By Jill Harness on June 19, 2011, with 17 Comments
I recently wrote about my trip to Universal Studios and while on vacation, my boyfriend and I also decided to take a stop at Knott’s Berry Farm. Since I can’t ride roller coasters since I started getting migraine headaches, the thing I was most looking forward to was the park’s Mystery Shack, partially based on the famous Mystery Spot of Santa Cruz.
Unfortunately, upon arrival, I learned the shack was torn down over 10 years ago because they found it too difficult to maintain.
While I was disappointed to not get to live out this fun memory from my youth, I was at least able to find a website that shared a variety of pictures and information from the attraction. So at least this way I still get to share the cool illusions that once stood at the park with all of you.
The Mystery Shack was built on a hill, which would mess with your perspective just enough to create a variety of cool illusions. The first trick involved forced perspective that made two people appear to change heights right in front of a whole audience. Next, your guide would take you inside where you would see a chair that stood perched on the wall without nails or magnets.
Near the end of the shack was a water trough that would seemingly send the water uphill.
By the end of the tour, you’d feel like you didn’t know which way was up and how to walk straight. It was a great illusion. While I couldn’t visit the shack, I’m still happy to get to share its memory with all of you. Hope you enjoyed our tour.
(22 votes)
There’s a place similar to that in Oregon. I think it’s called the Oregon Vortex. I never quite understood how the gravity illusions worked. They really mess with your mind.
Im from Oregon my mom and anut went were gonna go sometime
There’s one in gold field, Arizona too
You should have gone to Gold Hill, Oregon. (Near the Oregon California border.) The Oregon Vortex has been open since 1930!
http://www.oregonvortex.com/
there is one in Holland just like that.
they have a complete show with water running up and the chair against the wall-thing.
so if you really REALLY want to see it, visit holland.
If you’re ever in West Virginia, look up the Mystery Hole. It looks like it’s just about the same kind of thing.
http://www.mysteryhole.com/welcome.html
There is also aother place in South Dakota. It soooo weird!You feel fine but when you look at other people it looks like there slanted.
At Alton Towers in the UK there is a ride called Hex. There is a lot of build up whilst you’re in the queue about this haunted old tree. When you get in and sit down, there are 2 rows of about 30 pew type seats on each side of the “tree” in the centre of the room. The doors close and the seats start swaying, except the seats don’t actually move. The entire room spins round the seats giving the illusion you’re travelling upside down but you’re not moving at all.. Really messes with your mind.
There is something like this in South Dakota its called The Cosmos or something like that. my family went on a vacation to south dakota and stopped by this place and it was really cool but did a ton of things just like this place you described. maybe you can check it out and bring back childhood memories :)
Um so Knott’s owns calico ghost town here in Yermo, Ca…. You can always come here and go into the mystery shack. Has the water and all. I think it burned down once and they rebuilt it but I have gone to both the one at knotts and the one in Yermo since I was a kid
There is also a Mystery Hill in Blowing Rock, North Carolina – http://www.mysteryhill-nc.com/joomla/
That is just like the Magnetic House at Six Flags Over Texas
very simple, the whole house was purposely built like its on the ground but its actualy slanting for real, the man who took these shots also adjusted the way it should look like they defy the gravity. lol I guess
There’s an amusement park in Western PA called Idlewild that has this very same attraction. You walk at a slant in it, water runs up hill, & you can sit on a chair that is on the wall & not fall. It’s all on how it was built. It’s pretty neat & can make you a bit sick at first but very fun!
WUT
iv’e been to a place like that. the road to the shack is blocked so you can’t see the fact that it is slanted. but it is.
( i made a ball roll up a ramp! so cool!)
The Mystery Shack at Calico Ghost Town in Yermo, California is a San Bernardino Regional Park. The Mystery Shack in Yermo pre-dates the Haunted Shack (the actual name) at Knotts. These attractions were a common occurrence in old western towns, which is why Knotts duplicated it in his western themed town. They are built on the side of a hill, appear to be flat, and gravity performs all the tricks.