When the Science of Ripley’s Believe It or Not announced it was closing in late September to make room for “UFO Experience: The Truth is Out There” at Arizona Boardwalk, many people began pleading for the family-friendly attraction to return.
Their pleas were heard and Arizona Boardwalk re-sparked conversations with Ripley Entertainment Inc. about moving the museum of oddities to a vacant space a few doors over.
Ripley’s obliged the request and officially reopened March 28 as Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
“When we say it's back by popular demand, it really is,” said Boardwalk spokeswoman Karin Gallo. “Once we had taken it away, a lot of people were calling, people were showing up thinking it was still here, they were asking where it was or they would relay to us that they were really bummed because they missed it.”
Despite the problems created by the pandemic when the original museum opened in February 2021, it still was a hit with families and people of all ages.
“It's a great family attraction where you could go with your kids and take the time to read about some of these things about different cultures and artifacts and just things that seem incredibly unbelievable but are undeniably true,” Gallo said.
Although its new space is smaller in square footage than the previous location, its larger walls give the Ripley’s curators a chance to create an open-feel and showcase more exhibits.
“We were able to create galleries which gave it a little bit more of an open concept,” Gallo said. “It just feels like more of a museum with really fun little niches and there's still this section in the back where you can sit down and learn about Robert Ripley and the history.”
The museum still features fan-favorites like the life-size animatronic model of the world's tallest man, a display of unusual taxidermy that includes a two-faced calf and the compact yet drivable smallest car in the world as well as an array of new pieces.
Among the eye-popping new exhibits are a brick from the Yellow Brick Road from the motion picture The Wizard of Oz, a larger-than-life statue of the ‘Predator’ from the hit sci-fi film, an image of actor Tom Cruise drawn entirely by cigarette ashes and a vampire-hunting kit from the 1800s.
“One of the cool things about Ripley’s is its art and the medium in which the art is created,” Gallo said. “We have some new, very large and very exciting and vivid works of art that you can't believe what they're made out of like a portrait of Angelina Jolie that’s made entirely out of M & ’s.”
There also are more interactive exhibits.
“(Ripley’s) gave us some more interactive pieces like monitors for guests to interact with and pieces that contain a question or a riddle that kids can lift and find the answer to,” Gallo said. “There’s a lot of things to do and this makes it so there’s not one way to experience each thing.”
The Ripley’s staff has teased plans to keep the excitement buzzing throughout the foreseeable future.
“We’ve talked with Riley’s about doing some pop culture and major motion picture things again,” Gallo teased. “Ripley’s has experts that go around the world and they’re always finding these unbelievable oddities and crazy exciting things that I think that everyday people we can't even believe exist.”
Tickets are on sale now and guests can receive exclusive discounts when bundled with the purchase of tickets to other Boardwalk attractions like Butterfly Wonderland or OdySea Aquarium.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not
9500 E. Via de Ventura, Suite 4, Scottsdale.
480-291-5083, Ripleysaz.com.