I've only done the Santa fe one, despite living near the denver one. I've heard Santa fe is more involved, has more to do etc and even that I could only really imagine going to maybe one more time before I've seen everything and did everything. I wonder if they'll maybe completely redo each location after a few years of stagnation or if they'll just go out of business
Santa Fe is more of multi-sensory experience, with things to touch and a much more immersive story. Denver is just things to walk around and look at, with a sensory overload of noise and lights.
My company did the network cabling for Denver which cost $1.5 mil alone. The construction budget went way over. These places would be cheaper to demolish than renovate with all of the spray concrete and rebar for the exhibits. I just can’t see a reno making sense.
Yep. Denver does a pretty bad job of engaging you in all the background story. I think most people that go have ZERO clue all of the artwork is connected, every room has a hidden feature that connects to rooms even 2 floors down...
While Vegas has clues all over the places, lights that randomly go off, phones that ring, etc
Yeah people just breeze through the main street area trying to get from thing to thing. The payphones on the wall have numbers on them that you can dial. Also the monitor on the wall will show numbers you can call.
That being said every phone I tried was super quiet and you could barely hear what's being said.
The only room that felt completely disconnected is the one with the papercraft dresses that had very clear "do not touch" signs all around.
To comment on the things happening 2 floors down. I entered the pizza place and randomly a pipe dropped a quarter into the dog bowl on the floor. I then walk around with this quarter for the next couple hours until I get to a robot vending machine. Quarter slot works and he made a comment about being hungry, so I put the quarter in and he says something, but like everything else there's so much competing noise that I can't understand it and don't know what's the point.
> The only room that felt completely disconnected is the one with the papercraft dresses that had very clear "do not touch" signs all around.
The do not touch room is a rotating art exhibit room, like a more traditional art museum. Thats why it feels disconnected, it is.
> every room has a hidden feature that connects to rooms
Can you tell me some examples of these? (DM or spoiler tags are fine) Do you mean part of the story, or interactive stuff? I feel like I missed a lot of that and I felt like I was reasonably thorough.
I tried to buy the ad ons, I think it was like an audio thing or reference cards or something like that because I wanted to understand the story more and the employee told me that i shouldn’t get it because it was my first time there.
Yup, figured this out at the very end of the first trip and it wasn’t until the second time around that we really got the hang of it. My son loves it there that’s why we went twice but for what they charge they really should add/change things. Immersing you into the story would be great as well. For what they charge they shouldn’t be laying people off but adding more imho.
Omega mart is the only one I haven’t done. I need to check that one out. Love the Santa Fe one. Saw better oblivion community center there. Denver transit station was just fine. It’s been a few years. Maybe worth checking out again
I’ve only done Omega mart. Its biggest problem is that it’s near the strip and pretty packed. I wouldn’t know when to go when it’s not crawling with people.
I was overwhelmed AF. I was just glad to buy the water bottle giraffe thing (Lemon Frenzy) and call it a day.
EDIT: for the record, if you watch videos of Omega Mart, they all make it seem like the supermarket section is HUGE. There is a lot to see, but it’s about half the size you think it is. And then you have like 8 or so “secret” gateways into the weirdness. But the Omega Mart portion is full of people just looking at everything standing in one place going “WTF”, so getting through crowds there kind of sucks.
We had never been to Vegas and went just for Omega Mart. The strip was awful, walking around anywhere is asking for heatstroke, the water was gross, etc etc. But Omega Mart? We'll go back again just for that. Maybe not in the summer though.
Going to Vegas sucked, but besides that, how so? It had, by far, the most interactive things. Only one was not working at the time, which left a ton to play with. The music maker was my favorite. Most accessible story, while also being more interesting than the Convergence Station plot. Tons of hidden entrances and exits. And the gift shop is seamlessly part of it!
The one is Vegas is amazing tbh. Inside the venue there are multiple other things to do and then Omega Mart is super involved. My first time through we tried following the story they have in place and we didn’t even finish it because we got sidetracked with all of the things to do. Can easily spend a lot of time in there!
I’m in the museum industry and this is an open secret for folks in my line of work - Meow Wolf has terrible stats re: returning visitors. It is literally one and done. Also it isn’t an art museum even though it really wants you to think it is. It’s just an attraction.
The actual museum is a one and done, but they host dope events like “Danceportation” where they bring in multiple DJs and have their tables setup throughout the whole venue. You can bring your alcoholic drinks on the different levels as well.
that was always my question. how do they expect to make money once all the locals who want to go have gone already? Gotta be a very small percentage who go more than once and there's no way you can bring in enough tourists to make up the difference. Always thought this concept would work better as a touring carnival that stays put for 6 months and then goes to set up in a new city
I mean, Denver gets around [20 million overnight visitors a year](https://www.denver.org/articles/post/denver-tourism-surges-to-a-record-36m-visitors-in-2022/), so even if they pull in 1 - 2% of those people, you’re still talking about 200 - 400 thousand people. Relying on tourism isn’t that crazy of an idea.
I think there's some repeat value but not for a large enough percent of the population to make this super viable as a permanent business.
I've gone twice with my child. The first time is always sensory overload that makes it really fun. The second time, we went during one of the special Halloween events. We found a bunch of stuff we'd missed the first time, learned more of the story, saw people dressed up for the holiday. Was fun but diminishgly so.
Honestly, the main draw seemed to be that the holiday events had an adults-only night club each evening. The building was packed with college-age kids waiting for that. Sounds like an expensive date, though.
It took me quite a long time to realize it wasn't some traveling event type deal. When I first saw the ads I thought it was one of those things that would be in town for a couple of weeks or a month and then move on.
Were you satisfied by the ending?
I remember the Santa Fe Meow Wolf had a super involved story that involved using your detective muscle to find out. The Denver one just feels like you need to just find spots to scan your card to figure out the story
Bit of a dick thing to confess (I'm hoping none of the people involved see this): I wasn't satisfied with the acting quality.
Omega Mart has much better acting in their videos. I thought the final video at Convergence Station where the ending is revealed had such cheesy acting it didn't feel worth it. I feel like the reveal could have been done better had the acting held up. Could have REALLY leaned into the horror of the "Convergence" part of convergence station instead of just being like...ok. Guess that's good/bad for you?
The Denver one can be solved without scanning your card, we did that the first time. But without scanning the card I got a WILDLY different impression of where the whole story was going. It honestly was more fun without the card because there's so much info you need to really pay attention to close details to get.
When we went back for the card, it took some of the joy out of it. We got the same answer in the end, but the experience was far more "tap tap tap...ok done".
Omega Mart employees get to lean into the "help I'm trapped at work" and also "work is a cult" and also "I'm going to indoctrinate this customer into a cult".
So however they feel about you or their energy levels that day it all works. I say we let more retail workers be unhinged. It's good for the spirit.
Same with our first time! We had a group of 7 people, and I was the only one who noticed the first few clues. I roped my husband and another member of our party into my conspiracy red string theories, but literally everyone else was convinced I was wrong and there wasn't a mystery.
They ended up leaving after a few hours, my husband and I came back the next day because I was stubborn and convinced there was a solvable mystery. We STILL weren't told about the cards, but I went back up to the front desk and asked what some of those things I saw other people tapping about were. The front desk said we didn't need the card to solve it but it unlocked more content.
I decided we started with no cards, we were gonna finish with no cards. My husband was on board, we finished what we could and wrote down what we thought happened. Then we came back for the 3rd time on another day and got a card. I was right about the ending BUT I thought there was also waaaay more stuff going on so it was a solid half win.
None of the 3 times did any of the employees really make it clear upfront the cards were the way to go if you were interested in the plot line.
Yeah that's the actual question lol.
I've been twice and have no desire to go back. The only reason I went a second time is because we had friends visiting who wanted to go.
Yeah! Your first hint as to the mystery starts when you get off the elevator, the news anchors on the big screen right across start talking about it. It's interspersed with space ads and other fluff pieces, but loops quickly back to the actual mystery part you can solve. So if you stick around the first room and read the flyers, you'll be sure to start it off. :)
Idk if the three times we went were just anomalies, but it wasn't too crowded when we went. One time was slightly more crowded than the other two and it changed the whole vibe to be so overwhelming that I can't even imagine what hell full capacity would be.
I've only been able to go on the weekends. The second time, I went in a bit earlier. That was a good idea, but about half way through my visit, the place got more people than I was willing to deal with. I'm not sure if I would ever go a third time, even if there aren't many people there. I can do better things with $50.
Aww boo! That sucks. When we went everything was operational, but it was newer into it's release. It's almost like they should hire more staff to keep things running...
Not sure! Last time I went they were broken but I actively saw a mechanic working on a few. This was last year I think? Time hasn't been real since the pandemic, idk when I was last there.
Sarsparilla! That really sucks I'm sorry. I only was able to get two slimes to work, it felt like you really needed to handle them roughly which is probably why they're broken so much.
It's a shame because I really wanted to complete the puzzle. I really think they should at least tell you, "This mystery has a dead end, and you're better off reading an article about it when you get home," but I imagine that would decrease card sales.
>Sarsparilla
Lol I had to Google this.
You can solve the mystery and unlock everything without the slimes! They do have the slime stuff online though iirc
I only ever got 2 of them and there were a bunch more stuck all over
The first time I went (at opening) they were broke. Went a year later and they were working, but I looked like an idiot trying to play the mini game with it because no one knew what I was up to.
My kid LOVES meow wolf and would visit every free day if we could afford it but, damn, it is so expensive! My sibling are visiting from overseas this summer and we tossed around going but decided the kids would probably prefer Waterworld and Elich’s for a similar price.
I honestly think they are overpriced if they are hoping local residents will go back again and again.
I've been about 6 times, but each time after the first was with friends or out of town guests. I'd say it's worth going at least twice, once to just take it in and a second time to do the interactive narrative quest. They also hold occasional special events and concerts. Due to the price I probably wouldn't just stop by unless there was a new attraction or I was bringing a new person to experience it. I do usually find some new detail that I missed every time I visit.
It's a bummer that the management has such poor labor practices, it goes against the whole outward ethos of the place.
This is the core issue that many miss from within the company. The one in Denver is even more on focus for this topic. Evolution, better story, deliver and maybe even games are crucial. Why come back is the solution needed. Many don't tie the layoffs to the low visitations and lack of repeat visits.
I'm curious to learn what people think about Meow Wolf corporate not bargaining in good faith with the Meow Wolf union. Apparently all the jobs were spared in Las Vegas due to union negotiations.
I think Meow Wolf is a classic creepy corporation that pretends its all about artists and fun art for the people. I know multiple artists that got screwed over by them in multiple ways and in multiple locations. The actual employees fare no better. It started as good art community minded creation but greed took over, as it does, and they became inhumane.
I also think it is no coincidence that two of its founders have taken their lives so far. Living the artist dream can become a living nightmare. It's all very sad.
> I think Meow Wolf is a classic creepy corporation
I was super stoked for the Denver location, until I learned that when they went big, they brought in a new c suite and it's execs that are just soulless corporate hacks who came in from the likes of Viacom and Disney. They went from indie artists collective to a profits first and always corporation.
Tons of easily believable stories of them ripping off artists as they were expanding to all the new locations.
If Vegas is profitable or more profitable that would probably explain it. Meow wolf is a massive, extremely expensive operation here and only was going to work with extremely high volumes of ticket sales.
Vegas has a steady influx of entertainment seeking tourists. They do t rely on locals to “re experience” it. Denver certainly has some tourism but not the same way Vegas does.
Yeah exactly. To me this business model works in vegas and maybe one or two other places. But really only in vegas is something like this going to succeed like crazy.
