The Secrets of Houston’s New Meow Wolf Are Being Revealed — Inside an Immersive Wonderland Where Surprises Abound

The long wait for Houston’s own Meow Wolf is finally just about over. The interactive art wonderland is opening this Thursday, October 31 in the Bayou City’s historic Fifth Ward neighborhood. It’s big. It’s weird. It’s freaky. It’s unlike anything Houston has ever seen before. 

Founded in 2008, the Santa Fe-based group has developed something of a cult following for the surreal, immersive lands it creates.

Each Meow Wolf exhibition — the others are The House of Eternal Return in Santa Fe, Convergence Station in Denver, Omega Mart in Las Vegas and The Real Unreal in Grapevine — introduces a multi-sensory, bizarre, maximalist world with dozens of spaces, all joined by an overarching Meow Wolf megaverse. Visitors are encouraged to follow the site’s mysterious storyline at their own pace and explore its labyrinth of hidden doors, portals and secret passageways. Houston’s own Meow Wolf is dubbed Radio Tave.

Inside Houston’s Meow Wolf

Houston’s new Meow Wolf is situated in a two-story, 32,000-square-foot warehouse on 2103 Lyons Avenue. More than 100 artists, half of whom call Texas home, worked on this massive undertaking, including Kill Joy, El Franco Lee II, DUAL, Jasmine Zelaya, Loc Huynh, Neon Thrash, Royal Sumikat, Trenton Doyle Hancock and Patrick Renner. 

Meow Wolf also collaborated with several local organizations such as Fresh Arts, the DeLUXE Theater, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art and Project Row Houses to bring it a uniquely Houston flair. 

From an interdimensional radio station and a comic-book-style DJ booth, to a honky-tonk bar in Cowboy Purgatory, here’s just a taste of what you’ll find at Meow Wolf Houston:

Your adventure begins at the headquarters of ETNL Radio, a beloved local station that has inexplicably found itself caught in another dimension. When so many secrets beckon at every turn, you may be tempted to move quickly past the starting point. But don’t underestimate ETNL’s seemingly innocuous studio.

Take time exploring both floors and all the recording rooms. Interact with the space. Play the instruments. Put on the headphones. Talk into the microphones. You might be surprised who talks back. 

Radio Tave is one of several Meow Wolf installations to house a live event venue within its labyrinthine map. This two-story concert hall, named Theta Theatre, seats 400 and will be used for concerts, special programs and private events. When not in use, the area also functions as one of the central vestibules between rooms. Watch the stage backdrop transform as the room is awash in black light, illuminating patterns in fluorescent paint. 

Obsidiodyssey is a major anchor space of Meow Wolf Houston. Created by Santa Fe-based artist Janell Langford, this six-room installation invites explorers into a retro-futuristic world. The rooms represent different stages of the artist’s creative process, told through the story of Langford’s character CJ, an art director tasked with creating a music video. Langford also has a capsule collection of art prints, shirts, tote bags and more. You can check those out at the gift shop. 

Need a rest? Stop for a drink and a bite at Cowboix Hevvven, Meow Wolf’s first-ever fully functioning bar and restaurant. Otherworldly creatures abound in this purgatorial honky-tonk. A band of celestial beings performs onstage. Two supernatural beings are engaged in a fiery poker game. A glowing tribute to late Meow Wolf artist Matt King sits at the bar next to an octogenarian armadillo.

Good ol’ country tunes flow continuously from the jukebox, which holds secrets of its own. Punch in some numbers and see what happens. 

The Amalgam is an especially magical, dream-like space. An enormous sculpture of found objects towers over visitors, spanning two stories and seemingly careening into the unknown. Ordinary items — a birdcage, a dollhouse, a shelf full of board games — become strange and even eerie in this unfamiliar environment. 

Longtime fans will recognize homages to other Meow Wolfs — a forest of glow-in-the-dark trees, a dilapidated arcade with a vending machine of bizarre refreshments, an alleyway full of odd storefronts. Many familiar characters make a return as well. See if you can find them — we won’t give away everything. 

Leave No Portal Unopened

Meow Wolf Houston is a world of wonders. Don’t be afraid to linger in each area, as unusual things may happen seemingly at random. Pay attention to details. Many props and decorations — records, music posters, even snacks — were custom-made for Meow Wolf and contain clues about the overarching story.

Be curious. Open cabinets, tap screens, flip through books, touch items, grab handles — whether they be attached to a door, a refrigerator, or a vending machine. 

In keeping with the theme, Radio Tave is Meow Wolf’s most sound-driven exhibition yet, featuring more audio-based activations than any other location. With so much stimuli at every turn, accommodating visitors with autism and sensory differences became a priority. All the Meow Wolfs, including Houston, are certified through the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards. Sensory items such as noise reduction headphones and sunglasses are available, and all staff members receive autism and disability training.  

Meow Wolf is a place that celebrates the unknown and welcomes the unusual. Choose your own adventure as you move through this surreal world — then come back and choose another if you wish. And another. 

Meow Wolf Houston: Radio Tave opens this Thursday, October 31 at noon. Houston’s Meow Wolf is located at 2103 Lyons Avenue Building 2. Tickets start at $40 for adults (though all the dates in November range from $45 to $49) and $25 for kids 12 and under. For more information, click here.