In Florida, without the benefit of a home basement, we have to squeeze our game tables into the family room, garage or patio. But that doesn’t cut down on the fun once they’re set up and ready for action. Here are the game tables to turn your home into the neighborhood’s funniest playhouse.
Bar favorite
Do I love the game of basketball? Not really. Do I play Pop-A-Shot at every sports bar until my shooting arm hangs along my side like a limp noodle? You bet! Too bad this version doesn’t spit out little paper tickets to be later exchanged for fun-but-worthless prizes. (The memories are priceless at least!)
Everything you need
True story: I once lost a game of foosball to a one-armed man in a Key West bar. We had only a one-dollar bet on the game, but it was not my finest hour (and – between you and me – I blame the island’s infamous humidity for possibly warping the playing field.) In any case, since that one-sided (and one-armed) upset, it has been my life’s ambition to train for a possible rematch. This foosball table is just calling my name.
Complete set
Three games in one? Sign me up. I’ll set this up at home next to the Pop-A-Shop game and across the living room from that Tron video arcade machine I’ve been eyeing online. And because I know you’re curious: Yes, the air hockey game has an electric motor to supply the necessary pillow of air to glide the puck around. It’s a gaming nirvana.
For tight spaces
I was never a big fan of table tennis until I saw Tom Hanks seemingly master the sport in 1994′s Forrest Gump. Now I’m convinced that his prowess in the sport is the real reason he won the Oscar. Here’s my other argument for this table: If I ever grow tired of playing ping pong, it can be easily converted into the perfect spot for doing crafts, playing poker or even a staging an elaborate buffet for next year’s Academy Awards. Dare to dream.
Steve Spears is editor of Florida Travel & Life, an online brand that inspires active, affluent travelers, providing them with insider information on discovering the best of Florida. Informative and engaging, the website showcases travel destinations, arts and cultural venues, vibrant dining scenes, recreational activities, the great outdoors and the revitalized real-estate market. He is based in Orlando and counts St. Augustine, Key West and the Gulf Beaches among his favorite destinations in the state.
