Denver, Colorado has a massive amount of options when it comes to things to do, with attractions vying for the attention of both locals and tourists alike. The Mile High City also has one of the most imaginative, unique places that appeals to people of all ages, called Convergence Station. Created by arts and entertainment company Meow Wolf, the 90,000-square-foot permanent exhibition is a must-visit if you happen to be in Denver in 2023.
This immersive and interactive exhibition is art, a narrative journey, quantum travel between Earth and four alien worlds, and so much more. Here are nine reasons why Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station is a place you have to experience while you’re in Denver:
1. It’s the best place to bring the whole family
Many attractions cater to a specific age or are only appropriate for certain ages. While many museums and art galleries are friendly to the whole family, they may not have the same wonderment or awe that appeals to both young and old as Convergence Station does.
Whether you’re five or 50, Convergence Station speaks to everyone because it opens up that same sense of awe within everyone. Even teenagers will love the enveloping plot, compelling secrets, and subversive humour hidden throughout the exhibit.
The Denver exhibit from Meow Wolf will bring out the kid in the adult, and the adult in the kid. Whether it’s the jaw-dropping cosmic scenery, narrative mysteries, engaging interactivity, or the transformative journey once you step inside Convergence Station, it’s a staggering triumph of art that speaks to every person that enters in unique ways.
2. You can discover new things every time you visit
Convergence Station is a grandiose piece of compelling architecture. Standing tall and gleaming at the convergence of three highway viaducts, the superstructure contains four floors, 80 installations by 300 artists, a music venue, a gift shop with cool, out-there gifts, and a cafe with a patio that serves snacks, meals, coffee, tea, beer, wine, and unicorn poop ice cream. You read that correctly: unicorn poop ice cream. It’s magical.
So if you’re going to Convergence Station once, you’re bound to see and discover quite a bit. However, there is so much to behold in one viewing that if you come back, you’ll discover totally different things. It’s kaleidoscopic.
Plus, Convergence Station has a venue that hosts different types of events year-round. From exhibition-wide dance parties to school field trips to alien attempts at celebrating Earth-bound holidays. A second look will help you unlock more than meets the eye at Convergence Station, and you’ll be able to discover new elements, narrative clues, and secrets.
Maybe if you’re lucky, you’ll discover the Yawlp, Meow Wolf’s version of a cryptid-like Bigfoot or the Yeti. The Yawlp loves eating trash and is painfully shy and awkward, so you might not see them the first time visiting Convergence Station. Spotting The Yawlp in the wild is something you’ll want to tell your friends about because it’s like seeing the Loch Ness Monster but with 100% more trash-eating.
3. Impress your out-of-town visitors
Denver is filled with great attractions both big and small. There’s the Botanical Gardens, the Denver Art Museum, the Denver Zoo, and even zip lining. If you’re looking for something truly unique that is exceptionally different from the norm but just as exciting, Convergence Station is truly an adventure that will excite both locals and those visiting the city.
Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station r is more than an art museum. It’s an interactive experience where you’re immersed in another world. What makes it so unique is that there’s nothing else like it in the city. In fact, there are only three states (with another on the way) that have a Meow Wolf exhibition, so taking visitors to Convergence Station in Denver will impress them.
Many art museums feature paintings, sculptures, and more from world-renowned artists. But what’s really cool about Convergence Station is that it gives you a close and intimate experience with art that was created by local artists. 120 local artists helped create Meow Wolf’s Denver location, and in addition to that, hundreds more local artists work at the exhibit, from designers making costumes to the actors in each of the alien worlds. How many other attractions in Denver transport you to another world?
4. There are tons of tiny secrets to unlock
Secrets have already been mentioned previously, with good reason. Convergence Station has them, and you can unlock them. However, these aren’t your typical secrets. These are tiny secrets, as Convergence Station holds a mysterious experience filled with miniatures throughout the exhibition. So when you’re walking around, make sure to keep an eye on both things big and small.
Take the installation You Are Here by Colorado artist Scott Hildebrandt, for example. He created an entire ecosystem of a world using miniatures in vintage radio equipment. Contained in one transitional tunnel, You Are Here holds hidden worlds within Convergence Station. There’s an entire day’s worth of scavenger hunts in this room alone–for example, can you find 4 tiny goats?
