Otherworld Philadelphia is a wild sensory trip. Watch out for the 3-story ball of yarn

James McGinnis, Bucks County Courier Times
·2 min read

Enter through the mouth of a four-eyed monster, and try to climb through a three-story ball of yarn.

Press non-descript keys to DJ the deep, house music in a hall of glowing red statues, or try to unlock the puzzle of messages on a decades-old computer.

Some come to Otherworld Philadelphia only in search of a great Instagram selfie beside the neon rainbow waterfall. Others spend an hour trying to make sense of the messages in the wall of Daguerreotype images from the earliest days of photography.

Located just outside Bucks County, the exhibit off Route 1 (Roosevelt Boulevard) in Northeast Philadelphia occupies some for hours. Otherworld's creators recommend you come with friends who share your appetite for curiosity.

Here's what we learned on a recent visit:

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In one chamber of Otherworld Philadelphia, visitors press non-descript keys to unlock musical patterns and the colors of massive statues.
In one chamber of Otherworld Philadelphia, visitors press non-descript keys to unlock musical patterns and the colors of massive statues.

What is Otherworld Philadelphia?

Otherworld Philadelphia is designed to be an immersive and transformative art experience with more than four dozen individual rooms, including "large-scale interactive art, mixed reality playgrounds and secret passageway." Most rooms have hidden, interactive experiences for those willing explore the spaces, according to creators.

Moments after entering the exhibit space, visitors are invited to climb through a three-story ball of yarn. Not for the faint of heart, the challenge can be physically challenging and ― for some ― highly claustrophobic. On a recent Saturday afternoon, one visitor yelled, "Get me out of here! I can't handle this!" Otherworld employees had to help him navigate out.

The building was a Forman Mills department store before artists took hold of the 40,000-square-foot structure in early 2023.

The exhibit is open to all ages, though the dark and crowded interior might be a challenge for families managing young kids. Nearly every space contains sculptures, statues or other elements that are touched to unlock puzzles. So, maybe bring some hand sanitizer.

The Otherworld art exhibit in northeast Philadelphia, just outside Bucks County, features more than two dozen rooms designed as interactive art experiences.
The Otherworld art exhibit in northeast Philadelphia, just outside Bucks County, features more than two dozen rooms designed as interactive art experiences.

Who built Otherworld Philadelphia?

Otherworld's many rooms were created by more than 100 artists, according to founder Jordan Renda.

After working in haunted houses and escape rooms, he created the first Otherworld in Columbus, Ohio with the goal of transporting humans out of their reality. Many of the floors ooze with color like the interior of a lava lamp.

The second location in Philadelphia was created in partnership with Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group which also runs haunted houses, axe-throwing centers, virtual battlefields, and "zombie crawls."

Visit Otherworld Philadelphia

Located at 2500 Grant Ave., Otherworld is open Wednesday to Monday and closed on Tuesdays. Tickets, ranging from $29.99 to $39.99, are timed and limited to prevent overcrowding.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Otherworld Philadelphia: What you need to know about wild art house