Exclusive: Museum of Illusions will open next month in North Austin

Eric Webb, Austin American-Statesman
·3 min read
Museum of Illusions is opening up an Austin location in March.
Museum of Illusions is opening up an Austin location in March.

Appearances can be deceiving, but this new North Austin destination is no mirage.

Museum of Illusions, an all-ages, interactive attraction, is set to open March 11, the American-Statesman can exclusively report. That's just in time for visitors coming in for South by Southwest, which runs March 10-19.

The new Austin location of the global brand was announced in August. Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming tenant in the Domain.

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What is Museum of Illusions?

The new 6,200-square-foot attraction will feature more than 70 exhibits that aim to “mesmerize” guests, according to the owners. There’s a focus on optical illusions and 3-D holograms. Sample exhibits include The Tilted Room, where you look like you’re standing on an incline; The Clone Table, which makes it appear like your identical siblings are sitting next to you; and Head on a Platter, which is self-explanatory.

"The museum is designed to take guests on an unconventional, interactive journey into a world of illusions that many have never seen before,” Subhi Gharbieh, managing partner of Beyond Entertainment Group, said in a statement.

The Austin location will include a “building illusion” that features artist Amy Cook’s famous “I love you so much” mural, a popular tourist photo opp near South Congress Avenue. Museum of Illusions claims its installation will use one of the largest mirrors in the country.

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So is it really a museum?

The Clone Table at Museum of Illusions creates visual duplicates of the participant.
The Clone Table at Museum of Illusions creates visual duplicates of the participant.

Well, what are words, you know? If you’re asking whether Museum of Illusions is a museum in the way that major art museums like the Louvre (or, heck, the Blanton Museum of Art) operate, no. Institutions like that hold priceless artwork or artifacts in their collections, which they work to preserve and display for education purposes.

But in the more fun sense of the word “museum,” yes. Museum of Illusions is like Museum of Ice Cream or Ripley’s Believe It or Not! — a walkthrough space where visitors can experience displays for fun and perhaps a little thought-provoking. And, of course, Instagram content.

The first location opened in 2015 in Zagreb, Croatia, according to the company’s website, which also contains franchising information. There is a location coming this summer to Houston and one open in Dallas, as well as U.S. cities like Boston and Chicago and places like Cairo, London, Paris and New Delhi.

How do you get tickets to the Museum of Illusions?

At Museum of Illusions, visitors will find optical illusions and immersive rooms.
At Museum of Illusions, visitors will find optical illusions and immersive rooms.

Tickets to Museum of Illusions (11010 Domain Drive, No. 100, next to Dick’s Sporting Goods and IPIC Theaters) are now on sale online at moiaustin.com. Tickets cost $24 for ages 13 and older, $20 for ages 5 to 12 and $22 for ages 60 and older (ID must be presented). Kids 5 and younger get in free.

Museum of Illusions and will be open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

UPDATE: This story was updated to clarify that the Houston location is not yet open.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: How to get tickets to Museum of Illusions Austin, open in March