At Their New Flagship Location, the Museum Of Illusions Offers Magic in the Air
Towering casinos, glowing neon signage and now, even an enormous video sphere - as the ultimate destination for one-off, ‘Gram-friendly experiences, Las Vegas reigns supreme.
Thus, it’s the logical host for the Museum of Illusions’ new flagship location. Indeed, when this biggest-yet bastion of bafflement opened on the Strip in August, there was almost an air of “what took you so long?”
In truth, the Museum of Illusions brand has expanded from distant Croatia, where two friends started the company in 2015, at lightning speed. Incredibly, it is already the world’s largest and fastest-growing chain of private museums, with more than 40 locations across 25 countries.
A unique, interactive adventure that gathers mind-bending experiences and alternate-reality illusions, the Museum of Illusions Las Vegas debuted at the sparkling new 63 mall, part of MGM’s City Center and located between The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and The Shops at Crystals, with a packed VIP opening on Aug. 29. The brand’s revolutionary “edutainment” concept also reveals the science behind each of its exhibits, often with experts on hand to pull back the metaphorical curtain and answer questions.
The 15,000-square-foot Museum of Illusions Las Vegas comprises more than 80 exhibitions that have visitors wondering out loud at just what they’re seeing, sensing and experiencing. The cumulative effect is an enthralling and bonding all-ages attraction that stands out even in entertainment-centric Vegas and is designed with photography and videography for social media in mind.
The installations at the Museum of Illusions Las Vegas range from triedand- true classics to never-before-seen marvels. Whether hanging out with your doppelganger at its popular Cloning Table; marveling at the enduring Beuchet Chair optical illusion, created by a French psychologist in the 1960s; or apparently defying gravity in the disconcerting Reversed Room, the Museum of Illusions will engage your mind, shock your senses, and puzzle your perceptions like never before. Serve your own severed head on a platter, swap noses with your companions, or plunge into the Museum’s walk-in kaleidoscope and capture it all on your phone to share and spread the awe.
Even the Museum of Illusions’ gift shop is unique and aptly challenging, offering brain-boggling puzzles and knickknacks that let you take home some of its wide-eyed sense of wonder. Perhaps the only aspect of the Museum of Illusions that won’t leave you scratching your head is why it has so rapidly become such a largely word-of- mouth success story, with franchises spanning four continents from Cape Town to Kuala Lumpur, Copenhagen to Canada - and counting!
The Museum of Illusions Las Vegas is open daily from 10 a.m. to midnight, with final admission at 11 p.m. moilasvegas.com ♠
-Paul Rogers, Vegas Guide Writer