Not digging this reality? Immerse yourself in a new one. Thankfully Houston is home to many different immersive experiences. Whether you want to enter extraterrestrial territory, submerse yourself in a shark tunnel, or transport yourself to the time of dinosaurs, there’s definitely a world that will work perfectly for you. So here are the immersive experiences in Houston that we recommend you check out. Be quick, as some aren’t going to be around for much longer!
1. Space Explorers: The Infinite
Blast off into outer space at Space Explorers: The Infinite. The out-of-this-world exhibition is back by popular demand. At Sawyer Yard, willing space cadets can explore the cosmos like never before in Space City. Here, you can witness never-before-seen footage recorded from the International Space Station, explore a walkable ISS model, and immerse yourself in an encapsulating audiovisual installation by Ryoji Ikeda.
2. Neon Brush
At Neon Brush in Houston, you can simultaneously brush up on your painting skills and indulge in your favorite drink (alcoholic or non), as a groovy soundtrack plays in the background. It’s the perfect way to tap into your artistic potential regardless of whether you have previous art experience.
3. Pippilotti Rist: Pixel Forest and Worry Will Vanish
From March 12 to September 4, Museum of Fine Arts is hosting Pixel Forest and Worry Will Vanish from contemporary Swiss artist, Pipilotti Rist, inside the central gallery of Cullinan Hall. The surreal artist has been renowned since the 1980s for her abstract video art installations, which often employ new technologies to suffuse spaces with vibrant visual imagery.
4. Seismique
Seismique is a celestial new exhibit that experiments with an otherworldly interplay of immersive experiences, artificial intelligence, and alien-like terrain. Across 40 galleries, 111 projectors, 40,000 square feet, and 9 million LED lights, the exhibit immerses visitors in alien universes full of creativity, imagination, and wonder.
5. Dining in the Dark
These blindfolded dinners in Houston put your senses to the test. Well… most of them! By removing sight from the equation, diners solely focus on smell, taste and touch to savor an incredible three-course meal and discern all the complex flavors and textures the chef has prepared.
6. Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity by Yayoi Kusama
Using a network of mirrors, Kusama is able to create an illusion of infinity, or otherwise boundless twinkling galaxies unfolding before the eyes. Space City is the new permanent home of one of Kusama’s famous works of art; Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity is a piece Kusama made in celebration of her 80th birthday upon returning to Japan.
7. Downtown Aquarium
The Downtown Aquarium in Houston is full of wondrous interactive exhibits, rides, and attractions. It teems with life all of all kinds. Fish, flora, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. However you choose to spend an afternoon, evening, or night at the aquarium, you’re sure to enjoy yourself; whether you decide to dine with the fishes, take a spin on the aquatic carousel, or acquaint yourself with the many other resident mammalia.
8. We Call It Tango
We Call It Tango perfectly combines music, dance and an electric light show. Witness stirring melodies, explosive footwork and an electric atmosphere as two professional tango dancers dance cheek to cheek. Coming straight from the oldest neighborhoods of Buenos Aires and Montevideo, become entwined in a sensual dance of connection and desire.
9. Department of Wonder
Now open in Sugar Land Town Square at the space formerly occupied by Z Gallerie, the Department of Wonder is an immersive, experimental mixed-reality experience that blends fantasy elements of cinema, theater, and cutting-edge technology. Here, at the 10,000-square-foot venue, visitors are charged with solving puzzles and unraveling stories in a physical as well as digital space.
10. Houston Zoo
Recently named one of the best zoos in the country – in terms of conservation, animal welfare, and education – the Houston Zoo is a nationally-recognized institution that houses over 6,000 animals. The second-most-visited zoo in the country announced the opening of its grand new Galapagos Island exhibit, and debut of its new resident Humboldt penguins, this April.