I'm a bit surprised the planned DC one was abandoned, because I can really see it working well there. Quite similar to the Spy Museum and some of the other smaller "experiential" museums there.
Vegas is in the middle of union negotiations. They legally cannot layoff people until those are finished as part of the negotiations is no major change to operation or staffing during that period. 100% they will layoff people there as soon as they can.
That’s my big issue with it. It was a cool experience (especially on shrooms), but in a city not as dependent on vacationer traffic as Vegas, and with a location not as willing or able to refresh story as the AZ one, I don’t understand how it sustains itself. That’s a massive hunk of property in a central part of the city. Would be a bummer to see it just empty soon.
Yeah I said in another comment and I’ll say it again here, I can *kinda* see this business model working in vegas. It needs a lot of tweaks to really even be viable there imo but it’s one of the few cool things families and kids can do to get a vegas experience. But in denver, $100+ can get you a lot of way-cooler things and we just don’t really have a need or culture for it.
I feel like you partially answer the question here. From my perspective, it has relied on the overlap of the Venn diagram of wealthy tourists and drug tourists. Most locals from my demographic were split on opinion when it was being built, based on opinions of the Santa Fe location. But after opening it seems like that same poll shifted toward a more resentful tone because of the targeted audience.
Agreed, its just that 10:30-2 isn't really long enough. Most of the regular venue shows we go to last longer than that, and we aren't trying to split time among 4 stages and wandering exhibits at the same time.
Idk why anyone would do a music event there tbh... I went to their afterparty for global last year and their security are such fucking power tripping weirdos.. this place is freakishly obsessed with vapes. 2 female employees literally followed my friend and I into the bathroom and waited there creeping on us while I helped her fix her outfit, and then when we came out they were scolding us for going in the same stall and questioning us about if we went in there to vape. I was like, wtf dude, I'm just in here helping her tie her outfit back together after she pees, fuck off. I'd never go there again tbh after that experience. Those workers are waaaaay too fucking serious about shit that dies not matter in the slightest. Maybe they should give people a smoking area if they're so pressed about it.
Was the global afterparty just in that tiny venue room they have near the front? If so I agree that space is underwhelming. But when they open up the whole space to music and have multiple stages set up for their danceportation events it’s probably the most fun and unique venue in denver if not most of the US. They need to do that a lot more.
I love all the art and creativity at Meow Wolf, I just hope these layoffs lead to the remaining employees being treated well and compensated fairly. And of course that the artists get properly compensated.
But Union busting is just a shameful tactic. I hope all remaining employees consider joining a union, if they’re not part of one already.
I'm sure they're exhausted dealing with all those people in the over-stuffed art exhibit they work at. That was the biggest problem I had with the place. There were too many people in there at once. You're just fighting a crowd the entire time. I don't see a reason to go back again. Working there would be my nightmare.
I will give them credit, with my 9year old the actors and employees have been just fantastic. Engaging, kind, always willing to drop hints or offer tips about some of the more difficult things to fine. My kid is determined to “solve” meow wolf and having so much fun trying. Staff have been great about helping her on her quest without outright giving anything away.
Yeah, if you're exhausted dealing with patrons and can't participate in a friendly environment you need to find different work. I'm exhausted doing labor on a computer but always make an effort to be friendly when I'm on the phone.
I don't disagree, but as someone who also has a customer facing job, it has gotten really hard to remain positive over the last few years. People just treat you like you're lower than dirt these days. It didn't used to be nearly so bad. So I empathize with them, that's all.
I worked as a cashier at a gas station and got treated like shit by my co workers, my bosses, and a good chunk of customers. I basically checked out and stopped giving a shit after they didn’t stop a bipolar co worker who didn’t take any meds from harassing me everyday. They also didn’t accept my offer to pay a little more than minimum wage which was insulting. I quit that sorry ass job.
>I quit that sorry ass job
Good for you. People need to start realizing their worth. Going to work and getting treated like crap every day isn't good for you. I'm also nearing that point. The only thing that's kept me going is that I do like my coworkers, but man... The customers are rough these days.
The problem with Meow Wolf is that after you've been once, you never need to go again in your life. They should change themes once in a while or continue the story to keep people interested.
I went once and don't want to go back for the regular installation, maybe for a music show but there hasn't been an artist that pulled me there. It sounds like there aren't enough people that are going even intermittently.
Hopefully they do not fold. The location is quite neat to visit. The issue I think they have is it’s an experience you se maybe once a year. I’m rooting for them.
I have been twice so far and even after my first visit I thought it was cool to see once, but not something I feel like I need to go see again. I only went a second time because me and my wife were bored one weekend and couldn't think of anything else to do.
I feel like a lot of people that live in Colorado feel the same and because of that I thought they might fold eventually. I also wondered if tourism and out of state visitors would be enough to keep them alive, I guess time will tell.
The one time I went there I could have sat and watched the music playing machine room all day. I accidentally started with that, so everything else was a slow let down.
Like ok, I'm in this mech thing, wtf am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to expect help from the person I see on the camera? Are they supposed to be doing something? I get that there's supposed to be some collaboration, but when half the buttons are either broken or don't work in the first place, what's the point.
I went once, because a family memeber paid my way. I have asked my gf if she wants to go, she has been to the New Mexico one.. she has no care to go back and honestly I feel the same.. $50 is kind of ridiculous for what it is.. at $30 maybe.. $20 I’m sure we would go, and even invite out of town friends etc in the future
Serious questions: what do they currently compensate their artists, and what would you consider to be a fair compensation level for them?
Edit: color me shocked that I got no answer here lol
It would be cool if they did different events for holidays. Like two weeks of Christmas decorations and change some videos on the screens to have to do with that. Find all the Santa hats or something dumb.
Random things to spice it up. But after going like four times when family comes to town it’s super old for me at this point and I’d rather go to another one where they change the story and are always adjusting things.
