Visiting Mercer Labs is like walking through a dream. 15 rooms take you on a journey through your senses while stirring up creativity.
I get a lot of invites for fun things to do in New York City. Some of those do not make their way into my blog. Often, I’ll visit a visually stunning place with my kids and they’re bored within minutes of arriving. Mercer Labs captivated my kids and me for 3 hours and I will go back.
Artist Roy Nachum is the genius behind Mercer Labs latest creation. Blindness is a common theme in Nachum’s work, which can be found throughout the installation at Mercer Labs. Braille is commonly used in Nacho’s work and is found near each display in the museum. Crowns are also placed over the eyes of subjects. Nachum has collaborated with Rhianna, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, and other musicians and has had artwork shown around New York City, Tel Aviv, Denmark, Italy, and many other places around the world.
Nachum uses Mercer Labs’ space to display paintings, sculpture, mixed media, and interactive art. In almost every room, my kids and I watched the changing displays with amazement. Many of the rooms are quite trippy, and I felt as though I was on some hallucinogenic. Probably the safest way to experience what a trip must feel like. (Not that I know anything about that)
Three hours seemed about right for the time spent. Some rooms have places to sit down, where you can sit back and be mesmerized by your surroundings. Some pieces are interactive, such as a room where you color an animal and then watch it come to life on a screen. There’s also a ball pit visitors can slide into.
My favorite room is one of the first rooms you enter. A dove with wings spread wide invited us into the room, then fluttered around. In the same room, a wave covered the room with water like lighting. If you are visiting Mercer Labs, hang out in that room for a long time. The video changes frequently and there’s a lot to experience.
Kids of all ages are welcomed, but there isn’t much room for strollers. One room is loud, which my youngest kid didn’t appreciate. If you have a kid that is sensitive to sounds and strobe lights, you might want to visit without them first.
Mercer Labs is located at 21 Dey Street in Manhattan . To purchase your tickets, click here.
@onegooddad Mercer Lab in NYC is like walking in a dream. Senses are awakened in every room. One of the coolest experiences Ive had in NY in a while. #mercerlabs #nyc #newyork #newyorkcity #fy #fyp #travel #museum #video #tiktok #foryou
Other things to do in NYC:
Wonderland Dream: Where Visitors Become Art
Spyscape: Spying and solving in NYC
Visiting Madame Tussauds
Batman X at Spycape
Rise NY
History of the Liberty Pole in City Hall Park
History of Bowling Green’s Fence
Visiting St. Paul’s Chapel
Gaming at the Paley Center
Harry Potter NY
Great Jones Distilling
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Moulin Rouge on Broadway
Unmarked Slave Burial Ground
Hamilton Dueling Grounds
List of Museums in NYC that are free or have suggested prices
Visiting the Guggenheim with my Toddler
Visiting the MoMA with Kids
Visiting Hamilton Grange
Visiting Grant’s Tomb
Visiting the American Girl Store
Arlene’s Grocery is a great place to catch up and coming stars
This Mercer Labs looks amazing! This is going on the bucket list
It really is amazing! Highly recommend.