Girls on Wheels (Cassie Richardson, Susan Hebert, Nancy Burns, and Vicki Baker) entering the bizarre and chaotic world of Meow Wolf
Vicki Baker
It’s been described as a journey through a Technicolor wonderland that blends storytelling, technology, and immersive art; an awe-inspiring experience for visitors to get lost in. Everyone raved about it, describing how amazing and life-changing the experience was. Many visit multiple times, like it was a religious pilgrimage.
Dubbed “The Real Unreal,” Meow Wolf Grapevine is (in simplest terms) a 30,000-square-foot walk-through attraction, designed and crafted by artists, letting visitors ogle, explore, and interact with the installations in order to solve a mystery, or not.
Intrigued by all the hoopla, Girls on Wheels ventured to Grapevine Mills Mall to experience firsthand this unusual dimension of creativity and imagination. The central theme revolved around a mother and her son Jared who has gone missing from their home to other places, real or imagined.
On this self-guided “tour,” we started at the mailbox, stuffed full of letters and postcards from family members, which made very little sense. Eh, that was okay. We were just looking for some fun and whimsy. Once entering the house, we wandered into secret entrances leading to different worlds, weaving through rooms, treehouses, gardens, alleyways, neon jungles, and even through a fireplace, washing machine, and refrigerator doors.
The attention to detail and artistry was stunning. It was innovative. It was creative. But it was just too much. Too much color, too much light, too much of everything not making any sense. Imagine entering a carnival fun house and falling down the Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole into a Willy Wonka factory.
But it was all art. But unlike art museums where a brochure, tour guide, wall signage, or app tells you about each work, no information was ever given. And the mystery of searching for the lost child? Well, it reminded us of an escape room without any real clues to follow.
We exited out the door, looked at one another, and shrugged, “I don’t get it.” Yes, each room in the looping, maze-like exhibition led to more rooms brimming with imaginative creations. We just didn’t see any connection between those and the storyline. Maybe others can find a life-changing experience at Meow Wolf. But for Girls on Wheels, we’ll look elsewhere.