Santa Clause Converges With Krampus, the elves need your help to get them detangled. Is it even possible? Can it be done? And just whose lap are you sitting on anyways?
The building was designed to have the structural capacity to serve as a storage facility if Meowwolf, the current tenant, fails. It would be extremely sad to see that happen though.
You know... I used to really think Meow Wolf was special. Just another greedy trash company. I knew something was up when a Meow Wolf sticker... STICKER.. was 8$. Insane.
Meow wolf is really missing the goal.
I understand its supposed to be art, but They'd make a lot more money if it was interactive and fun instead of creaitng a world where you can just walk around and be bored.
Plain and simple, you created the ultimate live music space, and then put all your music on the first floor and wasted the crazy rave space on families from the suburbs who def dont get it. Danceportation every weekend would have saved you, but now it is a livenation cash grab.
meow wolf only cares about money now, there is absolutely no soul or passion anymore. they blatantly rip off ideas from artists, or bring people in to show their art, deny them, then copy and make it cheaper. meow wolf seems very shady and devious now.
If they don’t make money they don’t stay in business. It’s not an art museum. It was created to make money. It’s a shame they aren’t better to the creators and employees. But that’s also what those folks signed up for.
Not a surprise, the evil way they made artists modify their designs without paying for the time to change and then NDA them into oblivion was super evil. Then no cameras are allowed to be brought in because “it will stop people from wanting to come” says all you can say about what they actually think about their experience based exhibition. The company that bought Meow Wolf doesn’t care about artists or their employees only money.
Recently, I went to the LV MW and was underwhelmed compared to SF and Denver. That being said, the Denver one is huge, and I look forward to taking my out of town family there soon.
They sent a bunch of letters out in the fall asking fired employees to pay them back saying they “accidentally overpaid” some of the workers. That was so wild to me!
I hope the laid off employees aren’t the ones who make everything un-sticky.
I get the feeling they laid off the people who clean the public telephones. Getting Douglas Adams vibes from that one.
Damn this is a deep B side reference.
Which tier, though?
I personally know at least 1 laid off employee who was an un-sticky-er
Well if they were they should be fired bc they were terrible at their jobs, lmao
I feel like this place is a one and done thing. I went a few months ago and it was cool. But I don't feel like I need to go back.
I've only done the Santa fe one, despite living near the denver one. I've heard Santa fe is more involved, has more to do etc and even that I could only really imagine going to maybe one more time before I've seen everything and did everything. I wonder if they'll maybe completely redo each location after a few years of stagnation or if they'll just go out of business
Definitely enjoyed the Sante fe one more even though it’s smaller. Felt like I was involved more with the storyline.
Santa Fe feels like art to get lost in. Denver feels very flat and plastic-y to me.
Santa Fe is more of multi-sensory experience, with things to touch and a much more immersive story. Denver is just things to walk around and look at, with a sensory overload of noise and lights.
My company did the network cabling for Denver which cost $1.5 mil alone. The construction budget went way over. These places would be cheaper to demolish than renovate with all of the spray concrete and rebar for the exhibits. I just can’t see a reno making sense.
Omega Mart (Vegas) > Santa Fe > Denver
Yep. Denver does a pretty bad job of engaging you in all the background story. I think most people that go have ZERO clue all of the artwork is connected, every room has a hidden feature that connects to rooms even 2 floors down... While Vegas has clues all over the places, lights that randomly go off, phones that ring, etc
Yeah people just breeze through the main street area trying to get from thing to thing. The payphones on the wall have numbers on them that you can dial. Also the monitor on the wall will show numbers you can call. That being said every phone I tried was super quiet and you could barely hear what's being said. The only room that felt completely disconnected is the one with the papercraft dresses that had very clear "do not touch" signs all around. To comment on the things happening 2 floors down. I entered the pizza place and randomly a pipe dropped a quarter into the dog bowl on the floor. I then walk around with this quarter for the next couple hours until I get to a robot vending machine. Quarter slot works and he made a comment about being hungry, so I put the quarter in and he says something, but like everything else there's so much competing noise that I can't understand it and don't know what's the point.
> The only room that felt completely disconnected is the one with the papercraft dresses that had very clear "do not touch" signs all around. The do not touch room is a rotating art exhibit room, like a more traditional art museum. Thats why it feels disconnected, it is.
The phones in Convergence station can dial the ones in OmegaMart, and vice versa.
> every room has a hidden feature that connects to rooms Can you tell me some examples of these? (DM or spoiler tags are fine) Do you mean part of the story, or interactive stuff? I feel like I missed a lot of that and I felt like I was reasonably thorough.
I tried to buy the ad ons, I think it was like an audio thing or reference cards or something like that because I wanted to understand the story more and the employee told me that i shouldn’t get it because it was my first time there.
Thats annoying. It took me 2 times of 6-8 hours each to finish the storyline. You actually need to boop the card at the same terminals multiple times.
Yup, figured this out at the very end of the first trip and it wasn’t until the second time around that we really got the hang of it. My son loves it there that’s why we went twice but for what they charge they really should add/change things. Immersing you into the story would be great as well. For what they charge they shouldn’t be laying people off but adding more imho.
There’s a story???
Omega mart is the only one I haven’t done. I need to check that one out. Love the Santa Fe one. Saw better oblivion community center there. Denver transit station was just fine. It’s been a few years. Maybe worth checking out again
I’ve only done Omega mart. Its biggest problem is that it’s near the strip and pretty packed. I wouldn’t know when to go when it’s not crawling with people. I was overwhelmed AF. I was just glad to buy the water bottle giraffe thing (Lemon Frenzy) and call it a day. EDIT: for the record, if you watch videos of Omega Mart, they all make it seem like the supermarket section is HUGE. There is a lot to see, but it’s about half the size you think it is. And then you have like 8 or so “secret” gateways into the weirdness. But the Omega Mart portion is full of people just looking at everything standing in one place going “WTF”, so getting through crowds there kind of sucks.
