Half Moon Penny Arcades — Attraction in Laconia

I've been coming to laconia for at least a week every summer since I was a kid! & this year my husband, 2 kids, & myself decided to carry on that tradition! I always went to the boardwalk & arcades as a kid, & this week was no different. We went the 2nd day we were here when it was sprinkling & had a great time in the arcades, (the overhang outside kept us dry walking the strip) & then went again tonight when the weather was perfect; & once again had so much fun! I love when it gets dark & the arcades light up the strip, both arcades have a good selection of games, each game is fairly priced, (it doesn't cost a bunch per game) & have good prizes for the amount of tickets! They have upgraded them since i was a kid so its not out of date, but they do still have some of the games from years ago; which i enjoy! Both arcades still use quarters & print out tickets when you win, which i like way better than having to load a game card, paying a fee for the card; & then having the tickets automatically go on the card. Putting the quarters in & seeing the tickets print out when you win is part of the fun & experience which newer arcades lack! The buildings are old, considering theyve been there for decades; but i love the nostalgia of them! We spent about 2hrs both nights we came, & the kids as well as my husband & myself had a blast! I also love how you can combine the tickets from both arcades since half moon owns them both! The staff was firendly & rounded up my kids tickets, so they could get the prizes they wanted; & didnt rush us out even though they were supposed to be closed! Parking wasnt bad at all, we found a spot fairly quickly; & it was $2 or $4 for 2hrs & we paid at the machine. We will definitely be back again next year & may even try to go again before we leave to go home...

My family visited in shoulder season and had some experiences during our visit. Decent selection of older and newer games. There is some room for improvement here. First, three separate games failed - the staff taped off the broken coin slots. We were not refunded the money but were given tickets (which at first I thought was fine, though read on). Second, the prize counter is truly awful. The values are way too high especially for out dated plastic junk. Worst of all - no candy for low ticket values. This was a first for me. How do you not have low cost candy as a prize for the tickets for the kids? We visited several times and never saw even one party satisfied with the ticket counter. I personally saw ticket slips crumpled on the floor and we gave ours away to a random kid. My kids were disappointed calling it a "scam". So what went well? I was very happy to see the vintage Shooting Gallery in (mostly) working condition. I played it a lot - good fun. Also the antique Grandma's Predictions Machine fortune teller is worth a visit. Recommendations to the owners: 1.) check the coin slots of the games more often 2.) refund lost money which is very likely to be immediately spent 3.) dispose of the contents of the existing prize counter and replace it with a better modern selection and definitely include candy (like all of your local competitors are doing). Thank you for maintaining the Shooting Gallery and Grandma's...

Scammer guy at half moon bumper cars took my $10 bill and exchanged it for another $10 bill so we could get a couple $5 bumper car tickets. The machine kept spitting it back out, his did not work either so he kept it and asked if he could make change for the $20 bill I had, gave me a $10 for my $20 and I thought great we don't need to feed the machine. He said I had to get tickets first, so I did. then I asked him for the other $10 he owed me and he denied he owed me anything, said I gave him a $10. Even showed me he had around forty $10 bills and no $20 bills, pocketed it like a magician. Forgot all about the first $10 he exchanged which should have paid for the two tickets in the first place. My wife agrees he scammed me, she was watching as carefully as I was. We chose not to make a scene and jumped in the cars with the kids. He was good at it and has...