Meow Wolf Museum in Santa Fe, NM with a kid
During our trip in 2018 to the International Albuquerque Balloon festival, me and Laila took a day trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico with my godmother to visit this super cool interactive art collective called Meow Wolf. Guys, this place blew my mind! I’m talking twilight zone shows I saw as a kid combined with fantasyland dreams like you can’t imagine all filled this huge warehouse that seems to be a major attraction in Santa Fe.
- Great interactive areas for kids and adults
Everything in this space is interactive, which means no parent shaming here for your kid(s) running around and touching any and everything. Umm yes, please! The art instillations make everyone in attendance want to participate and have fun- adults included.
- You have a chance to experience things that you would see in a sci-fi movie or a dream
Some of the art instillations made me pause and feel like I was in another world, which I think was the object to begin with. Two instillations that really stuck out to me and seem to be the most popular on social media were the dryer and refrigerator art instillations. From the outside, they appear to be normal old appliances. Once you open them you are literally immersed into a new world.
The fridge opens and you’re struck by a white light that has you thinking the next stop is to an unknown alien destination, but in reality it takes you in a maze-like way to another part of the museum. I was just as excited as Laila to participate in this!
The dryer tunnel was probably my favorite part of the entire museum as far as noticing all the effort and details that went into creating this piece of art. When you first enter the dryer, you slide down a kind of slide like tunnel into the land of lost socks (yes, I finally know where all of our socks have been hiding)! You would never imagine how much space they actually created “inside” of this normal everyday 1990s dryer.
- Plenty of spaces to explore throughout the exhibit
Although the line was out the door when we arrived (and still out the door after we left) the space never seemed too crowded while we were exploring and playing. The many artist and employees have done an amazing job with the spacing and different paths you can choose to take while interacting. You can go through hidden doors to find spaces you didn’t know were there, take the obvious path to different sections, or randomly jump around on paths you feel will be the most fun for you personally. My godmother has been there several times and said she still discovers new areas each time she didn’t know were previously there.
- They even have a creative space in a calm area to help you mind decompress after the experience
There is so much interactive art at your fingertips, it’s possible to need a calm space to decompress after (especially for kids), so they have an art room close to the ticket sales where you can color, draw, paint, or read before or after your visit. While I was there, I also noticed they seemed to have art classes advertised for the community and patrons of the museum. I thought this was a great area to hang out in after our visit and Laila was able to create her very own art before we left for the day.
I recently checked their website and they will be opening four new locations in Vegas opening in 2020, Denver opening in 2021, DC in 2022, and Phoenix to follow after. Take yourself and your friends, then head back a second time with the kiddos. Me and Laila will definitely check out the new locations when they open. I think you’ll love it, the same way we did!
Leave a comment below if you’ve been to Meow Wolf or heard about it before.
