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| Museum of Illusions Charlotte ©Katrena |
My family visited the Museum of Illusions Charlotte located at 601 S. Tryon Street in Charlotte, NC on June 19, 2023. I had seen their ad on Facebook and decided this would be a great opportunity for all three of my kids to enjoy. Optical illusions have always intrigued me, so I thought this might be a fun and interesting family activity.
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| Art Illusions in Charlotte NC Museum of Illusions Charlotte ©Katrena |
We made reservations a few days before we went to the museum. It looks like they offer reservation times approximately every 20 minutes. According to their web site, they do not accept cash but will accept walk-ins if they are not at capacity. The signage for the museum is very easy to see.
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| Agamograph at Museum of Illusions in Charlotte ©Katrena |
The museum tour is self-guided and the web site mentions that most groups take between 45 and 90 minutes to go through it. We took about 50 minutes to tour the entire museum. We might have stayed a good bit longer, but quite a few people were going through and we did not want to hold up all the people behind us. We took all of these photos very quickly as we looked through the museum.
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| Moving Art That Looks Impossible at Museum of Illusions ©Katrena |
As we were approaching the museum, I remembered that the museum does not have a parking lot since it is in downtown Charlotte, so we parked on S. Tryon Street just before the building was in sight. That lot charged $17 for parking. We noticed as we walked up to the museum that it was adjacent to a parking deck. I'm not sure how the parking price for the deck compares to the lot where we parked, but I'd say it is safe to say you'll have to pay to park in a large city like Charlotte. You'll probably want to allow extra time to find a parking space.
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| Fun Indoor Family Activity in Charlotte ©Katrena |
One of my daughters tends to carry a water bottle around with her all the time, and we were carrying umbrellas because the bottom dropped out just as we were getting into Charlotte. The people at the front desk mentioned that water bottles are not allowed, but they showed us some lockers where we could place our things, which we did. All of our items were still in the locker when we finished the tour.
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| Fun Family Things to do in Charlotte ©Katrena |
Last year, my youngest daughter took a visual arts class that included creating artwork with optical illusions, so she had learned about several ways that art can trick the eye. This would be a great educational field trip for art classes in particular, but I think photography, math, and theater classes could also enjoy this museum. Their web site mentions a special offer for teachers.
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| Art That Can Trick the Eye at Museum of Illusions ©Katrena |
Everyone that was coming in to the museum was routed to the left and then we circled around the back to return up the right side of the room. A variety of black and white pictures were on the wall where we began the tour. The museum displays had descriptions and notations regarding who officially discovered that the art created an illusion or how the display could trick and eye and brain into seeing something unusual or interesting with each one. Many of the descriptions also offered tips regarding how one might best see the illusion, which was helpful. I found it interesting that I could see some of the illusions better if I took a photo of it.
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| Fun Photo Opportunities at Museum of Illusions Charlotte ©Katrena |
As we began working our way down the hall, we saw several interactive displays designed for more than one person. I would highly recommend visiting this museum with at least one other person. One exhibit at the beginning encouraged people to stand on either side of a special wall to see what appeared to be parts of the other person's face morphing into one's own face. Another fun photo was the card game picture I took above. Specific directions for how to set up for this effect were easy to follow and worked really well.
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| Creative and Fun Photo Op for the Whole Family ©Katrena |
One area was decorated to look like the room was turned sideways. Someone from the museum was there to take pictures so that everyone in the group could pose in that area. She gave us tips on where to stand and what to do but also said we could try other poses as well. If you have folks in your group who like to pose and be creative, this is a great spot for that.
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| See Mirror Effects at Charlotte Museum ©Katrena |
The museum had several areas and rooms with mirrors that offered various effects. You might want to turn off your flash for photos with mirrors in them. Some art pieces featured mirrored and kaleidoscope effects. I always thought the mirrored effect where the wicked queen turned into the old hag and the dancing ghosts in the Haunted Mansion at Disney World were particularly interesting, so it was fun to see some of these displays and how the illusions worked.
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| Holograms and 3D Art at Charlotte Museum of Illusions ©Katrena |
Holograms offered an interesting look into creative 3D type art utilizing special effects. We also saw some art pieces that looked like the person was looking in different directions. Those reminded me of something similar I had seen with a sculpture of Jesus.
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| Head on a Platter at Charlotte's Museum of Illusions ©Katrena |
One particularly nice use of mirrors was with the illusion that one's head was in a big platter. This display can be particularly fun for making silly or scared faces. That display was in the same room as another area that displayed perspective and how people's sizes can look very different whether they are standing near to or far from the camera.
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| Challenging Puzzles at Museum of Illusions ©Katrena |
We found quite a few puzzles in the back room. These brain teasers were challenging! I think this area could easily make the biggest difference in the time spent in the museum. We looked at a few of the puzzles and tried a few different ways to solve them but moved on without actually completing them. If we had been really serious about it, my guess is that it would have taken us quite a while to figure them out. Several people who worked at the museum were walking around, so they might be able to give some hints on how to approach each puzzle if you are the type of person who really wants to complete a puzzle once you start working on it.
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| Reversible or Ambiguous Images and Art at Museum of Illusions Charlotte ©Katrena |
A few sculptures were placed in various places in the museum with explanations about how to see the illusion. I found this one with the vase to be particularly interesting. I had seen drawings of it numerous times but had never seen a 3D version of the illusion. This display was placed at a lower level so that many kids could see it at eye level, but most children would need an explanation in order to see the faces.
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| Sculptures that Create Illusions ©Katrena |
Several rooms had floors that were tilted, so those areas would not be accessible for someone in a wheelchair or who had balance issues, but the rooms were on the side and visitors did not have to enter the rooms.
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| Fun Rainy Day Ideas in Mecklenburg County NC ©Katrena |
Special effects with lights were well done in the museum. My youngest particularly liked one with the primary colors that created shadows in those colors.
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| Tunnel That Makes Everything Seem Tilted ©Katrena |
My oldest daughter and I especially liked a tunnel that appeared to cause the bridge to tilt as you walked to the other end. It's amazing how the mind can play tricks on you with just a few special effects! People who have vertigo or easily become dizzy might want to avoid that room.
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| Photo Op that Looks Like Someone is Falling From a Well ©Katrena |
The museum did a good job of including warnings about rooms with lights that had the potential to cause issues in people who have photosensitive conditions.
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| Art that Uses Different Colors to Hide Images ©Katrena |
Overall, this museum offered quite a variety of illusions with professional quality directions and signs throughout the area. This is a small museum that would typically take less than 90 minutes to see all of the exhibits. It is completely indoors, so it works particularly well on a rainy day like we had on the day we visited.
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| Optical Illusion Art and Graphics ©Katrena |
You can find pricing and information about their exhibits and events at the Museum of Illusions Charlotte official web site.
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| 3D Images and Optical Illusions ©Katrena |
Thanks for visiting my Travel NC With Kids blog! Find more of my articles at my site map, topics tabs, or search bar. Here are a few more articles that you may find interesting, particularly if you want to find additional fun activities in or near Charlotte:
