Forget your usual route through Nordstrom by way of a pretzel pit stop at Auntie Anne’s; just when you thought the state's largest mall couldn't surprise you anymore, Woodfield Mall announces WONDRA, a sprawling new immersive experience set to open next month. Beginning Friday, September 5, the 11,000-square-foot attraction will turn Chicagoland’s busiest mall into a portal to another world. Think glowing forests, floating cloudscapes and interactive ecosystems.
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The concept comes from Merlin Magic Making, the same creative force behind Merlin Entertainments, known for attractions like LEGOLAND and Madame Tussauds. Conceived and built in under a year, WONDRA is presented by Fever, the entertainment platform that’s brought Chicago everything from candlelight concerts to immersive Van Gogh. But WONDRA promises to be something even more elaborate: part art installation, part tech playground and part love letter to the natural world.
Inside, you’ll wander through enchanted meadows that respond to the sound of your voice, stumble across bioluminescent landscapes and drift into crystal caves and celestial gardens that blur the line between digital spectacle and raw wonder. The experience is designed to be multisensory, which means you finally have an exhibit/experience that you can touch or even shape parts of the environment as you go. Every corner is crafted to ignite curiosity and inspire a sense of awe we, whether you’re a kid seeing it all for the first time or an adult who forgot what it feels like to play.
There’s something particularly fitting about WONDRA debuting in the suburbs, where nature can feel a little too familiar to even register anymore. Instead of just driving past it while running errands, explore a whole new aspect of nature with a glowing universe just minutes from home. It’s an exciting addition to Schaumburg’s family-friendly offerings, joining neighbors like Peppa Pig World of Play but with a decidedly more adult scope and ambition.
Tickets are now available, so if you’re someone who likes to say they were the first to discover the next big thing, now’s the time to get on the list. Because come September, the line to walk through the clouds in Schaumburg might just rival the one for Garrett Popcorn downtown.