Ripley's Mirror Maze - a New Reflection in Myrtle Beach
Look!
There she is.
No, she’s over there – and she’s over there too.
What’s going on?
You have just entered Ripley’s Marvelous Mirror Maze, the city’s newest family experience. It’s a reflective environment where nothing is where it appears to be! The attraction opened its doors on Friday, June 13 and the interest has been high ever since!
The walk-through attraction features hundreds of floor to ceiling mirrors that are sure to baffle anyone’s sense of direction! “Our Marvelous Mirror Maze is not your granddaddy’s house of mirrors. This is a totally new concept in amusement design and it will provide a different experience every time you enter,” said Peter MacIntyre, general manager of Ripley’s Attractions in Myrtle Beach
Remember those mirror mazes and glass houses that would come to town with the carnival? We’d stand in line, give the man our crumpled ticket, and climb the metal stairs to enter. There were so many fingerprints on the glass and so much trash on the floor that we never had much trouble finding our way through the hot and stuffy maze.
Ripley’s Marvelous Mirror Maze is worlds apart from those early attractions. Featuring nearly 2,000 square feet of mirrored paths, surprising corners, dead ends and continuous circles, the place is air-conditioned, clean, and contemporary AND because people wear gloves, there aren’t any fingerprints to give a clue to the quickest way through!
Sound and lighting effects make the experience even more daunting. Unlike mazes of the past, this one offers multiple paths throughout and adventurers can begin at the end and work their way through backward if they wish. They’ll hand you a pair of 3-D glasses when you enter and you can wear them or not wear them, it’s your choice. The glasses really change your perception and Ripley officials say that it usually takes those who wear the glasses a “substantial” greater amount of time to work themselves through.
Here’s a hint: You are allowed to keep your glasses when you are finished. Walk next door and go through Ripley’s Haunted Adventure and wear your glasses in there! Wow, talk about adding an even scarier element to your walk through experience there! But that’s a different story, we’re talking about the maze here.
The maze is a fun family experience that will appeal to children, teenagers and adults alike. Made entirely of highly reflective mirrors, everyone can take as long as they like, or need, to explore the endless hallways and hundreds of mirrors as they journey through the adventure.
Red floor lights leading the way are nice to look at, but in the end, can only frustrate you more. Those little lights provide all the light you need, but when reflected dozens of time in the mirrors, they can be quite unwieldy. If you follow the lights instead of your instincts, you’ll surely bump into a mirror. If you use your instinct and start double guessing yourself, you’ll go crazy.
You can’t see many clues on how to go through. If you stand there and look around all you’ll see is yourself looking back. There appears to be no clear path for escape! With so many choices – it is never the same experience twice.
Kim Kiff, the director of Ripley’s Ocean Blvd. attractions, walks the maze several times each day making sure everything is safe, bright, clean and shiny. She notes that there is a “simple pattern” inside the maze that once you find it, going through will be easy and not confusing at all. She won’t say what it is though. “The fun is trying to figure it out for yourself,” she said.
“The best way to go through is slow and easy. Don’t run and always lead with your hands, not your head or face. That doesn’t work too well,” she added, laughing. There are two passageways leading into (or out of) the maze, as well as a fake exit, and a person can choose to enter (and exit) through any of the doorways. “I would say half the people who go through disappear for a few minutes and get so turned around that they come out the same way they went in,” Kiff said. “When they look up and see you, they are quite surprised they doubled back. They thought they were heading in the other direction.”
Priced at $8.99 for all ages over 5, The Marvelous Mirror Maze is one of the area’s most affordable attractions and that one ticket is good for unlimited use by you all day. If you buy the ticket in conjunction with other Ripley attractions you can save even more.
Ripley’s has operated in Myrtle Beach for 32 years and currently operates Ripley’s Aquarium, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum, Ripley’s Haunted Adventure, Ripley’s Moving Theater, Ripley’s Super Fun Zone and now Ripley’s Marvelous Mirror Maze.
The new maze is open seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to at least midnight. It’s located directly next to Ripley’s Haunted Adventure at 915 N. Ocean Boulevard.
About the Author: Tim O'Brien is VP Communications for Ripley Entertainment and can be reached at obrien@ripleys.com.
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