Nearly eight years after Croatian businessmen Roko Zivkovic and Tomislav Pamukovic hatched the idea that morphed into the Museum of Illusions museum, the concept officially expanded westward with its 36th location in Arizona Boardwalk.
The 5,700-square-foot museum is the brand's largest and boasts over 60 individual exhibits with a unique optical illusion – some exclusive to the Scottsdale museum.
“The Museum of Illusions is a franchise and we have a lot of tried and true exhibits that are favorites in every city we go to and we wanted to include those, but since we are the newest museum, we also have brand new exhibits that actually aren't in any of the museums,” said spokeswoman Stacy Stec.
“We have a brand-new immersive room called the RGB row that tests how colors change what we see and we also have a mirage illusion that creates a mirage of an object floating in front of you, but there really isn't an object floating in front of you. It's completely a mirage.”
The museum opened March 11 after several delays caused by supply chain and construction labor shortages that had pushed it back from November, according to Stec.
“After things shifted the first time, we were really trying to get here before the Super Bowl but that changed and things were a little bit out of our control,” she recalled.
“Then the goal was to try to open before spring break since spring training is such a popular time down here and it's a popular time for tourists and locals alike to be here and to be looking for things to do.”
Stec believes that the museum will add a new element of interest to the Az Boardwalk entertainment destination.
“Our museum is a little bit more based in science and psychology, which makes us a really exciting destination for schools and people that are looking for a little bit more meat behind the concept,” Stec said.
“We seek to teach people about these optical illusions, vision and perception and the human brain while they experience these illusions.”
She also believes that the new space will diversify the demographic of AZ Boardwalk’s visitors.
“We draw a lot of different demographics,” said Stec. “We draw a lot of college students, couples coming for date night, groups of adults that are coming for fun or corporate events. We're really excited to kind of change that dynamic here.”
The museum offers golden backdrops for selfies and that perfect social media post.
“We are a very visual museum,” she said. “It's a really cool aspect that we've been able to tie that in with our exhibits.”
The museum also offers mind-bending experiences like the vortex tunnel exhibition, which makes guests feel like they are on a teetering bridge and leave feeling dizzy afterward.
Although some exhibits can be disorienting, the Museum of Illusions has trained its staff to be diligent with its guests and enforce safety measures.
“The guests' experience is our top priority here and we strive to give every guest a personalized and top-notch experience here at the museum,” Stec said, “We want them to have a great time, but also walk away having learned something new about vision or perception.”
Stec says that the museum will rotate exhibits and partner with local artists to “put a little flair in there.”
“Since we are permanent, we plan on doing a museum refresh after a few years when a lot of people have already come to experience it at once and we will completely change out some of the immersive rooms so that people can come back and have a different experience,” she said.