Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Museum of Illusions

    4.0 (72 reviews)
    Open 10:00 am - 8:00 pm

    Museum of Illusions Photos

    Recommended Reviews - Museum of Illusions

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Photo 1: Montage of images from the Museum of Illusions
    Ed U.

    This was the moment I realized I overstayed my welcome in Pittsburgh, an indisputably great city. However, even indisputably great cities can have disappointing attractions. My first clue was that I discovered this museum was not specific to Pittsburgh. In fact, it's part of a privately owned museum chain, one of over sixty identical museums across over 25 countries. I came here because I had a free morning trying to avoid the wintry weather. I decided to make stops on the North Shore along the Three Rivers Heritage Trail. Clearly, not every stop is a landmark. This museum appears to be targeted to either young families with hyperactive kids and Instagram-addicted tourists. Falling somewhat into the latter category, I found the admission rather steep at $25 for what looked to be a relatively small scale space. I paid that same amount for both Carnegie Museums (Art and Natural History). This museum consisted of a series of interactive exhibits that create optical illusions. There were several spinning wheels, tilted spaces, distorted rooms, and mirrored illusions. My walkthrough lasted around fifteen minutes. Kids were anxious to go through the exhibits at breakneck speed, and my attention span was rarely stimulated by the exhibits. In visiting this museum, at least I won't be curious about the sixty other Museums of Illusions. RELATED - Exploring Pittsburgh? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/h0qh7n2Ol5

    You look one way and it says Magic
    Carlisha C.

    The only reason it's only getting 3 stars is because it's a VERY small museum. It was fun and I had lots of laughs. A little pricey for the visit but it's worth going to once! Gentleman (worker) walking around didn't have much personality when I asked questions. I also read that staff are posted throughout to assist with photos but I only saw one person walking around.

    Exhibit
    Karen H.

    A group of us went on Monday and it worked out well because there were very few other people there. I've been to a Museum of Illusions before in Montreal and was excited that there was one in Pittsburgh. Parking can be tricky but thankfully it wasn't a game day so we were all about to street park right in front. When you go inside, they stamp your hand and you're allowed to wander inside for as long as you'd like. Some of the exhibits are really cool and great photo ops and some are just okay. The inside is fairly small and five adults blew through it all in about 20 minutes. I think if we were children we would've spent more time in there. The inside is basically a loop and you end up at the shop adjacent to where you started. There were plenty of staff on hand throughout to explain things to use or even to take pictures which was nice. It is a little expensive for how small it is bit I do think it's worth going once.

    Charlie P.

    Super fun place! Reminds me of a light version of the ARTE museum I visited in vegas (So cool). Price is ok and make sure to book online to save 5 bucks. Tons of kids, but never really waited to check something out. Was a great way to get outta the heat between a pirates game and dinner! Favorites were the vortex (‍), brick wall and face kaleidoscope installations.

    Catherine D.

    Parking garage down the street is $15 and to get in for two adults is $50 tons of food options around as well. We had SO much fun here! The price is a little steep for what it is BUT we spent just around an hour enjoying the exhibits. There were fun games and things to do inside the museum. Bring your phone and make the most out of the experience by getting the most hilarious photos and videos to enjoy! This was one of the highlights of our trip.

    Erin M.

    Didn't post lot of pics because a lot of my camera roll is videos of this awesome place. This is a great place to bring adults or kids for something to do in Pittsburgh. Buy your tickets online for a five dollar discount and come in and enjoy the illusions. There are activities and so many photo ops with guidance how to get the illusions to show in your photos. Place is clean and has hand sanitizer stations throughout as there is a lot of touching things.

    Standing on a building
    Dani J.

    I really wanted this to be five stars. It was just so expensive for 2 rooms of illusions. Some of the stuff was very cool but were apoiled and have seen most of it before. I think if this was one of the first museums weve been to it wouldve been amazing!

    Leanne D.

    A unique experience that is fun for both kids and adults. There are some great illusions and definite photo ops. We surprisingly spent a good two hours in the museum. You can go at your own pace so you are not rushed through the museum. A fun and different experience for all. Note: There is a discount if you purchase your tickets on line so be sure to do this.

    Lauren C.

    Visited this past weekend early in the AM. It was a nice peaceful activity since it wasn't very busy. Enjoyed being able to walk around freely without a lot of people. The different exhibits were well organized with a lot of explanation as to how to interact with them. My 7 year old enjoyed it all, as did my husband and I. Great for most ages!

    Was I really standing on my head?
    Bill J.

    Amazing illusions! A fun place to visit if you are looking for something to do. It's on the North shore near the Pirates stadium. Lots of "hands-on" illusions that you can explore. Fun place!

