I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: August 17, 2023] Otherworld Philadelphia

I had gotten an ad on Instagram for something called Otherworld.  There was very little information about what it was, but it seemed like an immersive interactive art exhibit.  My kids have both been to Meow Wolf in Denver and I imagined it would be something like that: Rooms where you looked at things and touched things and just marveled at everything around you.

Even some of the proper reviews of the place were deliberately vague.  This was pretty much everything from ABC 6 News online:

“Otherworld” features more than 55 rooms and large-scale installations. Guests of all ages can roam at their own pace through the 40,000-square-foot location. More than 100 artists are working on the project.

So I purchased early bird tickets at a reduced rate and took the day off work and we headed into Philly (there’s AMPLE parking!!!)

We walked in and my first thought was (having just been to a Flaming Lips concert) that this building must be what the inside of Wayne Coyne’s head is like.

It was fantastic.

It’s no fun to spoil things, so I’m just goin to be as vague as everyone else.  With a few extra details thrown in.

There are dozens of room.  Each one is utterly disconnected from the next (Meow Wolf apparently has the rooms seem more narrative which my son liked better).  So one room is a cover in carpet with big soft beanbag type stalactites dripping from the ceiling and big bean bag chairs to flop on.

The next is an office room with a computer and screens that you can manipulate–evidently there is some kind of puzzle within the walls as well, making it kind of like an escape room–but we didn’t do any of it.

There’s a room with giant alien chickens and cows and a giant lizard with a cage that you can enter.

There’s a chill-out space that feels (and smells) like an Indian bazaar with comfy pillows and drapery.

There’s a climbing component, where you (although I didn’t) can climb up a net through tight fitting passages.

There’s a water feature with tubes of lights that change color.

And every room has dozens if not hundreds of things to look at.  One is a kind of a steampunk room with mirrors and skulls.  And every surface of the walls has a small detail to investigate.

And there’s a few high tech rooms where you can manipulate screens to make things happen (like changing lights or sounds)–which may have even changed lights and sounds in other rooms.

There’s come creepy rooms for sure, but nothing too scary for anyone.  There’s also a few employees wandering around to help if you get lost or need assistance with anything.  There’s some very nice gender neutral bathrooms and a cool gift shop (which could do with a few more diverse items–notepads or something).

We stayed for about 90 minutes. I think we saw every room (there’s no way to know).  I could have spent another hour if I really wanted to check everything out.  But it felt like we’d done everything we wanted to.

Signs around the place implied that more was coming (their website says food will be coming–right now there’s only water in the gift shop).  I wonder if more exhibits will come too.

I’d be interested in going back in a few months to see if they’ve mixed things up at all.  But I think the real key is to go with a group of people so you can all share in the fun together.