Mannings Amusement Arcade Felixstowe

Standing tall at the south end of Felixstowe’s Sea Road, Mannings Amusements is the jewel of a larger entertainment complex which dates back to the nineteen hundreds. It is also famous for being one of the first UK Butlins locations

With several recent renovations and reinventions, the amusements makes up part of the ‘Beach Street’ which is a multipurpose venue space with bars shops and eateries. There is axe-throwing, live music and even crazy golf.

There are so many great things to say about this venue that is can only be seen first-hand. We will focus on the amusement arcade, though remain thoroughly impressed at the wider iconic family entertainment centre on offer. 

It should be noted that Mannings Amusements underwent a full make-over and refurbishment in July 2024, adding a fantastic new range of the latest machines to their line-up.

Arcade Action

The amusement arcade itself is located on the ground floor at the front of the iconic art deco building. This can easily be spotted by the lovely fountain at the front. 

There are entrances to the amusement arcade at the front, sides and rear. The adult casino slots section also has its own private entrance for over 18’s only. 

Upon entering the front of the arcade visitors are greeted by a selection of crane machines and also some young kiddie rides. The amusements is open plan and the prize shop / ticket window are situated on the right-hand side at the front of the venue.

Coin Pushers

In the front section is a selection of modern coin pushers both tuppenny and ten pence. These all offer fantastic shelf win prizes such as sweets and toys and also pay out winning tickets to exchange for prizes. There are Strike 10, Sweet Falls and Angry Birds themed coin pushers to mention and few. Let’s Go Bingo is one of the new machines, which provides ticket wins and also an interactive bingo game feature that allows the player to win games of Bingo for huge ticket pay-outs. 

Dotted between the coin pushers and spread out on the outer walls is a fine range of the latest ticket paying fairground games. These include WinFall Revolution, Ring Toss, Lane Magic, Coconut Shy and Magicians Wheel. Players can really win huge amounts of tickets on these machines and the pay-outs are often larger than from coin pushers. 

Ticket Arcade Games

At the rear of the arcade and along the outside walls are more fairground style ticket arcade games such as Jetball Alley Skee ball, Jungle Party and Tornado coin stacker. There is also a boxing punch machine and a large Nerf Arcade machine that combines a mix of the classic arcade shoot-em-up with a ticket prizes. 

In the rear section is an exit to the main Beach street area where visitors can sample some amazing street food at the shed or grab a craft beer at Hopsters. On the right hand side is the entrance to the amazing Crazy Pirate Miniature Golf. 

Fruit Machines

Coming back round from the rear section is a small foyer area, which houses some £5 Jackpot fruit machines. There are some low-boy triples here including Bullion Bar-X and Party Time. It seems that since the refurb the amount of Fruit Machines in this section has sadly decreased. 

Casino Slots Lounge

Next to the main change kiosk is the entrance to the adult casino slots area. This is split into two sections (front and rear). The rear section house a mixture of different machines from both past and present. There are Bar X machines, modern digital terminal machines and also mechanical fruit machines. There is a large Snakes & Ladders quad sit-down machine and some video poker machines. 

Looking up in this section will present several pieces of British seaside amusements memorabilia including vintage penny arcade machines. A joy to see for any historian or enthusiast. No doubt some of the venue staff members have some fantastic stories abouy the history of these and we would love to know more. 

The front section of the casino slots lounge is dedicated to modern £100, £400 and £500 jackpot machines. These are available on a range of different terminals, though mostly include Blueprint Gaming and Vantage slot machines. There are also modern change machines in this area. With its own entrance, the slots lounge really does have a convenient layout if wanting youngsters in the arcade next door. 

Venue Verdict

Mannings have really thought about the balance of games and attractions available here and being part of the larger complex, this amusement arcade is hard to beat in terms of value and family fun. With parking just outside and many indoor / undercover areas, the wider venue is great in both the summer and the winter. 

Featured Machine: Magicians wheel (Wheel Spinner)