At Deer Trail Lodge sits a new Airbnb rental an updated cabin-like dwelling. Completely redone, the 1920s house hosts guests from all locations. But it’s not just the lake view or hunting accessibility that draws in vacationers, however, it’s the massive arcade.
The home’s garage houses a whopping 22 arcade games, said owner, Zach Anderson.
“We packed them in there like sardines,” he said. Adding that it took some rearranging to get everything to fit.
Deer Trail Lodge is home to “A little bit of everything,” including motorcycle games, Tokyo Drift, Artic Thunder, Zoofari, Super Bikes, Texas Hold‘em, Deer Hunter, NASCAR, a dart board, and a bar area for guests to hang out.
In all, Anderson owns more than 76 games, the rest of which reside at his personal home. For the past three years, he’s been collecting games from all over, some of which he has had to have repaired. Prices of the games vary greatly, he said. With newer, more interactive games priced at tens of thousands. Adding that between the games themselves and the electricity they pull, it’s an expensive hobby.
Not that it takes away the fun.
“The whole family can go enjoy themselves. Kind of get away from the world for a while,” he said.
It’s also his goal to touch as many age groups as possible so that everyone can have fun. Adding that visitors are welcome to give input on the types of games they would like to see.
As for the decision to create an entire arcade, it was an opportunity that presented itself, he said. The property of Deer Trail Lodge is adjacent to his family’s land; it came for sale and he and his wife, Tiffany, and his parents and brother came up with a plan.
Anderson, who is the General Manager/Partner at Glavan Ford of Clay Center, said he first began to love arcade games as a kid when traveling to State Wrestling. Each year his family would go to Chuck E. Cheese after the tournament, prompting him to save quarters for the rest of the year in preparation.
As he got older he began frequenting Dave and Busters, until eventually purchasing games of his own.
“It’s a crazy hobby. I enjoy it, so I thought I’d let everyone else enjoy it,” he said. Adding that in a small town, it’s a good idea to “mix it up a little bit” and give kids more options for activities.
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