Each of these tiny worlds is viewable through a window or small portal. So while you may be looking at the macro level of the art contained within this Meow Wolf structure, there’s a whole micro level hidden within the exhibit that tells its own story.
5. It’s perfect for mystery lovers
Many people enjoy a good escape room. Convergence Station is a little like that, except you’re not trapped in a room, there’s no timer, and there is no crippling anxiety that you’ll never escape. The thing that propels you forward is discovery. The main thing these two activities have in common is there are mysteries to solve–or not solve if you’re more comfortable just enjoying the aesthetics.
It’s more than just a really cool-looking piece of art. Convergence Station from Meow Wolf in Denver tells a story, and it’s best to keep your eyes and ears open in order to try and figure out the full story for yourself.
Everything surrounding Convergence Station’s participants is part of a larger narrative–one where even people on Reddit are coming together to piece together the fuller picture of the exhibition. The fine folks interested in unlocking the mysteries of the multiverse will find themselves at home in this other-worldly space. Essentially, what we’re saying is to bring a notepad because you’ll want to take some notes.
6. There’s a secret storyline about memories
Let’s talk about secrets. There are a lot of secrets in Convergence Station. And contained within those secrets is a narrative about memories. That’s right, Convergence Station contains secrets within secrets, like an awkward family get-together with much less drama.
What makes Convergence Station special is that it takes place around a cosmic event where everyone lost their memories, and personal memories from the inhabitants of the exhibit are represented in the art surrounding you.
Participants can access this secret storyline–which isn’t that secret anymore–through the QPASS system, using an RFID card at different ATMs in the exhibit. Or you can learn more by looking closely at your surroundings, piecing the story together for yourself from TV screens, and posters, and even talking to the characters on pay phones. This very much goes hand-in-hand with discovering new things every time you visit.
7. It’s a transit station in disguise
Do you like hopping on a train and taking a ride on the rails? While Convergence Station may seem like a very unique art exhibition, it’s actually a transit station, run by the Quantum Department of Transportation (QDOT).
Much like other transit stations, you’ll see plenty of people coming and going, as you enter the QDOT station, but what separates this from others is that you’re able to head to alien worlds using the TRAM. So you may start your journey in Denver, but the Convergence Station experience from Meow Wolf will take you elsewhere in the universe, without the hassle of interplanetary quantum travel, which seems like a huge hassle in real life, and there’s probably a ton of paperwork.
8. There are plenty of unique events and programming
Outside of the Convergence Station, there is a lot to check out at this Meow Wolf Denver location, like takeover events where DJs and performers show off their skills throughout the entire exhibition, and a recurring series of events called Danceportation.
If dancing and music are not your cup of intergalactic tea, then you can take part in Flexiverse, a wellness-inspired programming of events featuring yoga surrounded by lush neon forests in the Perplexiplex. There are also pop-ups like fashion shows or cosplay events. Or maybe you just want to have a local beer on the patio.
You can say “Hello” to some food at HELLOFOOD Cafe & Bar, where there are a variety of food and beverage choices. You can eat there or take it on the go, from rice bowls to ice cream cups to the previously mentioned beer.
9. Great place to go on a first date
It’s an established fact that most first dates can be pretty awkward. You don’t really know the person you’re on the date with, it might be your first time meeting, and you’re exploring the possibility of a romantic relationship. So instead of experiencing something you may both be familiar with, like a movie or a dinner at a fancy restaurant, why not experience something new and exciting for the first time together?
Adventure can lead to better bonding on a first date, and is there nothing more adventurous than visiting four different alien worlds? You can focus your conversations on the world around you and take the pressure off face-to-face conversation, all while still experiencing something that will create a bond. And if you want that face-to-face interaction, once again, you can grab a drink at the cafe or find somewhere to sit and chat.
If you want to learn even more about Convergence Station in Denver, visit the Meow Wolf website. There, you can learn more about Meow Wolf’s other experiences in Santa Fe, Las Vegas, and Grapevine, and pick up tickets.
Top image: Numina, credit Jess Bernstein
