If you’ve seen photos online and have been thinking about checking out the Museum of Illusions at one of its numerous locations, check out this Museum Of Illusions review before you go.
For more help planning your trips, check out all of our travel posts.
There’s a chance you’ve seen photos from the Museum of Illusions online.
Someone’s bodyless head in a platter on a table.
Someone caught, mid-flight, falling down a tunnel.
People so tiny, they all fit, standing, on a a chair.
They’re super Instagram-worthy.
And they’re all interactive illusions, tricks to fool the eye.
The entire museum is filled with them and worth checking out if you’re nearby, especially if you’re looking for some fun social media content (or a way to kill some time on a rainy day).
Museum of Illusions: Everything you need to know
Affiliate links are included in this post and Drugstore Divas may make a small commission if you use them.
There are 40 Museum of Illusions locations worldwide. Different locations have different illusions and experiences. This review is based on our experience at the Washington, DC location, which had a few DC-centric illusions, like an image of George Washington with eyes that followed you while you moved down a hallway.
Museum of Illusions History
The Museum of Illusions was started in 2015 by Tomislav Pamuković and Roko Živković as a tourist attraction with its first location in Zagreb, Croatia.
It became so popular that the franchise grew to expand to 25 countries on four continents, including North America, which has 30 locations. The largest location is in the United States, on the Las Vegas Strip (between the Cosmopolitan and The Shops at Crystals, if you’re familiar with the area).
The chain is still expanding with locations in New Orleans, Panama, and Amsterdam on the horizon.
Museum of Illusions Review
I’m going to kick this off with the not-so-obvious: This place is small. From the amount of social media content about the Museum of Illusions, I expected it to be bigger. I don’t know how many illusions you can really create and put into a space, but we were shocked at just how small it really was.
I bring this up now so that you’ll set your expectations appropriately.
Because we had a good time. We were amazed by the illusions. Well, most of us were. My six-year-old nephew had watched lots of videos online, so he was excited to visit — and then quickly unimpressed because he had seen it all online.
So, were the illusions cool? Yes. Were the photos we got amazing content? Yes. But was it worth the cost? If I’m being honest, maybe not.
There are some illusions that trick your eye, like the chair illusion.
Someone stands on a mark and remains full size. Someone else stands on a mark in the back and appears to be standing on a chair. But when you, the viewer, move to the side, you see the person in the back is standing on a piece of wood on the ground (which appears as the chair’s seat) and the person in the front is standing by planks of wood (which appear as the chair’s legs).
So, that’s very cool.
And there are some illusions that work with mirrors, like the head of a platter.
Someone climbs into a box and sticks their head out just far enough to look like it’s on a plate. The box has mirrors all around to reflect the walls of the museum. So you can’t see the person’s body, making it look like they are just a head on a plate.
There’s another where you’re sitting at a table playing cards with multiple versions of yourself. And of course, there’s many of you because you’re surrounded by many mirrors.
And some require acting, like the illusions where you’re hanging upside down in a subway or falling down a tunnel.
Those, which look very cool as a photo, only look that way because you take the photo and then rotate it 180 degrees, so it changes the perspective. But when you’re there, looking at it in real life, you don’t actually see any sort of illusion.
My favorite photos from that day are those, actually, but they weren’t the best experiences in real life.
My actual favorite was the most simple.
The very first optical illusion I can ever remember seeing was the image of a vase. At least, it’s a vase until you take a second look and realize it’s actually two people looking at each other with some space between.
The longer you look at it, the more your mind flips from vase to people to vase, back to people.
Which is it? Both.
The museum has a 3D recreation of this optical illusion, which was so cool for me. But, for my nephew? He didn’t pay it any mind. I guess when you grow up in a world filled with lots of excitement, you’re not impressed by this OG illusion.
So, it’s a mixed bag, if I’m being honest.
I liked it. My brother liked it. My nephews ran through it quickly. If you set your expectations appropriately, I think you’ll enjoy it.
Museum Of Illusions: Ticket Prices And Discounts
The admission varies by location. The Washington, DC location was $28.95 for adults ($26.95 for seniors) and $23.95 for kids. Prices for Charlotte, NC are $29, $27, and $25 for adults, seniors, and kids, respectively.
In Las Vegas, admission is $41 for adults, $36 for seniors, and $34 for kids. You can get discounted Museum of Illusions Las Vegas tickets here.
I have seen promo codes on social media for discounted tickets, but those aren’t always active.
Museum of Illusions: Frequently Asked Questions
We took our time (I mean, as much time as a 4- and 6-year-old would let us take) and it barely took an hour. It won’t really take much longer than that.
You’re able to stay all day if you want, but once you get through an illusion, you move on and probably won’t need to do it again.
Is it worth it? That’s a tough question.
I really enjoyed it, but my brother treated me to it, so it was free for me. If I had paid almost $30 to get in and stay an hour, I may have had a different opinion.
The Museum Of Illusions is really fun. And, like I said, I had a good time. But it’s pretty expensive and sort of tourist strap.
So, if you live near one and you’re looking for something to do on a rainy day or if you want some cool photos for Instagram, it’s worth it. But, if you’re on vacation and this pops up as something to do, but you’re also in a city that has a ton of other options, you might want to spend your vacation budget on something else.
You can’t.
If you remember, there was a viral story about the Museum of Illusions a few years ago, where someone showed up alone and quickly realized you can’t appreciate the illusions by yourself. You need at least three other people. One to stand in most of the illusions with you (because some are about perspective) and someone to take a photo of you (because some of them don’t make sense until you take a photo and change its orientation).
So, the man went alone and two workers jumped in to save the day.
When you go, bring at least one (and preferably two) friends.
Have you been to the Museum of Illusions? Let us know what you thought in the comments.