A worldwide phenomenon: Optical illusion museum opens in NJ

It seems like they’ve been talking about this all over the media forever. And it’s finally here. The highly anticipated cool new spot at American Dream has finally opened its doors, and it's beyond awesome.

The Paradox Museum. You're in for a wild ride in this 11,000-square-foot wonderland at American Dream. It has over 70 exhibits that will blow your mind and maybe even have you questioning reality. Those who’ve experienced it say that you won’t believe your own eyes.

They've got two kinds of exhibits going on.

First, there's the optical paradox category, where images and setups mess with your brain and make your eyes play tricks on you.

Then comes the interactive paradox exhibits. These will challenge your senses, making you doubt what's really happening around you.

Many of the exhibits use mirrors to make your perception defy reality.

Here's the highlight. The Upside Down room is a local New Jersey special, where everything, and I mean everything, seems to defy gravity in a classic New Jersey diner.

Imagine sipping on a milkshake while the whole world turns topsy-turvy. You're looking at a solid 60-90 minutes of wandering around to soak in all those crazy effects. Don't be shy to ask their team to show you the ropes. They'll also throw in a lesson about how our brains and eyes process things.

The museum has five locations in Europe and two more in the U.S. It’s in Europe that the amazing illusions for the museum are conceived and developed for their various locations.

At the Paradox Boutique, you can snag some cool games, trendy clothing, flashy accessories, and nifty gadgets.

Ready for the best part? You can get pre-sale tickets to the Paradox Museum New Jersey right now. The cost? Starting at $29 for the grown-ups (12 and up), $24 for the kids (ages 4-11), and it’s totally free for the little kids under 3. a family 4-pack costs $24 per person.

During the week, they're open from 11 am to 8 pm, Monday through Thursday, and 11 am to 9 pm on Friday and Saturday. And Sundays their hours are 11 am to 7 pm.

Got your GPS ready? Paradox Museum New Jersey is inside the American Dream at 1 American Dream Way, East Rutherford. It's gonna be a trip.

And a new, incredibly unique way to spend the day with family.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

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