16-Bit Bar+Arcade

Kids welcome on ‘Bring Your Shorty’ days

Now here’s something we hope you’ll really like. Every Sunday, from Memorial Day through Labor Day, is a “Shorty Summer Vacation” at 16-Bit Bar+Arcade in downtown Columbus.

That means kids are allowed at what our daughter calls the “barcade,” which is normally reserved for the 21-and-older crowd. The bar and arcade offers craft beers, old-school cocktails and free play on more than 40 classic video games, including Donkey Kong, Frogger, Asteroids, Pac-Man and Dig Dug. There are a couple of pinball machines, which cost 50 cents per play.

16-Bit was designed for adult customers wanting to relive games of their youth while having a couple of brews. But during regularly scheduled “Bring Your Shorty Days,” kids are welcome from noon-5 p.m. In addition to games, youngsters can sip a cherry, grape or lime Slush Puppie.

We had a good time on a recent Shorty Day. Mike sampled a couple of local craft beers, while I tried some hard cider. It was fun trying to remember how to play the classic games. Mike was a bit rusty at Asteroids, a game he used to master. I was similarly flailing around on Dig Dug. I think with a few repeat visits, we could raise our mastery of the games to 1980s levels. Our kids had a blast playing a Terminator-themed shooting game.