Last month I was discussing Meow Wolf with someone here in Des Moines and they told me about a place in Kansas City called Atlas9. Some quick research confirmed that this place did indeed seem like it was a Meow Wolf-like attraction. Since Kansas City is only a three hour drive from Des Moines, I decided to drive down and check it out.
Atlas9 opened in late September 2025. By the time of my visit in June 2026, everything was still (mostly) shiny and new. Only a handful of items were out of order, and none of those prevented completing the full quest.
The full quest?
Let’s step back a moment and explain just what Atlas9 is. The official website describes it as follows:
“Atlas9 is an immersive art experience in Kansas City’s Legends District unlike anything else in the Midwest. It has quickly become one of the most unique things to do in Kansas City, inviting visitors to step into a mysterious world hidden inside a transformed 90s movie theater.
Explore at your own pace and discover immersive art, uncover hidden clues, and piece together a story unfolding around you.
Live performers appear throughout the scenes, making the world feel alive and different every time you visit.
You don’t just visit Atlas9.
https://www.atlas9.com/about
You become part of the story.“
I notice some websites categorize Atlas9 as a museum. Others consider it an amusement attraction and group it with places like escape rooms. I have even seen it categorized as night life, likely due to it having food, alcohol and live entertainment. And let’s not forget movie theater since it is themed to one and has special showings of retro movies from time to time.
I suppose it is “all of the above.” There really is no category for this type of place other than to say it is “like Meow Wolf.” Meow Wolf seems to be patient zero when it comes to popularizing this type of experience, most notably with all the internet buzz they generated when their weird grocery store themed Omega Mart opened in Las Vegas in 2021.
I think I can help explain what Atlas9 is by describe four ways you can experience it:
Method 1 – As a museum
While I personally am not interested in “weird art” enough to pay $40 to just walk around and look at it, those who do enjoy “weird art” might find this a wonderful experience. Walk around, look at some amazing artistic creations, and then go about the rest of your day. Unlike an actual museum, this art is immersive. Rather than looking at paintings on a wall or some odd modern art statue thing in the middle of a room, this whole place is the subject. You may find yourself in a room of crystal etchings and mirrors, floor to ceiling. Or, wander in to a room that appears to be made of giant red licorice candy, next door to a room made of giant popcorn and soda cups…
If you might be interested at this, but not at $40, they offer various discounts such as half price Tuesdays at $20 and special “grown ups only” nights at $30.
The art style is diverse and varied. There is an area that is like something from an animated movie. Another one is like a room from a space ship. There are even mundane areas, such as the movie theater manager’s office and break room. Think of it like walking through movie sets from various genres of films — which is pretty close to what the storyline at Atlas9 is based on — and areas that were part of some movie that escaped into our the real world. Or, “reel” world, as Atlas9 calls it.
Be sure to read “some times for exploring” below, as well.
Method 2 – As a scavenger hunt/quest
When you buy your ticket at the “box office,” you will receive a wristband that serves as your admission. You then wait until the next orientation session. About every 15 minutes one of the Atlas9 “agents” will begin explaining the storyline of the place. This includes a short video, followed by the agent getting you set up in the system. Setup involves scanning a QR code on your wristband, selecting some information on a screen, and having your photo taken.
You may see your image will later if you complete certain steps…
I will try to avoid real spoilers here, but the story is that this place was a movie theater. Around 1995, “something happened.” Areas from the movies they were showing at the time became real. You get to explore these areas and “become part of the story,” including finding out what happened to some theater employees who went missing…
The scavenger hunt (my term, not theirs) involves finding stations throughout the attraction and putting your wristband up against them. There are also larger stations with screens where you can scan in and see your progress. This tells you how many of the stations you have found. Sorta.
Some stations are merely checkpoints, proving that you went to a specific location. Other stations are part of a puzzle where you may have to perform certain steps (possibly in a certain order) to get credit for that location. There are even a few movie poster marquees that put you in the poster when you scan them… This explains why your photo was taken when you began.
