Microadventure #77: Meow Wolf with Scotty

It’s been the month of visitors and this week I had a visit from my youngest kid, Scotty, here from Washington D.C.!

Scotty’s birthday was July 8th, and I’d suggested going to Meow Wolf as the “birthday experience.” I’d been to the Santa Fe Meow Wolf with Matt & Stella a few years ago, but this was the first Meow Wolf experience for Scotty. The one here in Denver is called “Convergence Station.”

If you’ve never been before, it’s really quite different from a typical “tourist attraction.” It’s artsy, bizarre, surreal, creative and kind of a cross between a fun house and a Disney attraction.

There are a lot of “hidden rooms” as well as big alleyways filled with lights, music, and colorful structures. It really can put you on sensory overload as you maneuver through the various pathways and rooms.

There’s no ‘map’ (and if you ask for one, the attendants dutifully stay in character, letting you know that maps aren’t available in an alternative dimension.)

There’s some kind of “back story” and for an extra few bucks, apparently, you can get a QPASS that gives you some extra clues to help you figure out exactly what’s going on. I was kind of surprised that Scotty (escape room enthusiast that he is) didn’t seem too interested in unraveling any back story. Admittedly, I didn’t want to spend too much time myself with back story and was satisfied just observing the weird, wacky, sparkly, and colorful oddities.

I took lots of pictures, so this is just a small sampling.

This colorful glass castle was probably my favorite structure. I always prefer “fairy-tale” like atmosphere to “darker” art, like these barbie dolls with alien heads.

I was so enamored with Santa Fe’s Meow Wolf, partly because of the novelty. It’s hard to replicate that feeling. A lot of the art here was just more “messy” (or perhaps more “contemporary” for my taste) and left me feeling a little more disturbed than joyful.

We were about to leave when we discovered another big auditorium that had organ music playing and where people were walking around in the dark, seemingly dancing.

It seemed that we could “make art” with are feet on the floor and with our arms on the walls. This room was different from anything I’d seen before, even at the other Meow Wolf, and I was glad we didn’t leave without seeing it.

Overall, it was a little bit of a let-down compared to Santa Fe, but still creative and worth seeing. I wish we’d prepared a little more ahead of time – I’m not even sure we saw everything. Scotty also was not too excited by it and the crowds and noise were a little much, so.. not exactly the best birthday experience. In hindsight, maybe Kaleidoscape would have been better. But still, it was unique and will be a fun memory for both of us.