Where to soak in the 10 best immersive art experiences in the US (2024)

Photo courtesy of iStock / wacomka

Enjoying art doesn't have to mean gazing at paintings on a wall. These 10 interactive art spaces, voted as the best by USA TODAY 10Best readers, offer multi-sensory experiences that are meant to immerse you within the art itself.

Photo courtesy of Flutter

No. 10: Flutter - Los Angeles, California

Flutter calls itself “a mini-vacation into a worry-free zone” or “a spa day for your heart and soul.” This multi-sensory installation in Los Angeles features a series of rooms, each curated by a different contemporary artist.

Photo courtesy of Otherworld

No. 9: Otherworld - Columbus, Ohio

Otherworld, an immersive art experience in Columbus, occupies a 32,000-square-foot space with 47 rooms of interactive art, secret passageways and mixed reality playgrounds. More than 40 artists contributed to the project, with backgrounds in everything from creative writing to digital fabrication.

Photo courtesy of City Museum

No. 8: City Museum - St. Louis, Missouri

Housed in the 600,000-square-foot former warehouse of the International Shoe Company, the St. LouisCity Museumhas a bit of everything – the world's largest jungle gym, a 10-story spiral slide and a rooftop garden with stellar views of the city. Some 20 artists created the large-scale features of this interactive museum well before the term ‘immersive art’ became a thing.

Photo courtesy of ARTECHOUSE

No. 7: ARTECHOUSE - Washington, DC

Washington's ARTECHOUSE isn't your typical art gallery. Instead, it's an immersive, interactive space designed for showcasing experimental, large-scale installations by the world's most cutting-edge artists. The company also operates spaces in New York City and Miami Beach.

Photo courtesy of Meow Wolf / Photo by Kate Russell

No. 6: House of Eternal Return - Santa Fe, New Mexico

Meow Wolf’s first project, the House of Eternal Return, features 70 rooms of interactive art, tied together by the mystery of the Selig family who disappeared from their Victorian manor. Choose your own path through the space, where walking, crawling and climbing are acceptable.

Photo courtesy of Factory Obscura

No. 5: Factory Obscura - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

This art collective in Oklahoma City crafts immersive experiences made to “awaken wonder, build community and make the world better.” The 6,000-square-foot space houses rotating installations. Mix-Tape, the current experience, took nearly a year to design and install by a team of some 30 artists.

Photo courtesy of New Pixel Films

No. 4: WNDR Museum - Chicago, Illinois

The WNDRMuseum hosts immersive art and technology installations from artists, studios and collectives from around the region and the globe. The museum seeks to inspire “joy, curiosity and creativity” and created a fully touchless experience in 2021.

Photo courtesy of Superblue Miami

No. 3: Superblue Miami - Miami, Florida

Superblue Miami is a brand-new immersive installation created by a team of experimental artists. In this space directly across from theRubell Museum, be enveloped in light, wander through a maze of mirrors and become engrossed in a digital environment.

Photo courtesy of Mark Patch

No. 2: Seismique - Houston, Texas

Visitors to Seismique in Houston can explore more than 40,000 square feet of immersive art – the collaborative work of more than 30 artists. The west side “museum” has some 40 rooms, including a rain room and an all-ages jungle gym, meant to be explored in an open-form way.

Photo courtesy of MASARY Studios

No. 1: Wonderspaces - Scottsdale, Arizona

This year-round art show highlights immersive artwork from around the globe. At any given time, visitors can explore more than a dozen installations that explore color, light, sound and abstract narratives. You can also find Wonderspaces in Austin, Philadelphia and San Diego.

About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards

The Experts