips, 10 AM
Box Office Brewery, Strasburg - Scott Sanford & The Wichita Falls Band @BoxOffice, 7 PM
Sunday, January 18th
Box Office Brewery, Strasburg - Open Mic!, 6 PM
Shepherd University Community Music Program, Shepherdstown - Trombone Choir First Rehearsal!, 7 PM
Vintage Iron, Winchester - Posing Seminar, 10 AM
PetSmart, Martinsburg - Pet Adoption, Meet the Cats, 11 AM
Devil's Due Distillery, Shenandoah Junction - Snow Globe Terrarium at Devil's Due Distillery, 2 PM
Gadino Cellars 92 School House Rd, Washington, VA 22747, Washington - 🔥 🦞LOBSTER ROLLS DONE THE RIGHT WAY🤩WASHINGTON✨, 12 PM
Abolitionist Ale Works, Charles Town - Glass & Glow: Faux Stained Glass Workshop + First Round's On Us!, 4 PM
American Legion Post 71 WV - Jackson-Perks, Charles Town - Meat-A-Palooza, 2 PM
Four Seasons Books, Shepherdstown - Tales from the Cottage: The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer, 2 PM
Archwood Green Barns Farmer's Market, The Plains - Archwood Greens Winter Market Kick Off, 10 AM
Monday, January 19th
Solenberger's Home & Hardware, Winchester - Spring Bulb Lasagna Potting Class @ Solenbergers Hardware, 10 AM
The YDC, Winchester - YDC Volunteer Fair, 2 PM
Frederick-Winchester Joint Judicial Center, Winchester - NAACP MLK Program with the Winchester City Sheriff’s Office, 9 AM
Bried Family Vineyards, Clear Brook - 2 for 1 Glass of wine - In honor of MLK day, 12 PM
Alamo Drafthouse Winchester (Winchester, VA), Stephens City - Madagascar Movie Night!, 6 PM
Applemen Sports Bar, Inwood - Sit. Stay. Paint! @ Applemen Sports Bar, 6 PM
Leesburg, Va, Leesburg - MLK March in Leesburg, Va, 7:30 AM
Lark Brewing Co., Aldie - Winter Wonderland Themed Bingo, 6:30 PM
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Have fun out there!
