When I think back to our adventures at Meow Wolf in Santa Fe, climbing through washing machines as a portal to enter another realm is one of the first things that pops into my mind. The best way that I know how to describe Meow Wolf is like Alice in Wonderland on drugs. If you are headed to New Mexico or Santa Fe in particular, Meow Wolf should definitely be on your bucket list.

Besides consistently finding yourself in other worlds and traveling through portals like washing machines and refrigerators, part of the encounter also includes feeling like you have been through an absolutely overwhelming and hallucinatory experience. Due to being in a constant state of wonder, your brain will almost certainly be unsure of how to process exactly what you are seeing at every moment during your Meow Wolf trip.

What Exactly Is Meow Wolf?

What exactly is Meow Wolf, you ask? Well, it’s a wonderful place created by talented artists who have more than an open mind. Meow Wolf is an interactive and extremely immersive art display that features any and every medium you can think of. Not only that, there are lights, videos, and music as part of the experience. Every time you turn, you will enter a new artistic realm that may include paintings, sculptures, sounds, light shows, videos, and more. Going through secret passages is not uncommon at Meow Wolf.

Near the beginning of the exhibit, you will find a giant home. Once you enter the home, that is when the fun begins. Your world will start to turn upside down, literally, almost as quickly as you enter what my son likes to call, “The Point of No Return”. The true name of the exhibit however is called the, “House of Eternal Return”, and was actually designed with assistance from George R. R. Martin, the creator of ever famous show, Game of Thrones.

When we visited Meow Wolf we were suprised to explore and discover what seemed like hundreds of different rooms. According to the Meow Wolf website there are “70 rooms of immersive art.” My son and I are both extreme art lovers, so spending the entire day at Meow Wolf was a very easy thing for us to do. I recommend to dress a little bit light. We went in winter a couple years back and were layered, and had on snow boots! We truly had no idea what we were in for, but I can tell you right now that by the time we got out of Meow Wolf we were both sweating. When they say it is an immersive experience, they are not joking. Be prepared to literally become part of the exhibit.

Meow Wolf Santa Fe also has a collective storyline to go with their massive artsy exhibit. The story of the home, and of the family whom the home once belonged to is naturally quite psychedelic and mysterious. By exploring the home of the Selig family, you will find clues throughout that guide you through the tragic tale of how they disappeared due to investigating with interdimensional travel.

Somehow the family discovered this powerful force called the “Anomaly” which was said to help bring back loved ones from the dead through traveling in and out of other dimensions. The Selig family is still missing to this day and have yet to be found anywhere near the House of Eternal Return. Hold on tight to your kiddos during your travel through the dimensions and keep them close by at all times as you likely will not be the only explorers that day.

You won’t be alone during your journey through the realms of Meow Wolf either. Meow Wolf has hundreds of employees some of which who work as actors who are part of a large variety of mind-boggling original Meow Wolf characters.

I recall my son playing with a few of them. It was really one of the most strange and mesmerizing sights I’ve ever seen. A magical fairy type creature who looked like she was also part lobster played with my son for at least 15 minutes. She showed him her lobster-y hands that were made of what looked like silk.

It sounds crazy, but it’s true. Her entire costume was made of giant soft and silky tentacles that were layered to cover her whole upper body. The characters don’t speak English either, they speak some peculiar Meow Wolf language which my son was fascinated by!

In the photo above you will see my son “painting” with a large paint brush he was given by one of the mystical Meow Wolf characters. Meow Wolf allowed him to have fun, explore, be himself, promote his own creativity and of course harness imagination.

Since Meow Wolf Santa Fe is all about expressiveness, they also have an area for concerts inside of their artistic exhibit. I have not been to a concert at Meow Wolf yet, but I would love to check one out sometime. There are also other Meow Wolf locations in Denver & Las Vegas. We have not been to those, yet.

After spending the day interacting with this psychedelic world, you will exit back to reality and into the gift shop. The gift shop is filled with art from Meow Wolf artists which is incredible! You can find anything from stickers, hats, t-shirts, magnets, and photographs. There are many things to see at Meow Wolf, so I cannot tell you everything.

The only other piece of advice I can give is be ready to stretch, bend, and move your body – especially when you crawl into the fireplace.