Harry Houdini Museum Tour & Magic Show

Was told the museum is only opened on the weekend this time a year and only to groups. We were told we had to leave. Would it have killed you to post some winter hours on you site. It took me 6 hours to get here. Then I was told to go home.

What’s special about magic?
Today anyone can go on the Internet and discover how a trick is done. But yet there’s something special about magic, especially when it’s performed in your presence by a master.
Magic is an art. It is an art of deception. But it also involves belief. The art involves a willing spectator who suspends his notions of reality and allows the magician to take him on a journey of wonder.
The Houdini Museum succeeds in taking you on such a magical journey. Make the trip to Scranton (through a rough neighborhood in a city whose glory days are well behind it), turn off your cell phone for a few hours, let your guard down, suspend your disbelief, and you will be well rewarded.
Magic!

This is one of those classic roadside attractions. Great family fun. It is run as a not for profit museum dedicated to the preservation of all things Houdini. The tour once a day at 1pm lasts at least 3 hours. It starts with a brief video followed by a tour of the history of Houdini in the first room then another room of some of his personal artfacts. Then there is a major show by Dorothy a famous magician in her own right and Dick Bravo her sidekick. The two of them particularly Bravo were hilarious. I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time. In a good old fashioned American way. There definately was no political correctness in the show but it was all done in a good old fashioned everyone needs a sense of humor way. Even when they were hawking the gift shop items it was hilarious. And you didn’t feel bad purchasing anything as it was going to support the upkeep and preservation of the museum, not lining some greedy corporation or owner looking to just profit off tourists. We wish them luck and hope the will be around a long time

«Over the top weird.»
We dropped in to the «museum» in 2012 and we stayed to watch the «show». How it is that they have the right to present a show about Harry Houdini I do not know… but all I can say is that you will most likely never see anything like this again.
The «museum is basically a collection of Houdini memorabilia in a residential home in Scranton, Pennsylvania of all places.
Is it worth the visit? Yes, if you are obsessed with Harry Houdini. No, if you expect to find a museum in any sense of the word.

I took my Wife & Kids to the museum and we have a wonderful experience. It’s a great mix of history, information and stage shows that kept our children entertained the entire 3 hours plus. Our children ages range from 4 – 12.
The people who run the museum, Bravo The Great, and Dorothy Dietrich are both entertaining and really nice & personable people. They performed really well, and took time out to talk to us, and Dorothy even gave my children a lesson on how to use their new magic wands purchased in the gift shop. She even personally walked us out to our car at the end, which was really nice.
Overall I felt it was a very well balanced time, and I felt I received a great value for the money spent. I will definitely love to go again soon!

Garbage. Do not go.cheesy.awful. Extended sales pitch for out dated magic kits.$ 20 a head? Only magic trick they did, made money disappear

The Houdini museum is a hidden gem! I stumbled upon it on a google search one day. I won’t lie, It seemed a bit shady from the outside of the building. But once I got inside, I was in awe. You will meet Dorothy, a magician herself; she is so bubbly has the most extensive collection of Harry Houdini items in the US. She and her partner have great stories to tell about magic and all of the items in the museum. She also puts on a magic show at the end, and encourages guests in the audience to participate. It’s off the beaten path, and nothing like a traditional museum. Definitely a must see!

Not only do you get to learn about Harry Houdini, but you also get to participate in a classic magic show where they take volunteers from the audience. If you’re in the area, I highly recommend stopping here. Definitely take the kids, if you have them.

If you’re interested in seeing the real America, the kind of America that isn’t centered around an amusement park, then the Harry Houdini Museum should be on your list. It’s a small, one-​of-​a-​kind museum run by Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz in Scranton PA. It’s a converted house in a residential area so be careful not to drive right by looking for a big, commercialized attraction. But inside is everything you’d ever expect in a museum dedicated to Houdini. Dorothy and Dick scour the Earth looking for any bit of genuine Houdini memorabilia from the actual equipment he used in his tricks (such as an actual milk can fron his most famous escapes) to genuine theater programs detailing his life as it was recorded during his lifetime. The museum houses the most complete Houdini collection anywhere.
The Houdini Museum is more than just a walk-​through, 25-​cent tour. Its proprietors, as well as providing a magic show for its patrons, take great care in preserving the Houdini legend in the most factual manner possible. They told us as much about Harry Houdini the man as they did about Harry Houdini the magician and it is a most fascinating story about a most fascinating individual. I came away with much more respect for this entertainer, entrepreneur and most honorable American.
Operating the museum is a labor of love for Dietrich and Brookz. I doubt they are wealthy people because of it, but they pour their hearts and souls into keeping alive the Houdini legacy and history for us all. The Houdini Museum is truly an American treasure but one that will not last forever. Maybe in a generation it will not be here anymore replaced by a Disney-​fied version of Houdini complete with all the embellishments of a comic book hero cleansed of any trace of his real humanity. I fear that once the museum is gone, Houdini himself will be permanently lost so please plan on seeing it soon.
With that all said, I obviously give the Harry Houdini Museum two thumbs up. It’s a genuine slice of America and the perfect afternoon diversion from the theme park scene. Yes, they will offer things like for purchase (we bought a deck of magic cards and a reproduction theater program — both very reasonably-​priced) but you can rest assured that every dollar you spend there goes directly back into keeping the museum going.

I walked into the Houdini museum, into a room just packed with… stuff. Magic props, stuff, and … junk. It smelled like an old lady’s attic. I thought «I just paid $ 15 for this?»
But the tour was wonderful. The museum is an old house full of rooms packed with memorabilia — doesn’t seem like much at first, but the tour guides made it fabulous. So much sincerity and enthusiasm in their tour, and so much interesting detail.
The best part was the magic show at the end. Rabbits were pulled out of hats, women were levitated. It’s the kind of fun people rarely have in a world of Playstations and big-​screen tvs. It was nice to know that even though the secrets to pulling a rabbit out of hat are available on the Internet, it can still bring a smile to my face to see it done. It was old-​fashioned and hokey and just heart-​warmingly good. I can’t believe how much I enjoyed it.

HAUNTED! Mind Mysteries & The Beyond!
Very entertaining! Dick Brooks does a great job with his paranormal «tricks» — many, if not all, will leave you wondering…“How did he do that?“
Over 3 hours of paranormal fun. ending with a séance in the dark.
$ 35.00/person — mention the $ 5 off coupon when you call for tickets.
Website:

SUPER AWESOME! The true pride of North Scranton. Great place for a spooky date, but make reservations, they sell out way in advance, like weeks even!

Awesome good time! Charming in a quirky low-​budget Wes Anderson kind of a way. Two people who run it are super nice and perfectly strange. If you keep your tongue firmly in cheek they will too.