Wonderland

I used to live in Southend in the 70s +80s and was a regular visitor of Wonderland as a child/​teenager and I am really glad to see it’s still going strong. Eileen’s frothy coffees were ace!!. I always loved all the old machines etc and the Scalectrix upstairs. I now live in Cornwall so it’s a bit of journey for a visit but truly, Wonderland is One Of A Kind… I love it.

Containing many older arcade machines this amusement arcade is perfect for younger children, and also those who prefer the arcade games of yester-​year and a quieter time out, rather than having to shoulder ram your way past a bunch of Chav’s and Emo’s huddling round the entrance.
This place is quieter as mentioned above, but this also works to it’s favour, meaning you can actually hear all the bleeps and whoops from the machine you’re at, and the establishment doesn’t blast heavy metal music at you at 10,000dB either, which is refreshing.
The only drawback is if you’re coming from the Southend Town-​Centre end, it will take you a few minutes walk to get there, but you’ve got a decent view of the seafront in the meantime, and it’s not realy that much long of a walk.
The staff also walk around to make sure everything’s fine, and they’ll ask you if you’re enjoying yourself, and will sometimes even chill with you and yap about whatever for a few minutes before continuing their duties, which is refreshing and reassuring.

Old out of date amusement arcade. Quite small with mainly older games. Better selection along seafront.

Set further along the esplanade this amusement arcade is excellent if you have younger children and prefer a quieter place. It has the added bonus of a small café located at the front of the arcade so you can put your feet up with a cheap cuppa.