    Dan R.

    "Yeah, we're playin' those mind games forever Projectin' our images in space and in time" (John Lennon) This place will first play games with then blow your mind completely. Some of the exhibits so powerfully mess with your senses of color, balance and perception that you'll hear a bit of a disclaimer when you buy your tickets for those sensory challenged. As you progress through the museum, your perception of images will change, or an image will appear, then disappear, or morph into something different as if by magic. Are you standing in a room that's tilted, or are you tilted? Do you feel yourself holding on for dear life inside a roaring vortex tunnel? Are you walking on the walls or hanging from the ceiling? Are your friends changing size before your very own disbelieving eyes? OMG, is that a severed head on a dining room platter? The illusions and images are magical, and you will love your visit here.

    Julie Anna E.

    This place was such a blast!! We went tonight and it was awesome. It actually exceeded my expectations. I thought it would be gimmicky or odd but it was so cool! I really loved walking around and trying all the illusions It's super hands on. There are a lot of puzzles and activities to do. It's definitely family friendly but also great as a date. There were some challenging puzzles that took time. The time we went - 7pm wasn't crowded- Thursday night. We stayed for about an hour and a half and would have stayed a full 2 hours if they weren't closing soon The photo opps were really fun and neat!

    Jen B.

    This new museum is on the North Shore, walking distance from PNC Park and next to Tom's Watch Bar. It cost $25 for an adult to enter and took almost exactly an hour to go through. There was also timed entries which helped with crowds. Overall, it was fun and interesting. A great staff member (so bummed I don't remember her name) helped us with a brain teaser puzzle which made the experience more fun. This is a great activity for people of all ages, but certainly a one and done sort of place. I would also warn anyone with motion sickness or visual migraines to use caution with some of the exhibits.

    Museum's rules

    See all

    16 days ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Ricky V.

    Ricky V.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    28 days ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Ricky V.

    Ricky V.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    2 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 months ago

    Helpful 8
    Thanks 3
    Love this 3
    Oh no 1

    1 month ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Ricky V.

    Ricky V.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    10 months ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 1
    Photo of Erin M.
    163
    604
    1012

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 2

    2 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    1 year ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 3
    Love this 5
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 1
    Love this 4
    Oh no 1

    9 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 2

    2 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 1
    Love this 5
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    4 months ago

    Awesome experience! We went last night and Savanna made our visit perfect and captured all the little things helping make memories special

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Tay M.
    0
    12
    4

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of A R.
    10
    12
    4

    8 months ago

    Super cute. We want when they first opened, so it was definitely crowded but both the adults and the kids had fun.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1
    Photo of R S.
    0
    4
    0

    5 months ago

    Very small and not worth it. Boring and short to walk through. This is easily a "skip it" attraction of Pittsburgh

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Charlie G.
    321
    71
    55

    2 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 1
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Museum of Illusions

    Review Highlights - Museum of Illusions

    Absolutely awesome new spot in the North Shore, tourists and locals put this on your list!

    Mentioned in 9 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Palate Partners School of Wine and Spirits

    Palate Partners School of Wine and Spirits

    4.3
    (3 reviews)

    Palate Partners has become one of my favorite places in Pittsburgh. Located in the Strip District…read moreright across the street from Penn Mac, Palate Partners has a wide range of wine and wine merchandise for sale. Note, due to the archaic PA liquor control laws, you can't buy wine and take it with you the day you buy it. Instead, you have to wait two days to pick it up. However, they have wines that are not available at the PCLB stores and the wine merchandise makes for great and reasonably priced gifts. Most importantly, Palate Partners holds wine tastings every 1st and 3rd Friday of the month. For $12, tasters get to sample three whites and three reds selected by the store owner. These wine tastings are a great way to try new wines as well as a way to decompress and socialize on a Friday after work.

    This is a great find for wine enthusiasts. Located in the Strip district this place is a great…read moreexcuse to stay after work or to head downtown for an early evening event. The store itself is filled with wine related items available for purchase. I highly recommend the holiday themed wine glass koosies they make for a great conversation starter at a party. The only downfall and it is not their fault but PA laws will not allow them to sell you wine to leave with that day. You have to come back in a few days. Palate Partners also host wine tasting events a couple of times a month and I highly recommend them. The host wine tasting classes the first and third Fridays of every month. They usually pick wines that people would not normally choose themselves when at the W&S store. They sample three reds and three whites. It is relatively inexpensive but a great introduction to wine tasting. If you are looking for a gift for a friend/family member who enjoys wine this is a great stop.

    Museum of Illusions - museums - Updated August 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...