If you get stumped, there are usually hints nearby on attached cards, or a nearby sign or poster. If you look around, the answers to most all the “puzzles” seem to be available. If you get really stumped, one of the Agents (staff) can give you hints or walk you through the needed steps. If you ask where a certain room is, they will even escort you over to it — great customer service!
Atlas9 is by no means an “escape room” experience, but it certainly has some fun elements to figure out if you choose to. You have no time limit. You don’t lose. You just have a lower count of how many things you found.
The large stations will show you your progress with a series of steps either checked off (completed) or still TO DO.
Those stations also basically tell you where to go for each step. If you go into a section, you will find photo clues showing you where you need to go. If you want more of a challenge, try not to look at those images 😉
I will spoil one thing: We were offered a free poster printout at the end of our visit. We got to choose which one we wanted to take home. For free. They print out on an 11″ x 17″ sheet in full color. For free. This was a very nice surprise at the end, and a reason you may want to make sure you scan all the movie posters inside the attraction even if you aren’t trying to play the game.
Beyond just having to scan in at certain places, there really where only a handful of puzzles to figure out. We completed all the tasks, but with some hints from Agents who patrol the area. If you want to play this as a challenge, just be sure to refuse their offers to help 😉 I do not consider the puzzles particularly difficult to figure out, but when you have to find a date code to enter into a computer panel, it helps to know where to start looking for that code.
Oh, and yeah, there are a few disguised doors that hide other rooms and even a hidden station you need to find to complete the game. If I recall correctly, every “hidden” room still had a normal door you could use to access it. (And yeah, there are some crawlspaces you can explore, but none were required for completing the tasks.)
Be sure to read “some times for exploring” below, as well.
Method 3 – As a mystery
There is a deeper storyline to Atlas9. To learn it, you need to dive in to paperwork you might find in an office or “log in” to computers and read e-mails. On those computers, there may be documents or image files to open, or movie files to play. They all build the story of what happened at this theater, involving their Holomax 4-D projection system.
There are also telephones throughout the attraction (and outside in the Containment Zone where you enter). These phones can be used to dial various numbers you find. Some are voice mails. Some ring other phones in the attraction. Some will fill in aspects of the story while others are just fun little things to listen to. (Be sure to try to call the pizza place if you find that number.) One could probably spend many visits just trying to locate and dial all the phone numbers and see what plays when you call them.
It does make me wonder how many numbers and recordings there are to discover. If you find a phone directory, please leave a comment…
Some tips for exploring
Details are hidden everywhere! Open cabinets. Check drawers. You might even find a surprise if you try to throw something away in a trash can. What’s in the refrigerator? Is there something in that mop sink? Look around — including up and down. If you do this, you should really appreciate the amount of effort that went into this place. Even that RV you see when you first enter the building has some stuff in it too. Be sure to go inside.
Any door that is not specifically labeled as an emergency exit is worth trying. Early on, we found some private staff doors that had visible locks on them. We assumed any door with a visible lock was off limits. That is not always the case — but don’t expect everything to open. There are fake doors, and real doors that lead to conference rooms and event space which are not open to the public.
Method 4 – As a hangout
Lastly, you can just use Atlas9 as a hangout. You can even check out a bit of it for free.
While it takes a ticket to get in and buy drinks at the Speakereasy bar, or snacks and drinks at the Concession Stand, you do not need a ticket to visit Splice Bros Pizza. When you enter the building, you are in the Containment Zone outside of the attraction. You have access to their gift shop, the VERA RV vehicle, and Splice Bros Pizza without needing to buy a ticket.
The vibe in Splice Bros Pizza is very fun. The ceiling is covered in movie ticket stubs (check the dates). There are specialty drinks, appetizers, salads and, of course, pizzas. The place is also covered in “graffiti” so, if they don’t offer one to you, be sure to ask to borrow a marker so you can leave your name somewhere there. We hid ours in there and look forward to trying to find it when we return.
Even the cups are customized for this location! Remember when Disney used to do that? Today, everything at Disney seems to be generic “Disney Parks” and used at all their parks.
