Escape the Arizona Summer Heat at Scottsdale’s Mind-Bending Museum of Illusions

There's no denying it — summers in Arizona can be downright brutal with extreme heat and the unrelenting sun. People often ask what I do during the summers in the Phoenix area, and I usually joke that I leave. While I do skip town with my kids to visit family on the East Coast for about a month each summer, we eventually have to come back and face the heat. It's common among locals to become very "indoorsy" this time of year. Sure, there are pools to swim in or day trips up north we can take for some time outside, but if we want to have some indoor fun, we're lucky to have plenty of attractions to keep us busy all summer long. Bonus: We can stay cool inside with air conditioning!

Recently, I was invited to check out the Museum of Illusions in Scottsdale, an opportunity I gladly accepted. Located within the Arizona Boardwalk, a massive complex that's home to Butterfly Wonderland, Pangaea Land of the Dinosaurs, and Ripley's Believe It or Not!, Museum of Illusions is yet another fun, family-friendly indoor attraction.

I ended up taking my partner with me on this excursion to the Museum of Illusions, and it turned out to be an incredibly fun date activity. Located on the first level of the Arizona Boardwalk next to the kids' escape room experience, Cluville, Museum of Illusions was a great escape from the 100-degree heat as we entered. Once we checked in at the register, we began exploring the museum's more than 60 mind-bending installations, rooms, and images.

The first room we entered was a mirrored room with colorful paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling. The mirrored walls create an illusion of infinity as the images of the lanterns and anyone who steps inside bounce off each other.

Our favorite room was the Ames Room, which makes one person appear much smaller than the other, depending on which corner you choose to stand in. A phone stand is available for you to use to take a timed selfie for this optical illusion. Below is a selfie of my partner and me in the Ames Room. (For reference, he is 6 feet 4 inches tall and I am just over 5 feet 9 inches tall.)

In the Symmetry Room, one person will stand on a marker hidden behind a wall on the floor. Half of your body is hidden while the other half is visible to the person taking the photo from a distance. The side of the wall that's covered by a mirror gives a symmetrical reflection of the exposed half of the person. It's interesting to see the results, and you can certainly play around with poses for some fun photo ops.

The Vortex Tunnel is an incredibly cool attraction. You'll walk along a metal walkway with rails on each side while lights spin around. It gives the illusion that the walkway is moving, and it can be quite disorienting as you walk through. Truth be told, I was feeling a bit of vertigo as I walked through, so if you're prone to that or motion sickness, you may want to skip this one. I was happy there were railings to hold onto while I walked through!

Throughout the museum, staff members are available to explain the attractions, whether it's a room or a thought-provoking illustration on the wall. They will also happily take photos of you, even suggesting poses to get the best shot, like the one taken below. My partner and I may look like we are dangling from a balcony, but in reality, we are on the ground with a mirror set at a diagonal above us — this helps create the illusion! All in all, this museum was a blast to explore and learn about various mind-bending tricks, while also taking some fun photos.

If you're looking for a unique gift for someone who loves optical illusions and mind-bending puzzles, check out the gift shop of the Museum of Illusions. You don't even have to visit the museum itself in order to shop here!

Have you visited the Museum of Illusions Scottsdale yet? I think this is a great indoor attraction to visit during the hot summer days in Arizona. Not only is it a fun, family-friendly attraction, but also a unique date activity. Purchase your tickets in advance on the Museum of Illusions website, and visit some of the other attractions at the Arizona Boardwalk while you're in the area. Have fun this summer, and stay cool — it's hot out there!