Jax Brewery, a castlelike building at the edge of the French Quarter, has long been home to a selection of tourist-targeted shops and cafes. Now it includes a new attraction, The Museum of Illusions New Orleans, a maze of dizzying optical tricks.
For fans of artist M.C. Escher’s visual paradoxes, psychedelic posters and carnival halls of mirrors, the museum is a must.
Imagine entering a spinning, lighted tunnel so disorienting that it’s necessary to cling to the rails for dear life. Imagine becoming a part of a gigantic kaleidoscope, dangling from a second-story window ledge without fear of falling, playing poker with five exact clones of yourself, or seeming to shrink like Alice in Wonderland. Those are the sorts of experiences visitors to The Museum of Illusions New Orleans will enjoy.
Alicia Whaley of San Antonio loses her head at The Museum of Illusion, as Jasmine Whaley prepares to stir the pot
(Photo by Doug MacCash | NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
The marvelous thing about the many exhibits and activities in the museum is that they are not high-tech, digital productions. Basically, The Museum of Illusions New Orleans is a collection of timeless amusements based on lighting, reflection and gravity. No artificial intelligence required. Get this, the inscrutable puzzles in the kids’ play area are made of wood. Wood!
The museum held a soft opening Oct. 17. During a preview tour, museum spokesperson Pien Koopman said that the Museum of Illusions was conceived in Croatia in 2015 and has since spread to 63 locations in 29 countries. Koopman pointed out that the optical trickery in the exhibits is suitable for children, but sufficiently mysterious for adults as well. The perspective and lighting anomalies may explain how magicians and Hollywood directors fool our eyes, she said.
Isaac Morales, one of the many young museum guides who helped visitors master the museum’s illusions during the preview, captured the spirit of the place when he said: “This job is amazing. We get paid to laugh and take pictures.”
Yes, the staff will aid in producing prime selfies of the experience.
A neon-lit pentagon seems to lead to an infinite science fiction worm hole at the The Museum of Illusion New Orleans
(Photo by Doug MacCash | NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Cory White, who happened on the new museum while visiting New Orleans from Mississippi, said that his favorite part was the disorienting “vertigo tunnel,” mentioned earlier. Koopman said the attraction is actually titled “The Vortex Tunnel,” but White’s description is better.
The museum is at 600 Decatur St. The hours are from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with final admission one hour before closing. Admission is $26.12 for times tickets, $35.62 for untimed tickets, and $103.29 for family passes. For tickets, visit the museum website.