Museum of Illusions Chicago

I've been wanting to get down here with my grandson for a long time now and I finally got the chance last week. There are so many cool exhibits!! I've posted numerous photos of the different things that you can do.But by no means, is that all of them. They have employees that will take pictures of you.So that you can also be in the pictures. It's a self guided tour, so how long it takes is all up to you. It took us about 50 minutes. We parked at the north Grant Park garage, which was only about a block. And a half from the museum. They have a really cute gift store at the end that you can purchase different puzzles and what have you. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is the price. The museum is unique, but again it was 75 dollars for myself and my grandson!!! I honestly think it's overpriced. If it would have been around 50 dollars i think that would have been a little more reasonable and appropriate.

For the price, I expected more. Do purchase tickets online and save about $5. I was hoping for more, it was over before it was over. Got a few good pics, but there's really only about 5 pics you'll actually want to take. One of which requires you to bend and crawl, so if you're like me and your knees are destroyed mark this photo off the list. You may do better using AI to get yourself in that photo. If you run straight through and depending on the crowd and poses at each photo station it may be a 15-20min run through. However, if you stop and read everything it may take about 30-40 mins. Had a good time with my little one, but def not worth the price. We didn't have the best idea for poses and there was only one staff member giving ideas. Everyone else seemed pretty bored to be working.

First time visiting and I had a blast. This is a place to go with another person who enjoys FUN. If you go as a single no worries just look for Museum staff and they will assist you. Plus they make recommendation that will help your photos pop, heck or just give them your phone they got you. What a fun place. At the end of your visit you land in the souvenir area such a great place

I had an absolutely incredible time! From the moment we walked in, Lydia along with Sammy and Oscar made us feel welcomed and genuinely cared for. They were not only knowledgeable and kind, but also incredibly patient with us as we explored the exhibits. What really stood out was how willing they were to go the extra mile—offering to take pictures of us and even showing us how to pose to get the best shots. It made the visit feel so much more personal and fun. You could tell they truly enjoy helping people have a great time. Highly recommend visiting if you're in Chicago—it's a beautiful space with even more beautiful people running it. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It was great. We made reservations ahead of time, and there was no wait to get in because of that. The staff is friendly and let us know how to get the best angels for photos and even offered to take photos for us so we could all be in the pictures. We had fun exploring all the illusions and also played some puzzles at the end. We bought a couple souvenirs and planning to visit again .

Very cool illusions, perfect for an afternoon visit with friends. They focus in immersive illusions with lots of places for pictures and interactive exhibitions. The employees also help taking pictures for you if you wish. Happily surprised by this place, the in-person experience is totally worth it.

Had a wonderful time visiting with my family. The staff is very knowledgeable about the illusions, which made the experience even more enjoyable. I recommend calling ahead to ensure there are no scheduled block‑offs. We spent about an hour exploring and received excellent customer service throughout our visit. A special thank‑you to Quintin, Emily R., and Oscar—they took fantastic photos of my family and offered great suggestions to enhance our visit. I will say I overheard what appeared to be a manager speaking dismissively to an associate who, from what I could tell, was simply doing their job. It left an unpleasant impression, but overall, our experience was wonderful ,would come again! I would still highly recommend visiting !

It’s a nice place to visit, children friendly! My favorite part was where we walked through a tunnel/walkway that felt like it was spinning and we were going to fall. I read that it’s a static walkway, that was really fascinating! I’m sure you’ll enjoy your visit as much as I did 🥰😊. We bought our tickets 🎫 online and there was no wait time!

Oh, my! So much fun at the Museum of Illusions Chicago ... Came here on a rainy day, today, and I experienced so much more than I expected. From the very beginning to the very end, it was fun, fun and more fun! Every little details of an illusion was so satisfying ... I loved all of it! I decided to go by myself because none of my friends had time for this. And I have to tell you, even if you go by yourself, there is an employee on every single illusion project and every single one of them are willing to help you out with your photo project, so you won't miss out on any fun! I truly had a great experience today. Sorry I can't remember anyone's name, but today (4/26/2024) afternoon everyone was exceptionally gracious with their help! Thank you! At the end of the experience, there is a very unique gift shop with even more unique gift items that you can purchase.

Great exhibit! Some of the installations were more successful than others, but overall a fun time spend. The prices are quite high and we felt that for this price, there should either have been more guides explaining the illusions exhibits, or more exhibits. With lines and waiting to experience certain ones, we were in and out in about 35min. Overall, I would recommend this, but beware of the price to value ratio.

