Winter is coming. As the breezes get brisker and chills get chillier, we need more indoor places for our kids to play. So welcome to our new Tuesday series, where we’ll share all our latest findings for winter play spots! Comment if you have suggestions.
The Imaginarium Zone is like a funhouse for budding photographers. Nestled in the basement of a building off Baiziwan Road, it’s the perfect new place to pop into after an inspiring weekend trip to Today Art Museum and before dinner and drinks at Plan B. If you want to do something invigorating and different with the kids but don’t have a lot of time, the Imaginarium Zone could fit right into that after school/before dinner slot.
But what is it? That’s a good question, and before experiencing it, I had trouble explaining it to my kids. “A funhouse where you take cool pictures” is the best way I could translate the description on their site, “highly immersive and imaginative set designs for dazzling social media moments!” They were a little wary before entering, especially because the bare white staircase taking you to the basement doesn’t feel inviting to a six-year-old, but it didn’t take long for them to get into the groove.
First, you place your belongings in a locker, including your shoes. Then, you head for doors clearly marked “In” and “Out,” where the adventure begins! Employees time participants well so there aren’t too many people inside at any time, which is good because it’s easy to walk into someone else’s frame.
Inside is a series of rooms where everything is on the ceiling or creates an optical illusion. With the right angle and expression, it’s easy to turn your photos upside down so they look really cool! Luckily, an employee takes you through and will coach you on how to make the coolest photo for posterity. The concept is a little hard for kids to grasp, at least as young as mine are, so here are a few examples of our successful and almost successful photographs:
Most successful
This was by far the easiest to grasp (pun intended). It’s all about the facial expressions.
Moderately successful
You wouldn’t know the one on the right is the little brother, would you?
They were tickled to hear this is similar to how the hobbits were made to look smaller in The Lord of the Ring movies.
Almost made it
All we needed for this one to look better is to stand on his tiptoes.
Gravity works against us
If I could have just found a way to make their hair fall, this photo actually works!
I absolutely want to return, especially after reviewing the photos together and practicing how to make it look like you’re upside down even if you aren’t. Older kids would get the concept faster and probably have more patience for being directed by an employee, but we still had a great time! It’s such a unique place for kids to play and use their imaginations.
If you have kids ages 14+, right across the hall are three separate escape rooms: one ice-themed, one horror-themed, and one called “The Tattooist” which looks more frightening than anything I would ever do, but seems perfect for thrill-seekers. And again, the neighborhood surrounding these experiences is absolutely worth the trip as well!
Imaginarium Zone
10am-10pm (appointment required). C2-01, Basement 1, Pingguo Community North Area, Building 6, 32 Baiziwan Road, Chaoyang District (138 1059 9351)
尖叫空间 奇幻馆, 朝阳区百子湾路苹果社区北区6号楼负一层C2-01
Price: RMB 98 (Dianping promo price RMB 68). Free access for children under 100 cm. Children under 12 years old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Images: Cindy Marie Jenkins
