In a time driven by social media and the quick snapshots with smartphones. Many people long for that one special photo to complete their Instagram feed. This is where Lost Planet, an interactive selfie/art museum on the Virginia Beach boardwalk looks to fill that void.
Nestled in between a Harley Davidson store and Mirror Maze, passersby would never suspect what wonders would lie inside of the business. “I have passed the Lost Planet probably a million times walking down the street,” said VWU sophomore JJ Jacobs who frequents the boardwalk. “My friends and I stopped here one night because of the large gorilla statue outside, needless to say, we had a great time taking photos inside.”
Originally opening a week after Covid-19 restrictions were lifted in VA, Lost Planet is a great opportunity for a good time to take your mind off of things. “I feel like, in the midst of everything going on with covid, this place offers a lively place to come and have a good time with your family and friends to make memories,” said Michelle Kelly an employee at Lost Planet.
Featuring 5 interactive rooms that all offer different photo opportunities, the Lost Planet offers a unique experience for groups or even solo guests. It also includes a special scavenger hunt to find the 6 lost worlds hidden inside of peepholes throughout the rooms.” I think it gives a nice, fun place that people can experience and make some memories here,” said Michelle Kelly.
Each room is designed to give a different experience for participants. The first room starts off with a psychedelic walk-through hallway filled with lights that leads into a green room. The greenroom offers several photo opportunities and has an interactive DJ booth that can be used for videos.
Inside the 2nd room lies a mind-bending optical illusion, complete with a lopsided diner table and a large pair of menacing hands protruding from the wall. The room also includes a puzzle to find the door to the next room, which is a great opportunity for groups to put their heads together to solve a problem.
The 3rd and 4th rooms both include a pleasant variation of colorful lights along with a foam pit that you can launch yourself into for a quick action photo, a hallway filled wall to wall with mirrors and lights that you have to figure out how to get through, and a walk through laser light hallway. Yet one of the most interesting parts of these rooms is the Sega Saturn console with Street Fighter that’s hooked up to two old school TVs. This gives participants the opportunity to have a little retro fun and get a little competitive with their friends.
The 5th room in particular offers a rather heartwarming experience. Inside is a room full of mirrors with a large heart in the middle. Inside of the heart is a hollowed-out area filled wall to wall with sticky notes. “ It spreads joy and happiness,” said Michelle Chong, manager at Lost Planet. Patrons of Lost Planet are encouraged to write a positive message, something they love, or fun drawing on a sticky note before they put one up.
Lost Planet is open Thursday – Sunday for walks in and pre-reserved time slots.“I’m hoping we just bring a little happiness to the world with the Lost Planet,” said Chong. Each tour is 30 minutes with everyone allowed to take as many photos as they like during that time frame. There’s no age restriction to who can come to Lost Planet, in fact, families are encouraged to come. “Contributing just a little joy is what this is really all about,” said Chong.
By Christian Jones
cajones4@vwu.edu