Museum of Illusions was one of the top places I really was so excited to visit in our trip! We showed our Chicago City Pass and was let in and right away, started looking at the cool installations they had. I was so happy to try out every single one! My camera roll is filled with pictures we took here. It was so fun and definitely made our trip more memorable.

This was so much fun if you were looking for something fun to do with family friends yes visiting to Chicago. This place is amazing the angles and how the imagery plays with your brain making you think that you see things that may or may not be there images that are moving some that are not moving. This was so much fun. We will go back again and again and the next time I'm in Chicago, I'll bring a new group of people with me to experience museum of illusions Chicago. It was so much fun. I think I said that already I want to say it over and over and over again so much fun.

Visiting the Museum of Illusions in Chicago was an amazing journey from start to finish and well worth every penny! Your eyes will play tricks on you all the way through, making it an incredibly engaging experience. You never know what surprising illusion is waiting around the corner. The abundance of photo opportunities makes this a must-see adventure for anyone visiting downtown Chicago. It's a captivating experience that will leave you marveling at the wonders of perception. Highly recommended!

This was a blast, fun for all ages. Bring the whole family of go on a date. Gonna be a good time! Twist your brain in what it thinks of illusions and reality. Take some awesome photos that will last forever, decently priced, and takes about an hour to go through!

Absolutely loved this place. It was super fun with the kids who are middle school and high school. The employees are super helpful in getting the best shot for some of delusions, which are absolutely incredible. The puzzles at the end kept his occupied for quite some time. Yes I am dizzy. Yes, I have a little vertigo. Yes, I have a little headache, but it was so worth it because my brain is exploding from all the cool things we saw today.

We loved it. All staff were kind, super helpful in explaining everything and happy to take pictures. The interactive installations made for a fun bonding experience for my daughter and me. Loved the detailed explanations next to each exhibit - lotsa fun and we learned a lot, too. Good time, worth the money, highly recommend.

A good time was had! Fun, quirky, mind-blowing, intriguing, and interesting are just some of the words to describe this museum. It takes no more than 1hour to go through all of the exhibits (depending on how many ppl are there). Throughout the museum they have staff there to take pictures for you if you'd like which is very nice and thoughtful. At the end they have a souvenir shop and a puzzle/game room.

There are a couple of exhibits that make for unique photo ops but overall this isn't worth the price. For the two of us, it cost over $70 and only took about 40 minutes to walk through. A lot of the illusions are fairly common so we had seen them before. It also is difficult to navigate since there were too many people in the museum at the same time.

Oh the Museum of Illusions was so much fun! Very creative and intriguing. It may have taken us 30-45mins to see and interact with the entire exhibit. At the end, there is a room full of different puzzles to complete. They allow you to sit a while and try to complete the puzzles. Across from the puzzle room is the souvenir shop. You can even purchase some of the puzzles. I really enjoyed myself...keeps the mind going!

It's a little hard to recommend this one. The staff were friendly and the exhibits are very cool. But the price and crowds are hard to justify. For many of the illusions to work, you need space and a few seconds to stare at them uninterrupted. Now imagine that but in a space the size of an Apple Store on a crowded day. $107 for three people and a half hour of content at best while being unable to really enjoy many parts because of non-stop interruptions from being walked in front of or bumped, etc., it's hard to justify.

This museum was so entertaining! Even my kid had a bal! The illusions were crrrazy!! The staff was very friendly and suggested many ways to enjoy the illusions to the fullest. Definitely a bucket list that should be explored.

Small entertaining spot to visit if you are looking for something different to do in Chicago. We paid about 80 for 3 people with 2 Veteran discounts. You are told when your reservation time would be when buying your ticket. Was a little more crowded than we'd like when we visited. Since it was so small, you had to wait a good bit of time for larger groups to interact with the exhibits before your turn. Lots of selfies moments.

Friendly staff. Very fun family outing. I loved optical illusions as a kid so I was pretty excited to go check this out with my daughter and niece. It wasn't crowded, kind of timed so that people aren't waiting and crowding over each other at each installation. Lots of activities to look at, take photos And there are even puzzles to play around with. We loved: 1) The room with the bridge that you walk across. OMG. A straight eye rollercoaster. 2) The mirror room where it looks like there are about 5 million of you in there but it's just your reflection lol. 3) The huge kaleidoscope 4) Tertiary Lights wall (my favorite) 5) All of the photo ops So fun, kind of a quick visit where you don't need to spend too much time in the museum but fulfilling and fun.

