A few weeks ago, the kids and I set out on a trip to Washington D.C. to attend an event. We flew down a few days early in hopes of visiting the National Zoo and the various monuments and buildings on the National Mall. However, when we were greeted with 95+ heat and unbearable humidity, our agenda took a turn. It was time to move our plans inside. After a quick lunch at Union Station, I took out my phone and searched for "museums near me." The Museum of Illusions Washington DC popped up and it looked very interesting. I quickly made online reservations and we hopped in an Uber and headed off to have some mind-blowing fun!

The Washington D.C. Museum of Illusions is located in a pretty plaza within the City Center portion of Washington. We arrived a bit before our admission time and had some time to wait. We sought a reprieve from the heat by visiting some of the high-end shops and taking a stroll through the cool spray fountain. There was also a neat projection screen and some beautiful outside art installations to look at.

Soon, it was time to check-in. We entered through the bottom floor of the building and headed up to the exhibit space. Although the museum was not huge, there were plenty of interactive exhibits to keep us busy. The museum website estimates that it takes approximately 45 minutes to see everything, but we ended up staying about twice as long.

Several of the exhibits were so fun that we ended up returning to them.

The museum included many pictures, images, and stationary objects that played tricks on our minds when we stared at them. Some images looked as though they were moving or popping out at us, while others appeared to change shape before our eyes.

Many of the other exhibits required you to stand in a specifically marked spot and have someone take your photo. When you look at your pictures later on, I promise you will be surprised at the end result.

This picture of the kids is one example of an illusion that shows up in a photo. My daughter was actually standing on a platform in between the posts of the chair.

Several exhibits included puzzles, mind games, and other hands-on fun. Others challenged our sense of gravity or used mirrors and other props to project multiple images of a single person or object.

Our visit to the Museum of Illusions turned out to be one of our favorite stops on our trip. The kids and I had so much fun, and we left with some hilarious photos!

Have you visited this amazing museum? If so, how was your experience? The Museum of Illusions has many other locations worldwide. To find out more about the Washington D.C. site, please visit the Museum of Illusions website and the Museum of Illusions DC Facebook page. For more fun in D.C., be sure to check out these 15 must-visit museums.  And if you are looking for a nice place to stay, here is a list of some wonderful hotels.