Nestled between the shops at University Place in Orem lies Utah’s newest interactive indoor theme park. Dreamwalk Park was created by artist Ben McPherson and entrepreneur John Pope as a way to engulf people in a world that is adjacent to their own.
After meeting during Pope’s appearance as an extra on the series, “Yellowstone,” the two sci-fi enthusiasts began discussions about how to best use McPherson’s expertise in immersive entertainment. The conversation planted the creative seed that bloomed into what is now Dreamwalk Park. Brad Skaar soon joined the team and helped pull an entourage of artists and technicians into the cause.
The park offers a fully immersive experience in which visitors are enveloped by seemingly “otherworldly” environments. After three years and over 150,000 hours of labor, it is now open and drawing visitors from across the state.
Featured Attractions
Dreamwalk Park features four uniquely extra-terrestrial chambers, each home to a creatively engineered landscape. The entrance to the attraction, aptly titled “Quantum Veil,” masquerades as a cocoon of clouds dotted with space rocks and molten lava. The room also features an animatronic spinning tornado. According to the park’s website, it “safely propels you through the fabric of space and time.”
The second room, the “Galactic Grotto,” features a celestial symphony of light and sound. The room features a series of what appear as space creatures and the “Gen Vii Falls” waterfall, accompanied by a bridge for spectators to watch the choreographed show that occurs periodically.
The key to the “Tomb of The Mythics,” the third chamber, lies in the “Experience Badge” that is provided upon arrival at the park. The badge is used to light up over 50 hidden dimensions in the walls of the room to reveal the creatures buried within them.
The final chamber, “The Fungi Forest,” features another of the choreographed light and sound shows that sends haunting light dancing in and around a set of mushrooms standing at over eight feet tall. The corridor leading out of the forest is lined with fossils of creatures: earthly, robotic and alien.
Something Extra
If the chambers themselves are not enough, the park offers optional upgrades that help enhance the experience. There is potential to purchase the Dreamwalk Decoder Light to take through the attraction. It is essentially a black light that reveals hidden messages and drawings on the walls of each room and also serves as an artistic tool to write and draw on the walls in the final chamber.
Immediately following the conclusion of the last room, the Merge Marketplace allows visitors to play thematic games and interact with robots in a sci-fi-inspired pub akin to the Mos Eisley Cantina from the Star Wars Franchise. Complete with robots and extraterrestrial creatures, it is a great way to end the experience.
Dreamwalk Park is truly an attraction for everyone of all ages. Depending on the walking speed, the experience may take 45-75 minutes and is packed with tons of fun for the whole family. The ticket prices are about $29.95 per person, which might be a bit hefty. However, for a one-of-a-kind experience, it just might be worth it.
Visit Dream Walk Park at 575 E University Pkwy Suite N-237, Orem, UT 84097, USA.
