houdini museum

They put on a terrific show for us using the power of telepathy and all kinds of cool unexplained tricks. The seance was very cool and very active. Didnt seem real, but was none the less still very scary and fun! Plus they give you free pizza during intermission. Great people, great entertainment!

We spent the afternoon at the Houdini Museum in Scranton - it was quite the experience. The Museum visit includes a historic tour and a magic show, both were fun and interesting. You need to make reservations for a Saturday or Sunday afternoon tour. You should plan to spend about 3-4 hours if you arrive at the scheduled 1:00 pm start time. The cost is extremely reasonable considering what is included in the tour.The Houdini museum is run Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brooks (aka Bravo the great), who are both extremely talented magicians, as well as Houdini enthusiasts and collectors. This is a small, privately owned operation - Dorothy and Dick do everything themselves. They have an unbelievable collection of Houdini memorabilia, pictures, posters, furniture, clothing, and many of his authentic tools of the trade. They are also Houdini historians and have extensive knowledge of his personal and professional life.The museum is inside a small building in an older Scranton neighborhood. The parking (free) and entrance to the museum is at the back of the building, which you access by driving around the block. When you walk inside it is "magical." The main room contains a small theater with a stage where they perform and show videos. This room also contains a gift shop. There are 2 additional rooms filled to the brim with their Houdini collection. One room is a pictorial history of Houdini, the other room is filled with Houdini items they have collected over the years. As a side note, there is are public restrooms which are easy to access and clean.The "tour" is divided into 3 segments. You begin in the main room where you are seated to watch a 30 minutes historic video about Houdini which contains clips from movies, documentaries, and television specials. The next hour is a guided tour of the museum where Dorothy and Dick share their extensive knowledge about Houdini and some interesting stories of their own Houdini-related experiences. Last but not least, you are seated back in the main theater room for a 60-90 minute interactive magic show.Dorothy Dietrich is a leading female magician in the United States and is also an escapologist (considered to be a female Houdini) - you can read about her online with a simple browser search. During one segment of the show she performs 30 tricks in 3 minutes. Some of her tricks include doves, puppies, and bunnies. The animals are cared for and loved, which is not only evident, but explained during the show. I got called up on stage during her act to participate in making a dove appear from a flaming red paper napkin (and no, I did not figure out how she did it!). All of her magic was thoroughly entertaining and included levitating an audience member. Dick Brooks is also a very talented and fun magician, performing more of the card tricks, slight of hand, and jokes. Both of them are terrific with kids! In summary, I found the experience to be very authentic, not hokey at all. The Houdini Museum offers a fascinating glimpse into the life and death of Houdini, Jewish history, old Hollywood, and spiritualism, all combined with good old fashioned magic.

Once you arrive, you are hustled in and held hostage for several hours! No food or beverages are sold or offered during your stay. The only show is an old fashion kiddy style magic show that has nothing to do with Houdini. The smell of mildew filled the room full of old newspaper clippings, old TV sets, & yard sale quality antiques. I couldn't leave because of the parking in the rear blocked my car in. Save your money and find an old Houdini film on AMC.

I just left there, paid ahead of time but still had to wait on a long line to make sure they got there money. There were way, way too many people crammed into only "one" room at a time, no one could move let alone walk around and look at anything! But were told you will be able to look around when it's over. "Not!" they closed each section as the crowed was pushed thru. Then pushed out the door but heard the guy saying to the next group, you will be able to walk around and look later. So still wish I could see a Houdini museum one day, and now I have less money.

I've been living overseas for a period of time and this summer had the opportunity to visit the NEPA area. I went to the museum for the first time since I was 5 and I wasn't disappointed. It still felt as quirky but there were new things to see, new magic tricks, and I felt very entertained. The experience is geared toward kids but I went with my mother and friend and we had a great time laughing and even participating in some of the acts. It's nice to see such a rich history of magic and it's refreshing to do something a little different, but certainly worth the visit. One thing to keep in mind though, plan your time accordingly and call ahead to make a reservation. We were there for a lot longer than we anticipated because we were having fun and enjoying the show.