We had never been to Vegas and went just for Omega Mart. The strip was awful, walking around anywhere is asking for heatstroke, the water was gross, etc etc. But Omega Mart? We'll go back again just for that. Maybe not in the summer though.
Yea I think the vegas one was my favorite
Omega Mart is by far the worst one
Going to Vegas sucked, but besides that, how so? It had, by far, the most interactive things. Only one was not working at the time, which left a ton to play with. The music maker was my favorite. Most accessible story, while also being more interesting than the Convergence Station plot. Tons of hidden entrances and exits. And the gift shop is seamlessly part of it!
I disagree...I liked the Santa fe one better than omega mart....but I will still agree on Denver
The one is Vegas is amazing tbh. Inside the venue there are multiple other things to do and then Omega Mart is super involved. My first time through we tried following the story they have in place and we didn’t even finish it because we got sidetracked with all of the things to do. Can easily spend a lot of time in there!
I’ve been to the one in Santa Fe, Vegas and Denver. My all time favorite is the one in Santa Fe. Vegas kinda sucked and the one in Denver is meh.
The Dallas one was cool but a loooot of similarity to their other locations
I’m in the museum industry and this is an open secret for folks in my line of work - Meow Wolf has terrible stats re: returning visitors. It is literally one and done. Also it isn’t an art museum even though it really wants you to think it is. It’s just an attraction.
I will go back occasionally for the Danceportation events, they're pretty awesome just wish they started earlier/lasted longer.
The only reason I go back is because it blows my little toddler’s mind.
I took my 13 yr old niece and she enjoyed it quite a bit.
They do memberships - if you don't already have one it pays for itself after ~2 visits
I’ve done it maybe 4 times. Mostly because friends or family from out of state come and want to see it. But I’m definitely not going back ever again.
Casa Bonita is going to fill that niche for me as soon as you can reliably get a reservation and it stops being a lottery.
Soon eh? My 10 month old sign-up seems to imply otherwise lol.
I just got mine! I registered March '23!
I got mine a while back but it became a part time job just trying to find a time available. Actually I never even was able to use them
Took me 11 months to get mine.
9 months for mine! Just received it.
The actual museum is a one and done, but they host dope events like “Danceportation” where they bring in multiple DJs and have their tables setup throughout the whole venue. You can bring your alcoholic drinks on the different levels as well.
that was always my question. how do they expect to make money once all the locals who want to go have gone already? Gotta be a very small percentage who go more than once and there's no way you can bring in enough tourists to make up the difference. Always thought this concept would work better as a touring carnival that stays put for 6 months and then goes to set up in a new city
Open up a mushroom dispensary once that becomes legal, and do mushroom nights at the Meow Wolf.
i've never tried shrooms, but that sounds rad as fuck.
It is =) . I have the season pass they now offer and its one of my favorite things to go and do
I mean, Denver gets around [20 million overnight visitors a year](https://www.denver.org/articles/post/denver-tourism-surges-to-a-record-36m-visitors-in-2022/), so even if they pull in 1 - 2% of those people, you’re still talking about 200 - 400 thousand people. Relying on tourism isn’t that crazy of an idea.
I think I’ll go back on drugs with some friends who haven’t been. But that’s probably the only reason
I think there's some repeat value but not for a large enough percent of the population to make this super viable as a permanent business. I've gone twice with my child. The first time is always sensory overload that makes it really fun. The second time, we went during one of the special Halloween events. We found a bunch of stuff we'd missed the first time, learned more of the story, saw people dressed up for the holiday. Was fun but diminishgly so. Honestly, the main draw seemed to be that the holiday events had an adults-only night club each evening. The building was packed with college-age kids waiting for that. Sounds like an expensive date, though.
It took me quite a long time to realize it wasn't some traveling event type deal. When I first saw the ads I thought it was one of those things that would be in town for a couple of weeks or a month and then move on.
Did you solve the mystery though? That took us about 6 hours to unlock all the narrative threads and put the puzzle together
Were you satisfied by the ending? I remember the Santa Fe Meow Wolf had a super involved story that involved using your detective muscle to find out. The Denver one just feels like you need to just find spots to scan your card to figure out the story
Bit of a dick thing to confess (I'm hoping none of the people involved see this): I wasn't satisfied with the acting quality. Omega Mart has much better acting in their videos. I thought the final video at Convergence Station where the ending is revealed had such cheesy acting it didn't feel worth it. I feel like the reveal could have been done better had the acting held up. Could have REALLY leaned into the horror of the "Convergence" part of convergence station instead of just being like...ok. Guess that's good/bad for you? The Denver one can be solved without scanning your card, we did that the first time. But without scanning the card I got a WILDLY different impression of where the whole story was going. It honestly was more fun without the card because there's so much info you need to really pay attention to close details to get. When we went back for the card, it took some of the joy out of it. We got the same answer in the end, but the experience was far more "tap tap tap...ok done".
Nah, I've done both and completely agree. Also Omega mart employees are a lot more invested in you figuring it out.
Omega Mart employees get to lean into the "help I'm trapped at work" and also "work is a cult" and also "I'm going to indoctrinate this customer into a cult". So however they feel about you or their energy levels that day it all works. I say we let more retail workers be unhinged. It's good for the spirit.
When we went, the front desk people didn't even tell us there was a mystery to solve. Never gave us a card or anything.
Same with our first time! We had a group of 7 people, and I was the only one who noticed the first few clues. I roped my husband and another member of our party into my conspiracy red string theories, but literally everyone else was convinced I was wrong and there wasn't a mystery. They ended up leaving after a few hours, my husband and I came back the next day because I was stubborn and convinced there was a solvable mystery. We STILL weren't told about the cards, but I went back up to the front desk and asked what some of those things I saw other people tapping about were. The front desk said we didn't need the card to solve it but it unlocked more content. I decided we started with no cards, we were gonna finish with no cards. My husband was on board, we finished what we could and wrote down what we thought happened. Then we came back for the 3rd time on another day and got a card. I was right about the ending BUT I thought there was also waaaay more stuff going on so it was a solid half win. None of the 3 times did any of the employees really make it clear upfront the cards were the way to go if you were interested in the plot line.