There are also specialty drinks and a full bar. The pool table and two cocktail table retro arcade machines (Dig Dug and high-speed Ms Pac Man) are on freeplay. If you are local, you should at least pop in for a quick bite and check out the aesthetics. (We both enjoyed our personal pizzas.)
BUT, if you want to hang out in the attraction, you can buy a yearly pass. For less than four visits you can get unlimited access to Atlas9. We were told that, currently, pass holders don’t need to make a reservation like you do with day tickets. And, you also get a free T-shirt available only to pass holders. If you are the type who likes to collect T-shirts, that makes this an even better deal.
Pass holders are given an identification card on a lanyard to use rather than a wristband. Those wearing these seem to get extra attention from the staff — we got a lot of “welcome back” and “nice to see you again” type greetings.
With this pass, you can pop in just to have a drink at the elite “hidden” Speakereasy bar. If you find it, and are brave, try the popcorn old fashioned…
Or, grab something from the Concession Stand (move theater snacks, drinks and full bar).
And the best part is — you can carry your drinks around. You don’t have to just meet friends for a snack and a few beers… You can grab a drink then explore the attraction together. There are many rooms that have places to sit and hang out. I’m pretty sure if I was a local, I’d be hanging out here often.
And don’t forget the entertainment. Each hour there is a live performance that alternates between the movie theater stage and the “jazz club” stage. During my visit there was a violinist and dancers, aerial silk acrobat, and whatever this is called:
The performances in the “jazz club” featured some audience participation, so if you absolutely want to avoid that, view it from the second level.
In the theater, a set of performers do a unique show where they are interacting with projected images as well as using handheld light wands that change colors and synchronize with the soundtrack. Those wands create patterns when they wave them in circles — very cool.
There was another performer that used two curved “light wands” like a high-tech fire or sword dance. I generally consider myself very jaded due to seeing so much high end theme park entertainment in my lifetime (and I am OLD), but I hadn’t seen this.
The theater itself, in between shows, presents a selection of short films, including some made specifically for Atlas9 that tie into the backstory. Of course, being Atlas9 it’s not just a normal theater. The walls are made of geometric shapes and projection mapping is used on them during the films.
There are also typical movie theater segments where you might see some trivia or “guess the movie poster” type thing, just like at a normal theater … except here things are never quite normal. Occasionally, a version of the orientation video plays to remind you what the heck is going on here.
We really enjoyed the theater. We easily watched 45 minutes without seeing it repeat. I have no idea how long the loop is.
Oh, and there’s an arcade with most games on freeplay. A VERY unique game – actually, the first commercial video game ever created, is available to play! I have NEVER seen a Computer Space in the wild.
Some tips…
Without giving away spoilers, here are some things I wish I had known:
- Your ticket includes a free custom movie poster at the end of your visit. Be sure to go to the gift shop on your way out.
- There is a $7 free refill cup available. They told us we could even use it from visit to visit. (Non alcoholic beverages only, of course.)
- Use your phone to scan the QR code on your wristband to check your stats from your phone’s web browser. The stats are retained so you can resume your quest on your next visit.
- The yearly pass also includes a t-shirt.
- An elevator is available to get to the second floor.
- In addition to the large restroom near the arcade, there is a small one on the second level near where the elevator comes out, and another small one at Splice Bros Pizza.
- There is a water bottle refill station.
- Be sure to explore the RV in the entrance area.
- …and I am sure I’ll think of a few more to add to this list and revise this blog post later.
Conclusion
Yes, it is “like” a Meow Wolf, but the addition of live entertainment sets it beyond what I have experienced at Convergence Station in Denver or Omega Mart in Las Vegas. This place just feels much more “alive” thanks to the people. Though, these creepy orange haired women freak me out…
They seem to wander aware from the stage in-between shows, typicalyl in packs of 3 or 4 from what I encountered. They were my first impression of the place when I entered, and I knew I was in for something special 🙂
Pictures of my adventure at Atlas9 will soon appear in my Other Places gallery:
https://www.disneyfans.com/photos/misc/OtherPlaces/Kansas/index.html
I look forward to returning and learning more. Until then, if you’ve been, or plan to go, leave a comment.
