Meow Wolf Denver | Convergence Station

"Home to the Sips (with a Z) bar and Hellofood cafe, offering immersive art experiences with local food and drink options." - Nadia Chaudhury

"Meow Wolf installations are, by design, indescribable. Three hundred artists, including more than 110 from Colorado, collaborated on 79 projects, spread over four floors, to create a loud, neon-lit dreamscape that has something important to say if you scratch beneath the surface of the surreal, Instagram-friendly tableaus. Hidden catacomb passageways, trash-strewn cityscapes, alien bodegas and pizza parlors, and tons of Easter eggs about Denver culture and history allude to big-picture topics like accessibility and Indigenous rights. Upon opening, the Meow Wolf website warned that the exhibit features “dark spaces, low lighting, low overhangs, tight spaces, crawl spaces, narrow walkways, steep stairways, flashing/strobe lights, theatrical fog effects, music, some loud noises, and exposed materials.” In other words, be prepared for everything—especially if you’re claustrophobic or hate crowds." - Megan Barber, Nicholas DeRenzo

"In fall 2023, Denver’s fun house of immersive art installations launched Sips (With a Z), a cocktail bar and lounge." - Kelly Bastone

"Zoom out. What’s this place all about? First things first: You need to know about Meow Wolf, a Santa Fe–based arts collective famed for their immersive installations, which feel at once like a contemporary art museum, a haunted house, a theme park, and a film set. In September, they opened their largest venue yet, at 90,000 square feet, tucked among a spaghetti-like tangle of interstate overpasses in Denver 's Sun Valley neighborhood. That roadside location is surprisingly apt for the theme inside Convergence Station, a “multiverse transit station” that connects four alien worlds as part of the QDOT, or the Quantum Department of Transportation: icy Eenia, plant-filled Numina, underground Ossuary, and urban C Street. Meow Wolf has definitely attracted a cult following, but novices will find plenty to love here. A museum's permanent collection is its defining feature: How was this one? That’s a tough one: Meow Wolf installations are, by design, indescribable. Three hundred artists, including more than 110 from here in Colorado, collaborated on 79 projects, spread over four floors. (It’s worth stopping to celebrate that 51 percent of the Colorado artists identify as female, 20 percent as LGBTQ, and 38 percent as people of color.) There’s an ice-planet space cathedral, hidden catacomb passageways, trash-strewn cityscapes, alien bodegas and pizza parlors, and tons of Easter eggs about Denver culture and history, tucked in among exhibits that allude—in their own extraterrestrial way—to big-picture topics like accessibility and Indigenous rights. It’s a loud, neon-lit dreamscape, but it has something important to say if you scratch beneath the surface of the surreal, Instagram-friendly tableaus. Exhibits keep us coming back. What can we expect? The enormous space is also home to a 488-person music venue called the Perplexiplex, where you can catch a set from the likes of Colorado EDM favorites GRiZ and CloZee and English DJ duo AlunaGeorge. In general, there’s a lot going on throughout Convergence Station: It’s loud, bright, labyrinthine, and quite a sensory overload. What did you make of the crowd? Meow Wolf crowds tend to skew young and trendy; this space, in particular, is far from Denver’s museum district, so it isn’t exactly the kind of space you’d stumble into without knowing what you’re getting yourself into. You can definitely get a sense for which spaces are already becoming favorite spots for influencer selfies: the pastel sloth statue in Numina, the red couch in front of a precariously stacked wall of books, the organ at the Kaleidogothic Cathedral. Children will love exploring (as long as they can handle all the bright lights and loud noises), but we think it’s better suited for those who are kids at heart. On the practical tip, how were the facilities? In the realm of art galleries, Convergence Station probably comes as close to an extreme sport as possible. As they warn on the website, the exhibit features “dark spaces, low lighting, low overhangs, tight spaces, crawl spaces, narrow walkways, steep stairways, flashing/strobe lights, theatrical fog effects, music, some loud noises, and exposed materials.” In other words, be prepared for everything—especially if you’re claustrophobic or hate crowds. Any guided tours worth trying? The installation is operating on so many levels that you have to decide if you’d rather just let the art wash over you or dive deep into the narrative. According to the mythology of Convergence Station, four planets came together in a freak galactic occurrence, which led to the disappearance of four women and so-called Memory Storms, during which residents lost their memories. It’s… very complicated. For an additional $3, you can buy a QPASS, a small card that basically turns your experience into a live-action video game or escape room: You’ll scan (or “boop,” as they say) your card throughout the space, collecting memory fragments, unveiling secret stories, and helping to reunite missing memories with their owners. We promise it makes more sense once you get started. Gift shop: obligatory, inspiring—or skip it? Of course, there’s a gift shop, and it sells some seriously cool apparel, patches, magnets, and throw blankets based around various fictional businesses dotted throughout the “multiverse,” such as a motocross jersey inspired by Mijo Miho Cyber Cafe and a baseball t-shirt featuring characters from the Chuck E. Cheese–like Pizza Pals Playzone. If you count yourself as a sci-fi devotee, you may want to invest in one of the books that breaks down the narrative secrets of the Station. Is the café worth a stop? The “transit hub” is all about bringing together beings from different planets, so it's only natural that its café and bar, Hellofood, would be an ode to culinary fusion. Vendors include chef Blaine Baggao, who combines Filipino and New Mexican influences in his cooking at Adobo, and Raíces Brewing Company, a Latin-inspired brewery headquartered just down the block. Any advice for the time- or attention-challenged? General admission tickets are $45 for non-Colorado residents and $35 for residents, which is a bit steep if you’re not going to take at least a few hours to get on this place’s weird wavelengths—especially if you get a QPASS. In 90 minutes, you certainly could get a feel for the space, but you’d be missing out on all the intertwined narratives, the thought-provoking subtext, and the interactive elements. If you’re just in it for the selfies, maybe think about going elsewhere." - Nicholas DeRenzo

Really fun trippy museum!