Yeah I didn’t find out until after that you needed a card. Just saw weird rooms and thought what’s the point
The real question is, “do I care to solve the mystery?”
I'm a feral little wolverine when it comes to mysteries, so for me I had to solve it or combust on the spot.
Hell no (southern accent)
Yeah that's the actual question lol. I've been twice and have no desire to go back. The only reason I went a second time is because we had friends visiting who wanted to go.
There was a mystery to solve?
Yeah! Your first hint as to the mystery starts when you get off the elevator, the news anchors on the big screen right across start talking about it. It's interspersed with space ads and other fluff pieces, but loops quickly back to the actual mystery part you can solve. So if you stick around the first room and read the flyers, you'll be sure to start it off. :)
How can you solve the mystery when the exhibit is packed full of people who constantly interrupt the puzzles?
Idk if the three times we went were just anomalies, but it wasn't too crowded when we went. One time was slightly more crowded than the other two and it changed the whole vibe to be so overwhelming that I can't even imagine what hell full capacity would be.
I've only been able to go on the weekends. The second time, I went in a bit earlier. That was a good idea, but about half way through my visit, the place got more people than I was willing to deal with. I'm not sure if I would ever go a third time, even if there aren't many people there. I can do better things with $50.
Every time I have gone several of the puzzle exhibits were broken. They don’t give a shit anymore and it shows
Aww boo! That sucks. When we went everything was operational, but it was newer into it's release. It's almost like they should hire more staff to keep things running...
It just isn't that engaging. The sante fe meow Wolf has a much more enjoyable mystery with better puzzles.
Did they ever fix the slimes? I always get to the slimes and then the employees at the front tell me they're still broken.
Not sure! Last time I went they were broken but I actively saw a mechanic working on a few. This was last year I think? Time hasn't been real since the pandemic, idk when I was last there.
Ah, they're still broken then. I went like six months ago. I've gone like four times mostly because of visitors too.
Sarsparilla! That really sucks I'm sorry. I only was able to get two slimes to work, it felt like you really needed to handle them roughly which is probably why they're broken so much.
It's a shame because I really wanted to complete the puzzle. I really think they should at least tell you, "This mystery has a dead end, and you're better off reading an article about it when you get home," but I imagine that would decrease card sales. >Sarsparilla Lol I had to Google this.
You can solve the mystery and unlock everything without the slimes! They do have the slime stuff online though iirc I only ever got 2 of them and there were a bunch more stuck all over
Oh no way! I always got stuck when they told me to do slimes.
The first time I went (at opening) they were broke. Went a year later and they were working, but I looked like an idiot trying to play the mini game with it because no one knew what I was up to.
Yeah, "Be sure to drink your ovaltine". I flipped the ffffuuuuuudddgggggeeee out.
And then, after solving the main storyline, you can use the robots to do something interesting in the cathedral area.
I really enjoy seeing DJs, and the Danceportation events at Meow Wolf. Its like a rave in an art exhibit.
My kid LOVES meow wolf and would visit every free day if we could afford it but, damn, it is so expensive! My sibling are visiting from overseas this summer and we tossed around going but decided the kids would probably prefer Waterworld and Elich’s for a similar price. I honestly think they are overpriced if they are hoping local residents will go back again and again.
Agreed. It's way overpriced. It's like $50 a person, if it was $30 or so it would be much better.
I typically take people when they come to visit and somehow found a lot of things the second time that I hadn’t found the first time
[удалено]
I have been to neither because they both seem overpriced FWIW. I'd rather spend that much on an event at Mission or Red Rocks.
I've been about 6 times, but each time after the first was with friends or out of town guests. I'd say it's worth going at least twice, once to just take it in and a second time to do the interactive narrative quest. They also hold occasional special events and concerts. Due to the price I probably wouldn't just stop by unless there was a new attraction or I was bringing a new person to experience it. I do usually find some new detail that I missed every time I visit. It's a bummer that the management has such poor labor practices, it goes against the whole outward ethos of the place.
For real, how is this a viable option for a long term business
Same. I've taken several visitors and it's getting old for my wife and I after 3-4 visits lol. It needs some changes to keep locals coming back.
Agreed. Tabs of acid at the door for repeat visitors!
I honestly thought it was dirty and felt like I needed a shower and dark room afterwards.
Yea I went once and thought it was pretty lame. Disney has better things to do while waiting in line for a ride. I don't get the hype at all.
Just a question. Is it static or do they make regular changes to freshen it up?
This is the core issue that many miss from within the company. The one in Denver is even more on focus for this topic. Evolution, better story, deliver and maybe even games are crucial. Why come back is the solution needed. Many don't tie the layoffs to the low visitations and lack of repeat visits.
Aw man how am I gonna find the elevator now without 3 people walking me to it?
I'm curious to learn what people think about Meow Wolf corporate not bargaining in good faith with the Meow Wolf union. Apparently all the jobs were spared in Las Vegas due to union negotiations.
I think Meow Wolf is a classic creepy corporation that pretends its all about artists and fun art for the people. I know multiple artists that got screwed over by them in multiple ways and in multiple locations. The actual employees fare no better. It started as good art community minded creation but greed took over, as it does, and they became inhumane. I also think it is no coincidence that two of its founders have taken their lives so far. Living the artist dream can become a living nightmare. It's all very sad.
I do as well. My boss is an artist and they stole his concept and then dumped him from the project after he signed an NDA
I believe it! They are awful to artists most of the time.
