I just returned from CES 2026 (the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas), and what a non-stop, whirlwind of a week it was! Much was familiar but much has changed. I have the inside scoop on many products and services to share with you over the coming weeks and months, but first, however, let’s take a look at something that I did to unwind on my last full day in Las Vegas.
Located in AREA15, Meow Wolf Las Vegas’ Omega Mart is much, much different than any grocery store. This is a self-guided, immersive, mind-blowing, interactive art experience.
Your visit to Omega Mart will begin in what appears, at first glance, to be a grocery store, but it is a grocery store unlike any other. Your visit can take as long or as little as you’d like. Exploring that store is just the beginning, as my photos show. There is so much to do there that on my first visit I stayed for the entire day. People were interacting at workstations with computers, flipping through books on shelves, reading mysterious notes on desks and watching strange videos. I suspect that you could spend days there and still not experience everything. This place is WONDERFUL!
A bizarre grocery store — read the signs and labels
(Jan Wagner)
How I decided to revisit Omega Mart is an interesting side story in itself. Since parking in at resort properties on the Las Vegas Strip has become very expensive (do you remember when it used to be free?), I try to take advantage of the free parking benefit of the MGM Mastercard at MGM hotels on the Las Vegas Strip. Since there are still some stretches of the Las Vegas Strip that do not yet have an MGM hotel, I often park at the closest MGM hotel and walk. Doing that is what ultimately led me to revisit Omega Mart.
On the first day of CES I decided to attend the Lenovo Tech World keynote address and Gwen Stefani concert at the world-famous Las Vegas Sphere, which is connected via a walkway to The Venetian Resort. I parked for free at MGM’s Bellagio and set out to walk to The Venetian.
Adventures await through this disguised entrance to behind-the-scenes at Dramcorp
(Jan Wagner)
Along the way I passed by a group of entertainers with Omega Mart logos on their clothing. They were distributing hand-flyers offering 25% off on General Admission tickets to Omega Mart. To entertain me, they asked me to download an Omega Mart app onto my iPhone which, in conjunction with my iPhone’s camera, showed me cool things.
During my conversation with them, I mentioned that I was a member of the press and that I had extensively covered Omega Mart, complete with a large photo spread, a few years earlier. Since I had my iPhone out and open, I showed them the column that I had written. Then and there I decided that revisiting Omega Mart would be a fun thing to do on Saturday, my last full day in Las Vegas. I mentioned that to them, and asked if they could try to set it up so that I would have permission to take some more photos with my professional camera. They liked the idea, and Omega Mart got back to me via email to make arrangements for me to visit, as their guest.
Discover a surreal world of art and corporate intrigue
(Jan Wagner)
Omega Mart was and is extremely popular. While there are subtle differences from when I first experienced it a few years ago, thankfully it is as wonderful and spectacular as ever.
The biggest changes that I noticed on this visit were the additions to AREA15 (https://area15.com/experiences). This place has evolved into a major entertainment venue, with multiple new buildings and attractions. In one of the new buildings is “Universal Horror Unleashed,” billed as “Universal’s Year-Round Horror Spectacle” with four haunted houses. In another building is “Illuminarium”: “Illuminarium transports you to a sensory experience like no other.” At the “John Wick Experience” “your bets have real consequences.” Multiple return visits are likely in my future.
AREA15 is a massive entertainment complex
(Jan Wagner)
For more information and tickets, visit Omega Mart at: https://meowwolf.com/visit/las-vegas. Also see ” OMEGA MART — Park your ride & shop inside” — my HUGE, colorful, mind-blowing “AutoMatters & More” photo spread from 2022 at: https://automatters.net/omega-mart-park-your-ride-shop-inside/.
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