Phoenix
(602) 997-7575
Difficulty: 7
Creativity: 10
Atmosphere: 10
I've always been a sucker for carnival rides, kitschy
architecture and especially video games--I'm an old-school arcade rat and proud
of it!--and there is no shortage of any of the above at Castles-n-Coasters in
Phoenix, AZ. Were it not for the quality and quantity of hot dogs I had at the
Diamondbacks game earlier in the day, I'd have waited my turn on some of the
rides. Even though it was 107F, I still felt like a few rounds of golf, and not
at some fancy-pants country club, neither. No sir. When I happened by
Castles-n- Coasters on I-17 en route back from
Hero or House of the Dead were it not for Galaga,
Donkey Kong, Dig Dug and all the other classics that came before them. One look
inside their arcade castle, including their "pinball rotunda," and I
knew they were among the few arcades, let alone golf courses, in
Reviewed by T.C.