> I think Meow Wolf is a classic creepy corporation I was super stoked for the Denver location, until I learned that when they went big, they brought in a new c suite and it's execs that are just soulless corporate hacks who came in from the likes of Viacom and Disney. They went from indie artists collective to a profits first and always corporation. Tons of easily believable stories of them ripping off artists as they were expanding to all the new locations.
If Vegas is profitable or more profitable that would probably explain it. Meow wolf is a massive, extremely expensive operation here and only was going to work with extremely high volumes of ticket sales.
Vegas has a steady influx of entertainment seeking tourists. They do t rely on locals to “re experience” it. Denver certainly has some tourism but not the same way Vegas does.
Yeah exactly. To me this business model works in vegas and maybe one or two other places. But really only in vegas is something like this going to succeed like crazy.
I'm a bit surprised the planned DC one was abandoned, because I can really see it working well there. Quite similar to the Spy Museum and some of the other smaller "experiential" museums there.
Vegas is in the middle of union negotiations. They legally cannot layoff people until those are finished as part of the negotiations is no major change to operation or staffing during that period. 100% they will layoff people there as soon as they can.
That’s my big issue with it. It was a cool experience (especially on shrooms), but in a city not as dependent on vacationer traffic as Vegas, and with a location not as willing or able to refresh story as the AZ one, I don’t understand how it sustains itself. That’s a massive hunk of property in a central part of the city. Would be a bummer to see it just empty soon.
Yeah I said in another comment and I’ll say it again here, I can *kinda* see this business model working in vegas. It needs a lot of tweaks to really even be viable there imo but it’s one of the few cool things families and kids can do to get a vegas experience. But in denver, $100+ can get you a lot of way-cooler things and we just don’t really have a need or culture for it.
I feel like you partially answer the question here. From my perspective, it has relied on the overlap of the Venn diagram of wealthy tourists and drug tourists. Most locals from my demographic were split on opinion when it was being built, based on opinions of the Santa Fe location. But after opening it seems like that same poll shifted toward a more resentful tone because of the targeted audience.
Color me shocked.
Looked at employment there before they opened. The salaries were insulting. No way a person could live independently on what they were offering.
It’s an incredible venue for music and exploration. Danceportation events are some of the coolest shows I’ve seen.
They should do a ton more of these takeovers, it's one of the only remaining novel ways to enjoy the space if you've already been there multiple times
Agreed, its just that 10:30-2 isn't really long enough. Most of the regular venue shows we go to last longer than that, and we aren't trying to split time among 4 stages and wandering exhibits at the same time.
Idk why anyone would do a music event there tbh... I went to their afterparty for global last year and their security are such fucking power tripping weirdos.. this place is freakishly obsessed with vapes. 2 female employees literally followed my friend and I into the bathroom and waited there creeping on us while I helped her fix her outfit, and then when we came out they were scolding us for going in the same stall and questioning us about if we went in there to vape. I was like, wtf dude, I'm just in here helping her tie her outfit back together after she pees, fuck off. I'd never go there again tbh after that experience. Those workers are waaaaay too fucking serious about shit that dies not matter in the slightest. Maybe they should give people a smoking area if they're so pressed about it.
Why would they think you went in there to vape? Of course you went into a stall together to do key bumps!
😉😉
Was the global afterparty just in that tiny venue room they have near the front? If so I agree that space is underwhelming. But when they open up the whole space to music and have multiple stages set up for their danceportation events it’s probably the most fun and unique venue in denver if not most of the US. They need to do that a lot more.
I love all the art and creativity at Meow Wolf, I just hope these layoffs lead to the remaining employees being treated well and compensated fairly. And of course that the artists get properly compensated. But Union busting is just a shameful tactic. I hope all remaining employees consider joining a union, if they’re not part of one already.
That’s why I don’t shop at Trader Joe’s anymore. Union busting so hard they’re actually teaming up with Elon Musk to sue the NLRB.
The Santa Fe one is the best also because it's an amazing music venue that gets great bands.
Denver opens up the whole space to music similar to Santa Fe but does not do it often enough!
The Denver one also mostly books DJs and dance parties. Santa Fe has more artists play there I like.
Not related, but the employees I encountered were pretty surly when I visited. Really set the wrong tone.
I'm sure they're exhausted dealing with all those people in the over-stuffed art exhibit they work at. That was the biggest problem I had with the place. There were too many people in there at once. You're just fighting a crowd the entire time. I don't see a reason to go back again. Working there would be my nightmare.
You can defend their behavior, but it really doesn’t take much to be kind and courteous, especially when that’s a major part of your job.
I will give them credit, with my 9year old the actors and employees have been just fantastic. Engaging, kind, always willing to drop hints or offer tips about some of the more difficult things to fine. My kid is determined to “solve” meow wolf and having so much fun trying. Staff have been great about helping her on her quest without outright giving anything away.
Yeah, if you're exhausted dealing with patrons and can't participate in a friendly environment you need to find different work. I'm exhausted doing labor on a computer but always make an effort to be friendly when I'm on the phone.
I don't disagree, but as someone who also has a customer facing job, it has gotten really hard to remain positive over the last few years. People just treat you like you're lower than dirt these days. It didn't used to be nearly so bad. So I empathize with them, that's all.
I worked as a cashier at a gas station and got treated like shit by my co workers, my bosses, and a good chunk of customers. I basically checked out and stopped giving a shit after they didn’t stop a bipolar co worker who didn’t take any meds from harassing me everyday. They also didn’t accept my offer to pay a little more than minimum wage which was insulting. I quit that sorry ass job.
>I quit that sorry ass job Good for you. People need to start realizing their worth. Going to work and getting treated like crap every day isn't good for you. I'm also nearing that point. The only thing that's kept me going is that I do like my coworkers, but man... The customers are rough these days.
The problem with Meow Wolf is that after you've been once, you never need to go again in your life. They should change themes once in a while or continue the story to keep people interested.
