I love discovering new things to do in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. It seems like there’s always something unique popping up nearby, from paint splatter zones to destruction rooms–even an all-you-can-eat buffet with a robot! But immersive experiences are some of my absolute favorites, so I was super excited to learn about The Lost Planet Selfie Museum in Virginia Beach!
Now, I’d never actually been to a selfie museum before, but I’ve been wanting to for quite a while. It seems these fun places are popping up all over, with whacky, surreal, and beautiful settings for you to take photos in. The Lost Planet is no exception, with over 20 “different scenes and worlds to explore.” It sounded like the perfect place for a date night with Daniel, so we actually ended up going for our anniversary!
We had a fantastic time not only taking selfies but also exploring all the crazy details in the larger exhibits. It was definitely an adventure I won’t forget anytime soon!
FAQs About the Lost Planet Selfie Museum
- Where is the Lost Planet located? It is located right on the Virginia Beach Boardwalk at 1910 Atlantic Ave, Virginia Beach, VA 23451. Look for the giant gorilla head!
- How much does it cost? The selfie museum costs $16 for ages 10+ and $12 for ages 4-9. For an additional $12 per person, you can add tickets to the on-site mirror maze.
- How long does it take? The beginning part of the selfie museum will probably take you about 20 minutes. But once you exit the first area (more on this later), you have up to one hour to explore the rest of the selfie museum.
- Who is this selfie museum for? Daniel and I had a great time making this a date, but I would love to go back and do this with a larger group of friends. There’s some crazy stuff that’s sure to make you all laugh. This could also be a great idea for a family group because there’s a lot of exploration and sensory elements in the second part of the museum. Just be warned, there’s a decent dose of “potty humor” (mostly booties and flatulence sounds).
Quick Summary of the Lost Planet Virginia Beach
Our journey began with following one of the workers up a flight of stairs and into a strobing tunnel of lights and music (AKA the portal to the Lost Planet). The worker told us to take as many pics as we wanted along the tunnel and that she would meet us at the other end.
After we took a few silly little shots, we followed the tunnel to the first main room of the Lost Planet.
The Selfie Stations at the Lost Planet
This first section is divided into two portions: a series of small selfie “booths” and a retro diner.
When we visited, they had 7 different selfie stations set up, and the worker encouraged us to take our time and snap as many pictures as we wanted. She was also right there to take photos of the two of us anytime we needed them.
Some of the booths were pretty straightforward, like a “Better Together” greenery wall, a holiday throne, and a little jungle bench. But a few were more interactive, like a fire-breathing dragon, a kidnapping monkey, a destructive robot, and a DJ booth. The girl with us patiently talked us through each booth to get the best shots.
In the diner portion, you can interact with a few different things (specifically, a giant toothbrush that makes (ahem) gas noises when you walk around it). But the main photo attraction is a diner booth that looks like it’s being snatched up by a giant gorilla.
Once again, the worker guided us through the different things we could do and took our picture in the diner booth.
After that, she told us we had one hour to explore the rest of the museum on our own…as soon as we found the secret door out of the diner! I thought that was a fun little addition to send us on to the immersive portion.
The Immersive Rooms at the Lost Planet
The Foam Forest
After we found the secret door, we walked down a sloping hallway and entered a dark and mysterious forest (Ooooohhh). It was a really neat room with neon paint all over, a wall of mirrors, a foam pit, and a two-player Street Fighter video game!
In keeping with the forest theme, vines draped across the ceiling, a giant tree with a face, and forest sounds played over the speakers.
We had the place to ourselves, so we jumped in the foam pit, chucked foam chunks at each other, and played a couple of rounds of Street Fighter. Apparently, there were a bunch of hidden openings around the room with funny images inside, but we forgot to look for them because we were having so much fun!
Laser Obstacle Course
As we exited the Foam Forest, we walked right into a large hallway filled with “lasers.” In reality it was a bunch of ropes strung between the floor and ceiling and lit up with more backlights. But it looked really cool! I did a horrible job of not touching them, but each time I made contact, there was a zapping noise, which was a fun touch.
This was a pretty short section, but it made for a fun transition to the next area.
The Heart Room
The centerpiece of the next room was a giant anatomical heart surrounded by mirrors. A bunch of LED tube lights fed into the top of the heart, like veins and arteries, and they flashed along with the thump of the dance music playing over the speakers.
The heart is actually hollow, so you can climb inside and see the interior covered in sticky notes! They supply sticky notes and pens so you can write a note and leave your own little message for future visitors. How fun!
The Full Moon Room
The final section is the Full Moon Room. It starts with a short, space-like hallway, and I loved the effects of the strobing lights that changed colors as we walked.
But when you exit this hall, things get very bizarre.
It’s called the Full Moon Room because…well, you’re getting mooned. Rather than planets floating in space, this room has booties on the walls. And I was not prepared for it!
After we finished laughing, we did have fun exploring the whacky stuff in this room. There are a few “spun” chairs (the ones that look like giant spools of threads), so you can spin around like antigravity. But the main attraction is the stage and “Booty Cannon.”
On one side of the room, there’s a stage with a pole. And by the door, there’s a podium with a large set of cheeks that trigger the booty cannon. If you smack the podium, fake money will blow out onto the stage. 😂 It was ridiculous but so much fun, haha!
This is the last main room in the Lost Planet, so after you exit here, you’ll go down a final hallway with some neon signs guiding you to the exit.
You’ll come out on the second level of the building, and you’re free to hit the road or go back to the front and enjoy the Mirror Maze.
Quick Summary of the Mirror Maze
We wanted to do both activities, so we went back to the front and bought tickets for the Mirror Maze. Because we did both, we each got free pairs of special glasses for the Mirror Maze. Apparently, these glasses make the maze even trickier!
They also gave us gloves so that we could feel our way around without smudging the glass.
The maze isn’t huge, but it is pretty extensive. I loved all the flashing lights—they added to the trippy feel. The maze also has little surprises hidden in the different dead ends, from statues and treasures to Santa Claus.
The staff let us go through as many times as we wanted. And since it wasn’t busy, they even ran a few little races with us! Daniel beat me every time, but it was still a fun little twist on the basic Mirror Maze experience.
Closing Thoughts on the Lost Planet Selfie Museum
All in all, I thought the Lost Planet was a blast. Daniel and I had a lot of fun just goofing off and finding the little “secrets” in each room. And we have lots of silly pictures and videos to crack up about now.
It could get a little pricey to do both activities if you’re in a large family group, but I was glad that we decided to pay for both the Selfie Museum and Maze. They were both fun in their own ways–and the Mirror Maze is kind of a boardwalk classic, so we had to do it!
Feel free to drop any questions below, and I’ll answer them ASAP! I also have a new YouTube video all about the Lost Planet, where you can see videos of everything in action. If you’re still deciding whether this is for you, be sure to go watch it.
If you’re looking for more things to do in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, you’re in luck–I have a ton of posts dedicated to Virginia Beach and the surrounding towns, including an Insider’s Guide to Hampton Roads. You’ll definitely find some good ideas there and in many of the posts in my “Exploring Virginia” category.
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