ISABELLA’S GUIDE THROUGH AREA15
Now that everything is officially open in the main building of AREA15, it only seemed right to put together a guide on how to navigate through the experiences, restaurants, and bars.
Ideally, I would allot around 2 hours or more to visit a few things while you are here. Whether that be going to a ticketed attraction (MeowWolf, Dueling Axes, Lost Spirits, 5Iron, or Virtualis), attending a concert, event, or rotating art installation in one of their state of the art venues (the Portal or A-Lot), or grabbing drinks and a bite to eat (the Beast, Emack & Bolios, Oddwood, or Emporium).
Since I assisted in leasing the project and am a frequent visitor of AREA15, I’d like to believe that my suggestions should steer you in the right direction. Subject to the time of day and the reason that you are visiting, it can vary on how you choose to stack your experiences. However, if you are going with friends and want to check out a few things, I would recommend that you start with your ticketed attraction first, grabbing a drink or bite to eat after, and stopping by another smaller experience before heading out. Make sure you show up around 30 minutes early to your reservation so that you have enough time to walk your way through some of the art installations and check out the details of the property prior to your start time. Below, I have written a brief synopsis on the attractions throughout the project in hopes to help you arrange your stacking plan for when you go to visit next!
WALKING THROUGH THE PROJECT & TAKING IN THE ART
As you pull into the parking lot, you will see a large strip of art located in the middle of the parking field. After you park your car or get dropped off, you must walk through the Art Island to get inside of the main building. This area houses some interactive art installations that are captivating and also pretty entertaining. You should make a stop at what looks like a shipping container, also know as the Infinity Ship. After you open the doors, you will find infinity mirrors, cool lighting, and fun music that make for a great photo op experience with friends. As you continue making your way down the Art Island, you will find the massive “dead” robot, known as Mechan 9. If you look close enough, there are secret hatches on the body and mysterious text on him. Use the AREA15 App to decode the text and unveil a surprise!
After you have walked through all of the art outside, you should be at the main entrance to AREA15. Open up the doors and you will be transported through the portal that will take you into the uniquely designed project. As you travel through the programmed room with lights and music, the second set of doors will open up to the black lit and glowing interior of AREA15. Immediately in front of you sits the12-foot 3D projector mapped skull – Shogyo Muji, in which Angelica and myself have had many pleasures of figuring out how to turn on and off at showings during the early stages of this project (LOL). The skull is a breathtaking work of art that I can stare at for hours. Located behind this is the neon lit green house storefront of the Wild Muse, which is a boutique filled with festival wear, AREA15 merchandise, crystals, clothing, accessories, and more. After making your way through the store you will see a gigantic Mad Max-esk vehicle which is referred to as Valyrian Steel. This 8-wheeled crazy car is made from stainless steel and is inspired by DNA helices. Fun fact, this is actually street legal! Continuing your way through the project, you will then come across the 25-foot-tall mesmerizing tree with over 50,000 individually programmed LED lights on 5,000 different leaves. This one-of-a-kind digital maple tree is located in the middle of the Oddwood Bar, which serves fantastic cocktails. Last up on your stroll down the Spine of AREA15, you will find the Sanctuary, made from bamboo carefully selected from the islands of Bali and Java. Here you can have a drink, have a bite to eat, or just hang out. Side note, you can rent this entire section out for an event!
Now that you have made it through the Spine of the project, I recommend taking a look at a few smaller attractions and seeing if any of them pique your interest. I personally recommend trying out Haley’s Comet, a hang-gliding ride through AREA15. Interested in trying it out, just look up. You can’t miss it! P.S. you can race a friend!
TICKETED EXPERIENCES & VENUES
Omega Mart: The world-famous art exhibit by MeowWolf. You will get lost in this space. You enter into this vortex of a grocery store and find mysterious passages to another realm where your imagination goes wild. I spent 2 hours in here last time I went, and that didn’t include the time I spent in the speakeasy bar that I found inside…. wait what? Try to solve the mystery and you might be in there for a lot longer than that. I like this place because it is great for all ages, whether you go with friends or family, you are guaranteed to have a great time.
Dueling Axes: While I do not personally enjoy bowling, axe throwing is often compared to it because you are throwing an object down an alley in hopes to hit a target. Well, I think axe throwing is WAY more exhilarating than bowling - obviously. I was a little nervous at first, but after getting the hang of it, I was hooked! I recommend this for a fun night with friends, date night, birthday party, company party, etc. I booked a reservation for 2 hours, and it did not feel like enough time. I would also like to mention that Dueling Axes is one of the best in the business when it comes to axe throwing. Trust me, Angelica and I scoured all across the country to find the best group to bring to Vegas.
Lost Spirits: This attraction just opened two weekends ago and the experience is incredibly impressive. If you are not into Whiskey and Rum like myself, it is still worth visiting the “Willy Wonka of Booze,” as it is an alcohol tasting like no other. This experience takes around 2 hours, so bring some friends and get ready to have a great time learning about the acclaimed spirits while enjoying them too!