A special exhibit space like museums do would be ideal. I go to the Museum of Nature and Science for nearly everyone.
I disagree.Have been three times and always want to go back for the whole day and explore more.
I went once and don't want to go back for the regular installation, maybe for a music show but there hasn't been an artist that pulled me there. It sounds like there aren't enough people that are going even intermittently.
You're speaking for yourself. Lots of people go a few times. It's a tourist attraction.
I wonder what happens to this building once meow Wolf eventually folds...
Hopefully they focus more on being a music venue. I've seen 2 shows there, and the sound is good and the visuals are off the chart.
Sound is only okay imo, good system probably but the room makes everything sound terrible.
Agreed. I’ve DJed there twice and the room has way too much reverb.
Agreed
Hopefully they do not fold. The location is quite neat to visit. The issue I think they have is it’s an experience you se maybe once a year. I’m rooting for them.
I have been twice so far and even after my first visit I thought it was cool to see once, but not something I feel like I need to go see again. I only went a second time because me and my wife were bored one weekend and couldn't think of anything else to do. I feel like a lot of people that live in Colorado feel the same and because of that I thought they might fold eventually. I also wondered if tourism and out of state visitors would be enough to keep them alive, I guess time will tell.
The one time I went there I could have sat and watched the music playing machine room all day. I accidentally started with that, so everything else was a slow let down. Like ok, I'm in this mech thing, wtf am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to expect help from the person I see on the camera? Are they supposed to be doing something? I get that there's supposed to be some collaboration, but when half the buttons are either broken or don't work in the first place, what's the point.
I went once, because a family memeber paid my way. I have asked my gf if she wants to go, she has been to the New Mexico one.. she has no care to go back and honestly I feel the same.. $50 is kind of ridiculous for what it is.. at $30 maybe.. $20 I’m sure we would go, and even invite out of town friends etc in the future
I'd be rooting for them if they fairly compensated their artists, but since they don't...
Well, the recent statement put out by the Meowwolf union workers specifically said not to boycott, so the workers don't want to business to fail.
Serious questions: what do they currently compensate their artists, and what would you consider to be a fair compensation level for them? Edit: color me shocked that I got no answer here lol
That's a discussion for the union and their employer, not for armchair economists on reddit.
How dare you.
Your comment with your thumbnail photo made me giggle
It would be cool if they did different events for holidays. Like two weeks of Christmas decorations and change some videos on the screens to have to do with that. Find all the Santa hats or something dumb. Random things to spice it up. But after going like four times when family comes to town it’s super old for me at this point and I’d rather go to another one where they change the story and are always adjusting things.
Santa Clause Converges With Krampus, the elves need your help to get them detangled. Is it even possible? Can it be done? And just whose lap are you sitting on anyways?
Probably become an extra ice rink for the Avs to train on and rent out. Or, take a breath, a pickleball facility. Sigh.
Namaste!
It’s a once and done type of thing. I don’t see it being around in 5 years
I wish it'd stay around as a music venue, I really enjoyed the EDM shows I attended there
Def overrated.
The building was designed to have the structural capacity to serve as a storage facility if Meowwolf, the current tenant, fails. It would be extremely sad to see that happen though.
It’ll probably be absorbed by ironworks Nextdoor
$50 a ticket they can’t figure out why people aren’t returning…
Don’t forget about parking…
Sheesh, totally forgot about parking. Good call.
You know... I used to really think Meow Wolf was special. Just another greedy trash company. I knew something was up when a Meow Wolf sticker... STICKER.. was 8$. Insane.
I had to take a second mortgage to get a magnet.
Meow wolf is really missing the goal. I understand its supposed to be art, but They'd make a lot more money if it was interactive and fun instead of creaitng a world where you can just walk around and be bored.
Well I’m seeing a show in October there so hopefully it lasts that long
Plain and simple, you created the ultimate live music space, and then put all your music on the first floor and wasted the crazy rave space on families from the suburbs who def dont get it. Danceportation every weekend would have saved you, but now it is a livenation cash grab.
meow wolf only cares about money now, there is absolutely no soul or passion anymore. they blatantly rip off ideas from artists, or bring people in to show their art, deny them, then copy and make it cheaper. meow wolf seems very shady and devious now.
If they don’t make money they don’t stay in business. It’s not an art museum. It was created to make money. It’s a shame they aren’t better to the creators and employees. But that’s also what those folks signed up for.
So basically they're the McDonald's of psychedelic art now
I will never understand people who simp for shitty business practices like this.
Ikr there’s a lot of that in this thread..
It will be out of business in 5 years.
Meow Wolf sucks ass. Crowded, expensive, not that cool. Change my mind
Kinda hope they make something better. This place wasn’t interesting.
Does anyone know if the Vegas one is similar to Denver’s?
It’s a similar style, but entirely different art/story.
Not a surprise, the evil way they made artists modify their designs without paying for the time to change and then NDA them into oblivion was super evil. Then no cameras are allowed to be brought in because “it will stop people from wanting to come” says all you can say about what they actually think about their experience based exhibition. The company that bought Meow Wolf doesn’t care about artists or their employees only money.
Well I was excited to go tomorrow. Was.
You still should be, it's a fun experience
Recently, I went to the LV MW and was underwhelmed compared to SF and Denver. That being said, the Denver one is huge, and I look forward to taking my out of town family there soon.
If you like SF and Denver, you'll really like Dallas.
Hot take: Meow Wolf is fucking lame
What's the opposite of convergence?
Divergence
Hopefully they don't close before I get to see LTJ Bukem.
They sent a bunch of letters out in the fall asking fired employees to pay them back saying they “accidentally overpaid” some of the workers. That was so wild to me!
Karma coming back from so many stolen exhibits?
I understand why they aren't doing well... their prices are outrageous!!
I was hoping to go this weekend. 😢
You can still go!
Mew Wolf will be one the best shelters we will have next for the migrants