I went to the Houdini museum this past Saturday (8/22/14). I want to first talk a little about the museum and what you should and should not expect. The "museum" is an old converted house on Main Ave in Scranton PA. Why would there be a Houdini museum in Scranton you ask? Well the curators say that Houdini had a love for Scranton and performed some of his longest running shows in the city. In my opinion I believe it has more to do with the curator being from the area. Niagara Falls use to have a Houdini museum but that burned down paving the way for the one in Scranton. I have tried many times to visit the museum, usually calling by phone and having a little pressure put on me to give my credit card and reserve my tickets. I never wanted to do this because the reservations are nonrefundable. So on this particular Saturday afternoon I decided to just show up and see what happens. First off the entrance is actually in the back of the building, so when you arrive go around the block to a small parking lot. Doors opened at 1:00 and not a minute sooner, so expect to stand back there until that 1 pm mark. Once the doors opened we were greeted by John Bravo aka Dick Brookz. John reminds me a little of the father from the Adams family. People then formed a long line that spanned two rooms and they "checked in" with Dorthy the other curator. If you reserved your tickets I believe the price was 17.95 and if you were a walk in it was 20.00 per person. Once the check in process is complete you take a seat in this large converted living room (complete with stage). The gift shop is also located in this area. The thing that struck me was the pure clutterness (is that even a word) of the place. Along the wall sitting on a shelf were around 10 old tv sets, the walls were filled with poster and pictures. The house looked like a cross between hoarders and Blackstone (had to throw in a magic reference). The show begins with a short movie on Houdini and we are all then ushered into a side room (converted parlor). John then stood in front of various pictures and talked about Houdini's life while making corny jokes to the young kids in the crowd. Once seated we are introduced to Dorthy Dietrich. She is a curator and a top female magician from the 70's and 80's. She tells us a little about the house and shows us a few of Houdinis actual items (ie phone from his house, pictures of his parents, a set of his locks). There were not a lot of actual Houdini items from what I could see, mostly reproductions, if there were actual items than they weren't really shown to us. Once this portion of the tour is over we all gather back to the stage area. Dorthy will then do a flash magic routine to some charlies angels type music. The magic was very good as dogs, birds appeared out of nowhere. It is easy to see that she loves performing. After her first part of the show is done she will do another set, this time calling up members of the audience (usually kids) to help. After she is done John will then perform. Johns magic is not as advanced as Dorthy's and was geared mostly towards the kids and selling props in the gift shop. During the show people would arrive and John would tell them to wait a few minutes for Dorthy while he was in the middle of performing, this is why I think you would be safe getting tickets that day, people were coming in close to 2:00 and were allowed in. Well if you are expecting an actual museum than you will be disappointed. This is more of 2 people sharing their love of Houdini. If you go expect to be there awhile. The total time I was there was 3 hours and about 2 and a half of that was sitting for the magic show. This is a good place to bring young kids or if you have a deep interest in magic. I think its a good value for the money, just don't expect to pop in and out, once you're there you're in for the long haul. Dorthy and John are very friendly, knowledgeable, and nice people. I was actually a little jealous because these people are doing what they love and found a way to make a living out of it. All in all a good place to go and a nice way to eat up most of the day.

What quirky, interesting, memorable, magical, experience. Don't let this little gem pass you by if you are in the Scranton area and like magic, espescially those interested in Harry Houdini. Between BRAVO's quirky antics and information on Harry's career to the second room which contained a multitude of artifacts from the master illusionist himself as described by Dorothy Dietrich to the magic show featuring audience participation, animals and antics the three hours seemed to fly by and leaving you wanting more. If was able to give more than 5 stars i would. great choice for kids of all ages and some really interesting information about Harry Houdini you may NOT have know. KUDOS

We really wanted to see the Houdini Museum and based on the information on their website, which said that it was open daily in August, we planned on going on a Monday afternoon. The website gave 2 phone numbers to order discounted tickets. When I tried to call on Monday morning for the tickets, both phone numbers reached a "this number cannot be connected as dialed" message. I found another number with the same result. We drove to Scranton only to find that the building was locked. Later in the day I found information on their Facebook page that they would be closed that day. What a disappointment.

We spent an informative and entertaining afternoon. For those who criticize the dated environment, please realize that it is part of the charm. It is like a step back in time. The owners do a wonderful job of explaining the history of Houdini. This is aided by terrific pictures, clippings, and artifacts. Dorothy has a passion for her career as an illusionist, escape artist and magician. Children of all ages will love the numerous animals and audience participation in her show. This is a class act!

