If you check out our site’s social channels over the weekend, you likely saw images from our visit to the new Museum of Illusions Johannesburg, and its grand opening on 5 July.
Located at The Zone @ Rosebank, the Joburg attraction is the 53rd Museum of Illusions to open worldwide, and the first in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Museum of Illusions concept was launched in Zagreb, Croatia in 2015 as a hands-on experience that mixes optical illusions, visual tricks, puzzles and hands-on displays to both entertain and educate visitors. Classic edutainment.
The Museum of Illusions Johannesburg fits the brief too – with over 60 trippy exhibits to explore – although reportedly every single museum in the franchise chain is a little different. Regardless, you can think of it (at least in part) as a house of mirrors with the science firmly intact, explaining exactly why your eyes and brain are being fooled, but in a very digestible format. There’s a lot of potential here for school tours, and families who want something more cerebral, but still fun and sensorial, from their outings.
You’ll likely see loads of images from Museum of Illusions Johannesburg in future. While food and drink aren’t allowed inside, the usual museum attitude of “don’t touch; no photos” is out the window. In fact, some of the key installations even have staff on hand to help you take pictures on your phone.
That said, the museum isn’t just a string of TikTok and Instagram-ready content creation opportunities. Some of the other displays and hands-on experiences, while not as enticing for social media, offer a fascinating, brain-straining mix of Maths, Physics, Art, and Psychology. So you’ll find explanations behind Holograms, along with a visual art installation example of how the human brain will automatically “correct” a concave face to interpret it as convex, and a chance to solve the famous Tower of Hanoi puzzle. And that’s just to start.
In our experience, it looks like 60 – 80 minutes for a museum visit is a sweet spot if you want to engage with everything, and thoroughly read all the exhibit labels.
As for other useful need to knows, Museum of Illusions Johannesburg is open 7 days a week:
- Monday to Thursday, 9am – 9pm
- Friday and Saturday, 9am – 10pm
- Sundays and Public Holidays, 9am – 8pm.
Tickets can be purchased at the door or online, and are as follows:
- Adults: R190
- Children (4 – 12 years old): R150
- Children under 4: FREE
- Family Ticket (2x adults, 2x children aged 4 -12): R580
Something to note is that you book a 20-minute entry slot to keep numbers in the museum manageable and avoid congestion. That said, the experience is self-guided and you can take as long as you want once inside.
Museum of Illusions Johannesburg is located just above Hamleys, across the bridge from Spur, and next to EGG. Although you’ll also encounter signage for the museum on the mall floor and walls, another way to find it is on the First Level by the food court, turning left as you exit the elevator from the Zone’s underground parking.
Offering something new and unique for the city, Museum of Illusions Johannesburg is worth a visit to have your perceptions challenged, and your mind expanded. Plus, get take some playful photos in the process.