Historically, Redwood City has been a Peninsula epicenter for family-friendly destinations. The historic Redwood City Roller Rink, Malibu Castle Arcade and Mini Golf + Grand Prix, Mels Bowl and Ice Oasis drew in families from all over San Mateo County. However, family-outing options like the ones above have all closed down over the last decade.
As entertainment centers that target the family demographic became an increasingly rare breed in Redwood City, the city’s Parks, Recreation and Community Service (PRCS) knew they needed to accommodate local families with something more permanent.
“Redwood City Parks, Recreation and Community Services saw the interest from families in our Special Events but repeating those types of activities at a higher frequency still doesn’t fill the gap,” assistant director for the PRCS Lucas Wilder said. “We began looking at other opportunities we could produce with a longer duration.”
PRCS’s solution is a retro-style arcade in the local Red Morton Park, known as the Parcade. The Parcade is located inside the Armory building, and is open to everyone from 10 a.m to 5 a.m. during weekends, 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. on Thursdays, and 3 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Fridays.
“It took a couple weeks to put it all together and it originally operated on the main floor of the Armory at Red Morton Park over the summer,” Wilder said. “With fall basketball beginning, we were able to shift room uses around and move it to one of the largest rooms in that facility for a temporary operation over the holidays and winter. Moving it to the new location only took a few days to get the spacing all sorted out.”
The arcade is filled with a variety of games for all audiences. From racing, first person shooters, sports and claw machines, the PRCS has made sure everyone can find their fun in the Parcade, especially when playing with a partner, child, parent or even a friend.
“Quite popular is our four player Minecraft game that gives you playing cards you can scan to level up your powers. We also have Injustice League in two players which is similar to the Minecraft. And who doesn’t love skeeball! We have a version called Ice Ball that is very popular,” Wilder said. “It’s not the most exciting game, but I think my favorite is the Bobblehead vs. Baseball. It’s a pretty basic baseball game but the quick pace keeps it interesting to compete against my kids with.”
The parent and child duo is especially popular in the arcade, thanks to the many multiplayer options. For Dan Ilkes and his son Isaac, the Parcade offers a nearby place to unwind after Isaac’s basketball games.
“It’s a pretty good place to hang out, like with friends,” Isaac said.
This was Isaac and Ilkes’s first time entering the arcade. The relaxed, yet fun atmosphere was welcoming and positive for the two. In its own quiet corner of the Red Morton Armory, Ilkes hadn’t discovered it until recently.
“We saw the posters and stuff. We came in after the [basketball] game and saw it. We weren’t sure what it meant, we just saw the doorway and checked it out,” Ilkes said.
Thanks to the Parcade’s location, in the same building as Isaac’s basketball games, the two look forward to visiting in the future, possibly with other teammates.
“There’s another guy from the team here after the game. So it’s a nice place for after you do something, for people to gather and do something else,” Ilkes said.
The Parcade seems to be a successful solution to a long-lasting problem that’s affected Redwood City families for years. The City is thankful that these plans could come to fruition, able to accommodate families. But most importantly, that people like Ilkes and Isaac can find repeating entertainment in it as well.
“I was surprised when I found out what it was,” Ilkes said. “And thought it was really neat when I understood it.”
