Hasbro GameLand pays homage to local entrepreneur, Milton Bradley, from the first floor of the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts. Bradley moved to the “City of Firsts” in 1856, formed Milton Bradley company, and began producing games and puzzles shortly thereafter.
The GameLand exhibit encompasses roughly 1,700 square feet of space and has the look and feel of an oversized board game. The layout incorporates several iconic Milton Bradley and Hasbro games in a series of interactive activities for children in grades 2 through 5.
Some of the featured attractions include:
- The Memory Station, inspired by the electronic game, Simon, has children watch a series of lights illuminate then use their hands to try to match the sequence they just viewed
- A Strategy section allows visitors to play a giant, light-up game of Connect Four
- The Racing Station offers a Mouse Trap-style competition where children sit in seats with bicycle and attempt to use the pedals to be the fastest to raise five billiard balls to the top of a large ramp then race down the track’s various twists and turns to the bottom
- The Chance section includes an operable spinner from The Game of Life and a series of poppable Trouble bubbles that contain dice
Interspersed throughout the exhibit is information about Milton Bradley, including details of his relationship with the city, his accomplishments, and a timeline of various game releases.