Five Iron Golf: For those that are golf fanatics, this place is definitely one that you should check out. Five Iron houses 8 dual radar simulators by Track Man, which measures the balls conditions. They offer memberships and private lessons with their Golf Pros so that you can pinpoint your game with Trackman's industry-leading golf system. In addition to that, they have a Fitting Lab where you can try different clubs to optimize your game. Aside from the top notch technical golf experience, you can also just come here and have a good time with friends where you can enjoy their full bar which overlooks the Spine of AREA15.
Virtualis VR: If you like escape rooms but want to try something different, this is it! I went with a group and we played 2 different games here, Patient Zero and the Lost City. The first game we played was, Patient Zero, a zombie apocalypse escape mission. Even though I had the least amount of kills in our group, (and I guess I am the first out in a zombie apocalypse LOL) it was still a blast. The second game we played was The Lost City, which was a tomb raider experience and a lot of fun. Luckily I redeemed my value in the group by helping us escape out of the code encrypted room, turns out I am not totally useless after all! Aside from the fun games, the virtual reality experience is one of the best to exist worldwide. They set you up with what is essentially a walking computer, which allows for you to go into a completely different realm. It is creepily real once you are all geared up. I will definitely be going back to beat my zombie killing record, because I can’t handle being in last place at anything.
Museum Fiasco: This art installation is one that offers an immersive audiovisual explosion. You walk into the room filled with towers with light rods, smoke, and music. Right then and there you are immersed in a light show that lasts about 12 minutes. The room is surrounded by mirrors so of course, you can get some pretty amazing photos and videos with your friends/family.
Wink World: This visually dynamic exhibit created by Chris Wink, Co-Founder of the Blue Man Group, is a totally tippy experience. There are six different rooms, referred to as the “Portals of the Infinite,” which offer different themed art installations in mirrored rooms combining light, color, black lights, sound, motion, and more to create an experience like no other.
The Portal: This 360-degree 3D projector mapped space allows for rotating events and experiences to be activated within the property. Currently it is being occupied by the Van Gough Experience, similar but different to the one seen in the Netflix show, Emily in Paris (if you are into RomComs you know what I am talking about)! When the Portal is not being occupied by a rotating art exhibit or event, it is accessible to the general admission to enjoy the 3D projections that change with the music. I personally love this room and try to make an effort to go whenever I am at AREA15.
A-LOT: This 30,000 SF outdoor space allows for AREA15 to host concerts, private events, and themed activations. One of my favorites that I have attended so far was the Winter Wanderland experience that they offered last year. They had individual yurts that you could make reservations at along with fun outdoor winter themed attractions with food and drink catered by Todd English’s the Beast.
RESTAURANTS & BARS
OddWood: An out of this world bar that is run by one of the best operators in town, Corner Bar Management. This bar is located in the heart of AREA15 and inside the middle of the bar you will find a one-of-a-kind digital maple tree that is 25-feet-tall and mesmerizing with over 50,000 individually programmed LED lights on 5,000 different leaves. At this bar you can order one of their delicious craft cocktails or if you are looking for something simple, they have that too. I personally enjoy the Yerba Santa cocktail, because I like tequila and it’s very refreshing!
Emporium: This bar-cade experience features dozens of new and classic arcade games and an impressive beverage program serving close to all local beers (love this). It’s a perfect spot for any occasion. I personally like coming here after dinner or if I am looking to do something fun with friends after an experience and I don't want to go home just yet. With nightly music and events— there’s always something fun going on inside this place.
The Beast: The renowned chef and restaurateur, Todd English presents this curated map of flavors to guests at the whimsical world of AREA15. This restaurant offers a variety of every type of cuisine with a new American fusion twist to it. I cannot come here without getting the Pineapple Fried Rice - definitely recommend trying it!
Emack & Bolio’s: This Boston based company is known for their ice cream, vegan ice cream, chocolates, and smoothies. However, if you pay them a visit, I highly suggest grabbing an ice cream of your choice on one of their renown cereal dipped cones. A personal favorite of mine is the Chocolate Addiction, but I love chocolate so take that as you will. I have had a few other flavors but that is my tried and true.
AREA15 CAMPUS – MORE TO COME
In addition to all of these amazing attractions at AREA15, there is still more to come to the campus! Two new attractions that are currently under construction that I would like to mention are the Rise and Illuminarium.
The Rise: An Elevated Bar Experience that opens later this fall, located outside of the main entrance to AREA15. Riders will be strapped into their seats with their feet dangling below as they take in the 360 degree views of the Las Vegas skyline.
Illuminarium: The renown incredible immersive experience will be adjacent to the main building at AREA15’s. This particular experience will offer a holographic emersion into different locations across the world.
I hope you enjoyed reading my guide through AREA15 and that it was somewhat influential on making a stacking plan for your next adventure here. Enjoy and let me know if you go visit any of the places I suggested. I am interested in your feedback!