We've seen a lot of mentions about this place so we definitely wanted to take some time out to visit. We booked our tickets for a Monday evening at 5:40. The total for 2 tickets was about $60 so surprisingly not too bad. We walked in and it wasn't too busy, about 3-4 groups of people were already inside. Loved that there was a free coat check and lockers to store your stuff before going in. We got the whole walkthrough but the friendly guy at the entrance and were sent off. The place wasn't too big but we nearly spent two hours just going through everything, especially the tables with all the puzzles. A lot of good photo ops here so definitely good for kids and young people but all families would enjoy their time here. My favorite parts were the table puzzles and stuff like the chair illusion or the upside down room. Also we randomly stumbled upon that "secret" flower room in the middle which was also nice. Definitely worth a trip especially if you love interactive type museums and wanted to kill some time.

So much fun! Spent a few hours here in a rainy weekend morning. What made it extra special was the staff. They went out of their way to help us interact with the exhibits and offered to take pictures.

So fun! My husband and I are over 50 .... Felt as amused and surprised as a child! The employees were super friendly and very helpful!

The museum is very cool, but quite small. It's worth going to once, but it's probably more for tourists. If you want a worthwhile immersive museum, you'd be better off at Wndr.

Part of a high rise building. This museum blends in. I'm not really sure museum is the right word. Let's stick with attraction. This attraction wasn't as large as I was expecting, however it was fun. There was all kinds of optical illusions for you to explore. A lot even show up well on photos. My favorites were the tunnel of lights. It really gave me a massive case of vertigo that took me a few minutes to get over. I also really enjoyed the mirror room. 1 thousand Chris's, ahhhh scary lol. The staff was absolutely terrific. Super friendly and happy to help. Overall a 4 star review. A little small, so it's a quick visit about 40 minutes. Still worth a visit, especially for people with kids. Would I return? Probably not but only because I've seen it now. I would visit another branch.

This was something new to both of us, but we gave it a try, and we found it amusing and such fun. This is for all ages, and it just boggles your mind. You're constantly questioning how does that happened? A must visit museum for everyone to come see, I highly recommend it.

Be prepared; this place will seriously mess with your head! This starts with the first illusion that the staff uses to help set the tone of the exhibits. The folks working here are lovely and kind. While they would be happy to take your illusion-related photos, it might be fun to bring a friend. Some of the illusions are things we've likely seen before in a book or a social media post (like which curve is longer when they're the same). Others are unique (like the mirror that shows you as other people see you. A favorite of mine is the vortex tunnel. You don't move, but the tunnel around you spins. Feels like you're continually falling to the side, never meeting the ground! This little sampling doesn't do them justice, and I don't want to ruin the surprise for anyone any more than I already have. What I found enjoyable was that their exhibits are interactive. For instance, the "which curve is longer" has a curved block on a string to verify that they are the same size. The museum is on the smaller side and should take no more than 30 minutes to an hour to see everything. In light of the size, the price is slightly on the higher end, at $23 for an adult, before taxes. My final note is while I generally found the explanations helpful, some were a bit confusing. The Museum of Illusions is a good option if you are seeking something fun to do for an evening, especially if you have a friend or two with you.

kind of fun. kind of overpriced. highlights include the vortex tunnel of death (makes you dizzy) and the mirror room (which is not for the insecure- you see ALL angles on this one- ha ha). overall, im docking points for price because the museum is tiny. but it was cool.

We were looking for something to do that would kill some time between other activities. We decided to go here. First off, I was a little shocked at the price. We paid $128.00 for 4 people! I only paid $81 for the museum of science and industry if that puts price into perspective. Anyway, other than that, this place was pretty cool. We showed up around 8:15pm and were able to go right in. There are plenty of fun photo opportunities. Staff was friendly and informative. Only took about 40-45 minutes to complete. We were the only ones in there as well.

We had a lot of fun here! The staff were all super friendly and ready to help with viewing the art or taking pics for groups. Definitely a must on the stop by list if you visit Chicago!

Great interactive museum for all ages. A little short/ few attractions for the price, but definitely unique!

We went to the museum of illusions in Chicago midday, and it happened to be fairly empty when we were there. The staff was very nice and accommodating, but I do recommend going with a large group. There are lots of wonderful photograph opportunities, and some amazing exhibits to look at.

Fully enjoyed our visit to the Museum of Illusion. Kids and adults really participated in all the exhibits. The staff were very welcoming and helpful--we appreciated Olivia's help in taking pictures for us and putting us in the right poses!! I'd highly recommend a visit when in Chicago

Love this place! It's small but there is so much to do! Would recommend taking a look and trying out all the fun photo ops too! The staff was super helpful in posing us for pictures and telling us how to maximize each experience. Try to get tickets beforehand because it can get crowded.

