Meow Wolf began in 2008 as a small group of Santa Fe artists who passionately wanted to develop their skills and publicly display their artwork. Meow Wolf’s environment of immersive style and radical approach has evolved into extraordinary audience-driven adventures.
But where did the name Meow Wolf come from? Artists present at the first meeting in 2008 put random words into a hat, then chose two of them and established “Meow Wolf.”
Each Meow Wolf experience is different from the original Santa Fe destination. No two immersive art exhibits are the same. On average, it takes 2–3 hours to move through the Meow Wolf experience, but some spend the entire day there, following the backstory and moving through the portals.
Meow Wolf intends to change how you view yourself and the world by loosening your grip on reality. It appeals to adults as well as children.
“What makes Meow Wolf so different than a typical art installation is that it’s not something you look at, it’s something you immerse yourself in,” said Forbes.
Meow Wolf Exhibitions
You’ll find four current Meow Wolf exhibitions: the original in Santa Fe, one in Denver, one in Las Vegas, and the newest in Grapevine, Texas — north of the airport between Fort Worth and Dallas. A fifth location will open in Houston, Texas, in 2024.
1. The Real Unreal, Grapevine, Texas
The Real Unreal takes you through a Technicolor wonderland blending storytelling, technology, and immersive art.
Thirty rooms comprise the fourth permanent Meow Wolf installation. It was opened on July 14, 2023, in the 30,000-square-foot former Bed Bath & Beyond in Grapevine Mills Mall.
The story surrounds a mother, son, family, and exceptional happenings that open the house to incredible artistic imagination.
You can walk through the attraction, explore, and interact with the massive collaboration of Texas and Santa Fe artistic displays to solve a mystery. Involve yourself in immersive art and storytelling as much or as little as you want.
The Meow Wolf Grapevine Cafe features fresh, creative, grab-and-go savory bites, sweet treats, coffee, tea, juice, and water from various local Texas vendors. Choose from Judy’s chicken pot pie; Del Campo empanadas; Juiceland bean burrito; Buzzed Brew Company cosmic ice cream crunch, mac, and cream; Nikki’s popcorn; Kiestwood iced coffee; Juiceland fresh juice; Celzo flavored sparkling water; or bottled tea from Purpose Tea.
2. The Newest Meow Wolf, Houston, Texas
A recent groundbreaking ceremony in the Fifth Ward in Houston, Texas, introduced the newest Meow Wolf exhibition scheduled to open in 2024.
Meow Wolf’s CEO Jose Tolosa and DealCo’s Jon Deal grabbed a can of spray paint, along with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, to mark the future location.
Tolosa talked about opening portals of possibility for our communities, artists, employees, and art participants, creating a way to see life differently.
The new immersive entertainment venue is expected to attract over 750,000 visitors annually and will attract additional new businesses to the area.
I can’t wait for this new Texas location to open next year!
3. House Of Eternal Return, Santa Fe, New Mexico
The first permanent Santa Fe Meow Wolf space opened in a former bowling alley in 2016, attracting 318,000 visitors in the first year and bringing in $5.35 million in revenue. I first visited the Santa Fe location in the fall of 2019.
The House of Eternal Return storyline features the Selig family, who disappeared after experimenting with interdimensional travel by tapping into a mysterious force called “The Anomaly” in hopes of bringing back deceased family members.
The imaginative, chaotic exhibition features flashing strobe lights, theatrical fog effects, music, loud noises, dark and tight spaces, low lighting, low overhangs, and narrow walkways.
4. Omega Mart, Las Vegas, Nevada
Opened in February 2021, Omega Mart is in the Area15 complex in Las Vegas. Here, you’ll find an arcade, museum, and art show — an overall playground for your inner child. It’s been called an imagination vacation. Is it a grocery store or aisles filled with one-of-a-kind artifacts from out of this world?
The mystery is optional and unnecessary to investigate; you can get just as much from the art without it. Pay attention when you are in the soda section; you may discover a portal to another realm. Every door or cereal box is a new entrance into enchanting spaces to explore.
Spoiler Alert: The Datamosh Bar at Omega Mart is in the Pharmacy, where you can find deliciously weird options. The bar offers alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages that must stay at the bar.
5. Convergence Station, Denver, Colorado
The largest exhibition is the Convergence Station in Denver, with a 90,000-square-foot building featuring more than 70 immersive displays. It opened in September 2021.
Four alien worlds link to each other via a unique cosmic episode. You can explore strange shops, find secrets, uncover a labyrinth, master space and time, and conceive memories as currency.
The Q Pass is necessary if you get into the exhibit’s storyline by accessing the computer screens with the RFID chip in the card.
The Denver exhibit is a complicated scavenger hunt. The best storyline and most uncomplicated mystery to interact with is the Convergence Station in Denver.
Denver features a paranormal motif of a massive psychedelic maze where the station appears as an interplanetary transit hub with four different realms.
You are encouraged to explore the cosmic story about four women and a make-believe gateway by opening closed doors, crawling through holes, and pressing buttons.
Meow Wolf Serving The Community
The social responsibility of Meow Wolf partners with organizations and artists to stimulate the creative economy and increase access to the arts. Meow Wolf has contributed over $2 million to nonprofit partners since its founding.
The Cochiti Pueblo artist Virgil Ortiz brought his Pueblo cultural art, entitled Sirens: Secret Passkey & Portals, to Santa Fe’s House of Eternal Return.
Local Explorations featured 13 Las Vegas artists who contributed to Omega Mart via an art show, artist walk, and opening and closing reception.
Galleri Gallery inside Denver’s Convergence Station offers a rotating national platform hosting five art exhibitions annually.
Meow Wolf Is A Certified B Corporation
Meow Wolf was first certified as a B Corporation and Public Benefit Corporation in 2017, scoring 80.2 and recertifying at 110.3 percent in 2022 (median score is 50.9). The B Corp focuses on five responsibility areas: governance, workers, community, environment, and customers.
Governance includes a mission statement, annual impact report, Declaration of Interdependence, annual company financial audits, etc.
Workers earn a company-wide minimum wage, paid time off, gender-neutral parental leave, a complete benefits package for 30-hour employees, bonuses, a 401K plan, healthcare, tuition reimbursement with a local community college, and much more.
Community involvement, environmental impact, and customer impact are robust and influential. They invest in the LGBTQIA+ community, with IDEA inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility remaining a priority. Employees navigate through grief together after mourning the loss of co-founder Matt King. Employees enjoy improved benefits, security, safety, and well-being.