I Took My Teenager to Otherworld

Tbh, I thought for sure that she was going to ask to go to the Columbus Zoo, or at least the bookstore so large that they give you a map. 

But on the way home from our college visit we had enough time to do only one activity in Columbus, and Will chose, for perhaps the very first time ever when such a choice has been presented to her, not animals or books, but Otherworld, an immersive postmodern art installation.

It was SO GREAT!!!

The premise is that you're exploring a mysteriously abandoned research facility, one that you learn has been exploring a connection between two realities, with results that seem to have gotten wildy out of hand. There's no handbook--or map!--to guide your explorations, as you wander between rooms, interact with what you find, and discover secret passages and hidden connections of your own:

Different artists designed different rooms, so there's no overarching organization to lull your senses:

I really loved this room, which had lighting that made you, too, look black and white:

Will discovered a secret passage in the guts of an arcade game that led us into the world inside the game:

The entire warehouse was a terrific multi-sensory experience, with the ever-expanding premise good for keeping your intellect engaged:

The mirror mazes were also pretty epic:

My favorite room was designed to look like a museum, with displays created by the research team's archivist:

I also really liked the mad scientist's laboratory:

It looks like we'll be traveling through Columbus pretty regularly over the next four years, as Will is now officially a Denisonian(!!!), so I guess we'll have plenty of time for the giant bookstore and the zoo on future visits.

Not gonna lie, though--I am MOST excited about Will being in shouting distance of an NHL franchise. I am thisclose to buying season tickets for next year so I can 1) have an excuse to visit my kid every home game, and 2) have an excuse to go to a LOT of hockey games by visiting my kid.

Go, Blue Jackets!