Don't let the outside of this building keep you from going in. Once inside you will sure to have a great time and be sure to get there when the museum opens so you don't miss one minute of the experience. There is a general welcome portion in the main area followed by a description of Houdini's exploits in a room filled with Houdini memorabilia followed by another room with Houdini artifacts. All of that is about an hour followed by the main attraction -- a honest to goodness, fun and happy magic act. Well worth the admission for the great time. We were four adults and we had a great time from start to finish.

If you are visiting Scranton, this is a must see. First impressions don't do it justice. Dorothy and Bravo the Great have made every effort to continue the legacy of Houdini. Moving from the small theater around the small museum you learn about houdini's rise to fame and the real details of his untimely death. There are many artifacts from his life and shows and from magic in general. After the very informative tour, there is an excellent magic show with lots of audience particiaption, great 70 ' s music, lots of jokes and all around entertainment. We loved it. The show was a little long at the end talking about all the trinkets to buy in the gift shop. But overall, I think it was very kid friendly and inspiring for the next generation to explore the mystery of magic!

Traveling two plus hours to the Scranton, PA site was a true value. I would have liked to have seen the NYC site twenty years ago as regards space available.The Museum has utilized every square foot of wall and shelf space to preserve the ideas and memory of the great Houdini. With two dozen people of all ages, this was a well-packed audience. Some original and and some replicated materials helped to conjure up views of 'Houdini Lives', as the bumper stickers in the gift shop indicated.Two plus shows by our museum hosts Dorothy Dietrich, a noted magician herself and her brother, kept us mesmerized with various feats of magic and illusion. The mixed age audience allowed for inter-generational reactions to on-site gags and humor interspersed with magic acts.Worth the price of admission to travel back to an age of David Copperfield and the company of Eric Weiss--the Great Houdini

GREAT EXPERIENCE! Dorothy & Bravo the Great do a great job preserving the memory of Houdini. They are also excellent with children during the magic show. We spent about 4 hours there and could of stayed longer! If you love Houdini and the art of magic, this a good place to spend an afternoon.JKPittsburgh, Pa

We saw the ad for the museum in a brochure for the Poconos and decided to go there. When we arrived at the address on Jul 14, it looked way off beat, given the neighborhood. It had a good marquis/sign, but it wasp in a 100 year old house and parking was in the back accessible by a back street. We paid admission to a nice lady, not knowing how this was going to go. Well, there's a LOT of Houdini props and memorabilia there and both curators know a LOT about Houdini and we heard some really great stories about him and his life. AND, it turns out that the lady is Dorothy Dietrich, a VERY accomplished magician (see google). She and her associate performed a stunning number of illusions in two 30 minute performances that involved both children and adult volunteers! I had a sword put through my throat! We almost did not go in, but later concluded this was worth more than 2x the $20 admission! It was fun and informative and we were there for hours. Come at opening time if possible. These were not employees reciting from a script, they were dedicated performers/curators who are seeking to keep Houdini's memory alive. They even replaced the bust of Houdini when it was stolen from his grave in NYC in 2011. If you're looking for a sterile museum visit, this is -NOT- for you. If you're looking for a personal experience, this is one you will never forget!!

I feel terrible every time I hear of or read people writing about how hyped they were to come see this place. There's people who have traveled from other states to come here. This place is a joke! I have lived here my whole life, been to this place a couple times. I had my 8th birthday party here. Believe me when I tell you to NOT waste your time here!! First of all, Houdini has nothing to do with Scranton. He was never at this building, ever. They make it seem like Houdini was a big deal here, but he wasn't. Second, this place looks the same as it did the day they opened. Maybe if they updated it to be more modern, and organized it a little more, they would make more happy customers. There's no parking, the room they use to host parties is extremely cramped, their main room where they have the stage is also small for hosting parties. I do like the owners though. They are very very nice and down to earth people. Just for fun, one of my friends had a birthday party here when we were in high school (even though their parties are aimed for 10 and under) and the owners went along with it and hosted it as if we were little kids. They still put on their cheesy magic show, they made us sit at the table made for kids, they made him wear the birthday crown while sitting on the birthday thrown, and we did very childish games. It sounds stupid, but we actually had a fun time with them and I think they enjoyed having a teenage crowd for once. But anyway, if your passing through town and you want to check it out, then so be it. But please please PLEASE do not come to Scranton just for this, you will be disappointed!!!