Fu, fun, fun! You will get some great pictures and have a good time. Decent amount of things to look at but not a huge place (probably be here about a hour). Great staff who helped us take some pictures (Becca was awesome)!

My family rolls their eyes when I say I want to go to a museum. But they were pleasantly surprised and even - gasp - enjoyed a museum! This was a fun museum, slightly off the main drag, and a great experience to be shared. The illusions were fun and challenging, and many interactive exhibits with photo opportunities. So glad we stopped in.

Visiting Chicago for the weekend and got tickets to this museum. It's a lot smaller than I expected and even though you had to reserve a time slot to enter, there was way too many people in there at once and we were on top of each other at the stations. Some stations were better than others. I didn't like the building blocks in the middle of the room because it turns out some of the pieces were missing or broken so it was impossible to accomplish. There was one part that was the most fun- crossing a bridge with spinning walls but it made me super dizzy and nauseous. I ended up leaving with a huge headache afterwards and was nauseous from all the illusions and crossing that bridge more than once (my fault for wanting to cross it more than once). Overall- if you like illusions and your mind playing tricks on you, go for it! If you get dizzy or nauseous easily, please skip. It wasn't worth the painful headache I got afterwards.

I visited this museum and had such a good time. I found the museum from a Instagram ad. It's good for kids or if you like to take pictures or make Tik Toks. The tickets are $25 plus tax. They have free lockers. The staff is super friendly and will take pictures for you.

So so fun! Some illusions blew my mind while others were harder to see. Totally recommend! Fun experience and took about an hour to do it all. Quickly moving, didn't have to wait in line but maybe 5 minutes. They have lockers to store items, which is very handy! Staff very kind and knowledgeable.

My kids and I visited this museum yesterday, we enjoyed it very much! Now I will start out by saying I figured this museum would've been bigger being a museum and all, but with that being said we still had a good time. Our favorite spots were the room that makes you look like your own the wall and the room where one person looks much taller than the other. We also really liked the chair spot! The staff were all very friendly, I liked that they have free lockers to put your stuff in, small but you just have to fold your coats up and stuff them in there. I got tickets for my kids and I in advance, I'm not sure if they recommend doing that but it seems to make the process quicker, they just looked my name up and we were ready to go! As I said before, this is a small museum but it's a fun place to take the kids for a good time! If you don't have kids it's still even fun for adults as well. I recommend checking this museum out if you are in Chicago just looking for some fun. It was fun checking out all the crazy illusions, really enjoyed every bit of it! Oh, one more thing, if you go to their website to buy your tickets in advance they have discounted tickets for parking in the parking garage a block away. It's nice cause you can walk through Macy's to the other side right to the museum.

We had a great time and an amazing guide. Kendall's guidance was truly remarkable. She led us through the exhibits with expertise, offering detailed explanations on how each one operated. Not only did she take the time to assist us in posing for photos, but she also graciously offered to capture lasting memories for us. Kendall's kindness, knowledge, and willingness to address our every question made our experience delightful from start to finish. I highly recommend Kendall as your go-to guide for an unforgettable journey.

This was a great addition to our day in Chicago. There are a variety of illusions, each as fun as the last! My partner and I spent an hour here taking cool pictures and playing the difficult games. My favorite part of this was the room of mirrors. It's very odd to see angles of yourself you don't usually see. I hardly recognized myself! While this is a great place, it is what you make it. If you rush and don't take time to really experience the illusions, you'll go through the entire thing and be done in maybe 30 min. However, if you take your time and experience every part the musuem offers, you'll have a great time.

I am so glad this museum is a permanent one in Chicago. I am going to start with the negative, the website recommends parking for 10 dollars. Me and some friends took that option only for us to all receive cancellations the day before with no note. Thankfully there were many other spots. Positives - this place was Mind blowing. I was with my three year old twins and was unsure if they would have a good time and they truly did. Their favorite was the vortex tunnel. For the adults, we definitely had more fun than you the kids. Some illusions really blew my mind! I highly recommend this spot for date nights, for families and really just for anyone looking to have a great time.

Great activity if you're in town and need a fun indoor activity. There's a lot of fun things to do in the city. The best part is, this is perfect for all ages. It's a win for everybody. I reserved our tickets online which is the best option. You basically sign up for a slot. We decided to do the earliest time possible because that's how we roll. Since we were staying right smack in the city center, this was walking distance from our hotel. It was less than 20 minutes away. We got there just in time for our 9am reservation. After checking our jackets in, we headed over to the back of the line. They are in fact practicing social distancing by letting a few people in at a time. There was a good flow of people for the nearly one hour we were there. Every station or exhibit had a person explaining how or what to do. They even assisted with being the photographer. All you had to do was ask. A huge thanks to the very patient staff. They were all so nice. Even the one who yelled at me to put my mask on after I absentmindedly took it off for a photo where your head is on a platter. I assumed I was in the clear since you had to crawl inside a box for the photo. I of course put it back on immediately. We had a great time. I loved that it worked up my appetite.

