VIRTUAL REALITY. Dreamscape was hands down, one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced.

I’ve done some of the rides at theme parks that have a virtual reality element, and I’ve always thought VR was pretty cool. At the time, I had no idea that a fully immersive and interactive VR experience was even possible (and actually, it probably wasn’t then… But it is now!) The short synopsis: you put on a headset, hand sensors, foot sensors, and a backpack. Once you’re geared up, you enter the experience of your choice.

I’ve always thought VR was pretty cool.

I highly recommend booking tix in advance because this experience is so amazing that they were basically sold out for the entire rest of the day by the time we arrived for our 2:30 reservation. Another tip – don’t be late! Like, at all. Think of it like a movie where it has a specific start time and if you come when it’s over, you missed it. Leave plenty of extra time to park and to drive (because, LA.) But, it is SO worth the trek. If you’re like me and can only handle the drive to LA a couple times a year, let me tell you that Dreamscape is an experience you don’t want to miss. (FYI – they also have another location in Dallas TX.)

I don’t even have anything to compare it to because it’s so unique and amazing, almost life-changing. 

So now onto the story lines: At Dreamscape, there are currently 3 different experiences to choose from, and each one has a different story line. (And a 4th experience is in the works so stay tuned!) My personal favorite was called Alien Zoo, and I can only describe the visuals as comparable to stepping into the movie Avatar – only you could actually “touch” an alien, feel your spaceship shaking as another alien tries to attack you, and throw a real bouncy ball to shoo other cute and tiny aliens away. I liked this one the most because of the bright and exciting visuals, the tactile effects, and the story line.

There are currently 3 different experiences to choose from, and each one has a different story line.

My bf’s fav experience was called The Curse of the Lost Pearl. It had kind of an Indiana Jones vibe, and it was also the most interactive. There were problems to solve as the room started to “collapse” around you, there were “torches” you actually hold to light your way, and at one point the platform “fell” out from under us and we had to step towards the edge to continue our quest. The VR is so real you might feel your fear of heights kick in (I know I did!), even though you never leave the room you first entered.

The VR is so real you might feel your fear of heights kick in (I know I did!), even though you never leave the room you first entered.

The last experience was the most immersive. It was called The Blu, and felt like we actually went on a scuba

adventure with whales. The graphics are so next-level that I gasped when I saw the the giant whale next to me and I looked into its eye. It felt so real and so alive that I had to remind myself this was all the result of a headset. Even as you go “down” into the water, the wind and sound effects around you give you the vague sense of being submerged.

The graphics are so next-level that I gasped when I saw the the giant whale next to me and I looked into its eye.

When you are in the Dreamscapes, you also enter as an avatar that you choose before the experience begins

(not to be confused with the movie Avatar, which I know I referenced above, but I felt like I had no other way to describe the visual effects from Alien Zoo!) Anyways, if you put your hands out in front of you, you will see your avatar’s hands. If you look at the people around you, you will see them as the avatars they chose. You can reach out and touch them and they are exactly where their avatar appears to be. Actually, everything is exactly where it appears to be, which brings me to my next point.

Miraculously, I didn’t get motion sickness from this at all.

I get it from almost anything that moves (planes, escalators, elevators) or even things that appear to move (like VR.) Miraculously, I didn’t get motion sickness from this at all. I asked one of the staff members at Dreamscape and he said that lag is what causes motion sickness with VR, even if it’s only a few milliseconds. Basically, with a lot of other VR software, when you reach towards something, your hand is actually moving slightly faster than you see it move in your headset, and the lag causes motion sickness in some people. This software was so good, there was no lag. When you move, you see yourself move. It feels like real life, only you’re “underwater” or on another “planet” or on an adventure in some ancient runes.

So which one should you choose?

I highly recommend doing all 3. They’re all very different and fun in different ways. I didn’t leave any of the experiences feeling like it was just okay. I also think if we only got tix for one or two, we would have wanted to do the whole set (especially after that drive to LA, amirite?). Check out Dreamscape for more information and to be the first to know about their new experience, coming soon!