We had heard about Meow Wolf in the past and thought it sounded neat but wasn't fully interested in…read moregoing. I definitely didn't fully understand what it was. My husband and I needed a fun activity to do together (without the kids) for our 18th wedding anniversary and I decided it looked neat enough to go to, even if it was mainly just an immersive art experience.
I was 1000% wrong. It is way, way more than that. It is intense and entertaining and intriguinging and kept our attention and interest for nearly 3 hours on our extended date. We felt a bit like kids again, and there was even more of the experience that we didn't fully explore in that timeframe. It's hard to explain without giving away spoilers but it was incredibly interesting and multifaceted and immersive, but not directly as an art exhibit as much as like you are in a storyline in an Alice in Wonderland-like world with multiple dimensions and most everything is interactive. Touch everything, push the buttons, open the doors and drawers and cabinets, cause there are hidden treasures and such at every turn.
The employees were wonderful. No one broke character, they were just as present as you'd want them to be (they're there in part to answer questions and help with whatever is needed), and they all were welcoming. One in particular stood out - Reinhart. I didn't know it until after we exited the experience but they're the manager at the location. That doesn't surprise me because they were a role model for how the staff there should interact with the people attending the experience. They may all do that too truly, but I can only speak directly about this manager as we crossed paths with them so many times. There was a group of elementary-aged kiddos who were clearly having the time of their lives and part of that was due to Reinhart's interactions. The kids would treat them as a customer in their game of "Restaurant", ask them to be a member of their audience as they performed on the stage for them, invite them to walk around with them throughout the different areas of the experience, etc. They stayed in character and interacted with the kids on their level, never seeming bored or inconvenienced, and always game for whatever they wanted of them. They were definitely invested in the kids having the ultimate experience that day and I'm certain they did, in large part due to the way Reinhart enhanced the experience for them throughout their time there. When we left (shortly after the group of kids) they were already at the register helping out and being readily available for the customers in the gift shop. They definitely fulfill the spirit of the place and made it even more fun for us just by being around their great interactions with the kids.
Cost: Worth it. 100%. To be clear, I am a pretty cheap person, which is why I had deferred taking my 2 kiddos to it even though they were interested. I didn't want to spend that much money on what I thought was a nice but fairly straightforward art experience but now that we truly understand what it is we will DEFINITELY be bringing them back, as well as our girl scout troop. We're also gonna have my kids upcoming birthday party here too, her request. My only regret is just buying one time tickets and not buying my hubby and I the membership, as it pays for itself after only 2 visits and we will definitely want to go to this and other Meow Wolfs later this summer. They have multiple locations across the US and each one has a different experience/storyline/exhibits, so it's worth going to any of them your near as they aren't all the same. We will likely get our kids the membership when we take them soon. There is an integrated snack shack in the experience and the prices aren't bad, better than a lot of places we've gone to in the past. You can't bring outside food and drink but they do have water stations to fill up an empty bottle at, if you bring one.
To summarize - 10/10, highly recommend, will go again, cheapskate approved!!!