Just over two months ago, the Museum of Illusions added a brand new venue in Pittsburgh! Located on the North Shore, this museum is composed of holograms, stereograms and optical illusions that are sure to fool your mind.
The Museum of Illusions is a quickly growing design. The museum is entering its ninth year of business with over forty locations spanning twenty-five countries and four continents. Although Pittsburgh’s museum is one of the biggest, it’s the second placement in Pennsylvania – Philadelphia’s location opened in 2022. Each site is slightly different, allowing repeating visitors to enjoy new experiences everywhere they go. The locations are permanent, upkept, and updated every three years to change up the experience.
In the original announcement, LOL Entertainment CEO Robert Cooper posted on his LinkedIn account, “I’m excited to announce that we will be bringing the Museum of Illusions to Pittsburgh’s North Shore this fall! This will be our second museum in the Keystone State (after Philadelphia), and we couldn’t have found a more vibrant and welcoming city!”
Stacy Stec, the museum’s director of sales and marketing, said, “We wanted to bring the museum to Pittsburgh because this is a city built on innovation. This is the first market of this size we’ve opened in, and it’s because of Pittsburghers — they have curiosity, creativity, and passion that’s unmatched. We can’t wait to introduce these exhibits, some of which will be tailored specifically for the Pittsburgh experience.” Stec was also quoted saying, “This is like a playground for adults.”
The North Shore Location is open seven days a week, 10 am to 8 pm Monday through Thursday, and 10 am to 10 pm on Saturday and Sunday. A complete tour of the museums lasts about 45 minutes, but guests are invited to stay as long as they please! Children four years and younger are admitted for free. Tickets for kids from five to thirteen cost $25, adult tickets cost $25 , and seniors(age 60+) cost $23.
Now, on to the exhibits! The Reverse Room turns the world upside down by placing things that would otherwise exist on the floor on the ceiling. Visitors can snap a picture that will look like they’re defying gravity! Each location’s reverse room features a different scene: Washington D.C. has a bus, Philadelphia has a diner, and Pittsburgh has a locker room(pictured below).
‘The Vortex Room’ is the name taken by another exhibit; featured similarly at every location. This tunnel utilizes lights and mirrors to defy your sense of balance and make you believe the room is actually spinning. This attraction, seen below, is similar to one found in Kennywood Park’s Noah’s Ark ride.
Notable other exciting exhibits include the clone room, which creates multiple images of people, the tilted room, which slightly tilts everything to make it look like you’re tilting, and the building illusion, which makes visitors appear to be floating(pictured below).
Beyond these five exhibits, there’s still plenty more to explore and do! The museum sponsors magic shows, guest speakers, and group events as well. Shane Patrick Crews, a speaker, mentalist, and magician, is one of these featured guests.
“As a child, imagination ruled everything,” said Crews, “And then life happened and some of that imagining got crushed. In this space, there is still that sense of wonder from your childhood and like the word abracadabra, what you think can create your reality.”
