This is not a mirage: Museum of Illusions opens in San Diego

The newest addition to SD’s robust museums scene is now open in downtown’s Gaslamp Quarter as the brand’s first-ever California location.

A kaleidoscope illusion exhibit where one face multiplies into many faces.

The kaleidoscope exhibit has us seeing multiples.

Photo via Monica Garske + SDtoday

This is not a mirage — Museum of Illusions San Diego (MoI) is now open at 665 Fifth Ave. in the Gaslamp Quarter, making it the brand’s first California location. Here’s what you need to know about the latest addition to SD’s museums scene.

The global MoI brand is all about science-meets-illusions exhibits designed to teach visitors “that nothing is ever quite as it seems.”

An optical illusion exhibit where people crawl on the ground, but it appears as if they're scaling a building.

This exhibit will have you climbing all over SD’s historic Colorado House.

Photo via Monica Garske + SDtoday

Local visitors can expect the 10,000-sqft space to be brimming with 80+ immersive, mind-bending installations, “Illusion Rooms,” 3D holograms, and images that question perception vs. reality. Many of the displays incorporate light and physics, too.

An optical illusion exhibit featuring sideways surf boards and a beach backdrop.

The surf-themed Reversed Room at the Museum of Illusions San Diego.

Photo via Monica Garske + SDtoday

The downtown museum also features exclusive installations inspired by San Diego’s coastal beauty and surf culture, like the surf-themed reverse room. There’s also a display where visitors can walk on the façade of Old Town’s historic Colorado House.

Ready to take the trip? Museum of Illusions San Diego is open Sunday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m., and Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Tickets are available now — kids ages 4 and under, teachers, and educators get in free with a valid school ID.

A girl and a man sit inside an exhibit at the Museum of Illusions. The floor is covered in blue and black stripes and they're pointing up, looking at themselves replicated across the exhibit.

Nothing is ever quite as it seems here.

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