The National Pinball Museum opened to the public on December 4, 2010. Shortly after 10 AM, curator David Silverman unlocked the gates to allow a small crowd to enter. Soon visitors were exploring the history of pinball and playing dozens of games in the pay-to-play and exhibit areas.

Pinball machine collector David Silverman brought nine of his games to the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC on Halloween Day 2009 to promote his planned National Pinball Museum. Smithsonian visitors could play Silverman's games before and after his 90-minute lecture about pinball history and art.