Such a good time! Such a weird time! The group I was with didn't bother staying altogether - we just went and explored! We would find one another at other exhibits and take photos together. Be aware - if you have vertigo or balance issues - listen to the signs telling you to stay away from some exhibits. Don't be afraid to ask the staff to help with photos or angles - they know exactly what they are doing. These pictures are so much fun and I'll share for years to come!

I had a pretty great time in the Museum of Illusions. It's pretty fascinating trying to decipher some of the puzzles and seeing how they do the illusions. There are a lot of fun interactive, problem solving adventures to be had. I'm a sucker for puzzles so this was right up my alley.

Really cool spot if you're looking for something small to fill in time in Chicago. Paid ( ) for a ticket per person. Parked with the discount provided on the website in the Millennium Park North parking garage and that was super convenient. I recommend doing that! The staff were all very friendly, fun and super knowledgeable. Sanitizer stations around, wipe as they go could use a bit more sanitation of touchable "illusions". Only reason why it's not a 5 star is we thought it'd be longer and or more things to see and do. Short visit, took about 30 mins, expected at least an hour. If you have kids, this will be a great visit. Adult (ages 18+): $21 Student (ages 13+): $18* Teachers: $18* Military / First responders: $18​* Child (ages 5 - 12): $15 Child (ages 4 and under): FREE Family (2 adults + 2 children): $65 Senior Citizens (ages 60+): $18*

Interesting collection of illusions, great for a cold and rainy day. The location is small which on a day where being indoors is a must it makes really examining everything difficult because you don't want to hang to long at any one exhibit. This museum is hands on and there was plenty hand sanitizer available. Staff was friendly and location clean.

This was a fun experience! Beware, you will get dizzy but don't let that stop you from going! It's small place so it only takes about an hour or so for two! The staff are friendly and helpful with interactive pieces. You can take pictures and videos with no problem. Just go next time you're visiting. Tickets were about $20 per person.

My mind was not blown by any of the illusions, which were mostly visual. Your experience is self guided, and pretty much all up to you. Reasons for my low rating: - not a lot of experiences/exhibits offered. My boyfriend and I finished easily within an hour - none of the interactive exhibits were cleaned, and as a result were covered in fingerprints - parents let their children run and SCREAM through the exhibits, so everything was difficult to enjoy. I understand that the children were excited, but they were using their outside voices and literally running around the small space. This is one time staff could've maybe worked with the parents to slow the kids down, but they never left the front of the museum. I forget what we paid but can say that it was too much for this lackluster experience.

It is very small and entertaining I did not have the wow factor if you have vertigo be aware that the illusions might get you dizzy. It is a lot of fun for young people. I had fun but went with friends that usually are boring so they did not make it fun. Am sure that if you go with fun people you will fine this place enjoyable it was like is this it?!

Fun place for my 12 year old and his friend. We were done in about 45 minutes so a little pricey for 3 tickets but I still recommend going. There are lots of great photo opportunities (staff is there willing to snap pictures for you-thanks Mia!). The kids loved being able to run around and even liked the gift shop.

Awesome time here! We bought our tickets online for Saturday and had no problem walking in with our e-tickets. Customer service was great. Staff super nice! We really enjoyed the experience and the challenges of the puzzles. The brain teasers were fun to do alone and together. I never even knew this place was here, but I'm glad my friend found it and encouraged me to go. If you want to experience some cool Illusions, this is the place!

It's a fun family activity. Nothing special but I do not feel disappointed. The line was decent as we didn't wait too long. The place is clean and people were respectful. Would I go again, probably not but I would suggest it for those looking for an activity to do for a few hours.

This museum may be small but is worth every penny and more! We were a group of 6, 5 of us from Israel and very little knowledge of English -- but you don't need to know English to enjoy this museum! Yes, some of the exhibits have signs to read but even without them my family was able to understand and enjoy! Perhaps that was what made it so fun -- the language gap was not a problem! My personal favorite part of the museum was the kaleidoscope! We got the BEST pictures from that! I confess I don't really enjoy museums - I find them dull and boring. But THIS museum I will go back to happily to bring different friends any time! A definite gem!