Keep cool — and be cool — at these one-of-a-kind indoor immersive experiences

Nothing feels better on a blazing hot day than a cold blast of A/C, especially when it isn’t you paying the bill. Instead of going to the usual air-conditioned spots like the mall or movie theater, go for an immersive adventure. At these six spots, you can cool off while exploring a new artsy world, learning about the galaxy or sinking a hole-in-one.

Dorrance Dome, Phoenix

Explore our galaxy and beyond without having to leave your seat. The Arizona Science Center’s new Dorrance Dome gives visitors a “360-degree immersive experience,” said the Phoenix New Times. The planetarium dome is covered in 44 million LED lights that shine 100 times brighter than traditional bulbs, delivering a “‘wow’ factor.” The additional wattage turns the usual 2-D projection into a 3-D production.

Multiple shows are presented at the dome, including “Worlds Beyond Earth,” narrated by Lupita Nyong’o, “Moonbase: The Next Step” and “Orbital,” an animated look at life on Earth and what it’s like for astronauts to look down at the world below. Check for after-hour shows and special events too, like yoga and sound healing held inside the dome.

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Hijinx Hotel, Irvine, California

Leave your suitcase at home because the Hijinx Hotel isn’t for spending the night. It is instead a place to “play, not stay,” filled with 15 challenge rooms, each offering a different interactive, whimsical experience. The games test your memory, speed and aim, and scores are tracked electronically with a key card so you can see how your performance stacks up compared to other groups. The hotel’s theming is impeccable, with workers dressed like bellhops and housekeepers and a grand lobby library featuring eclectic paintings and sculptures.

Hijinx Hotel also has a full bar and restaurant that could rival any resort’s offerings, with drinks served in novelty glasses and a sweet-savory high tea, three karaoke rooms and a secret speakeasy where the party goes on and on.

Holey Moley, various locations

Holey Moley gives mini golf a makeover. These indoor courses are “full of unusual sets — think the moon landing and dinosaurs,” said the Daily Pilot. Each hole (there are 27 at each location) has its own theme, and while all are over-the-top, some go all-out, like Morning Tee. The goal at this hole is to guide your ball through your grandmother’s retro house, maneuvering obstacles like old furniture and radios.

Visitors can order Holey Moley’s “extravagant” cocktails, like the vodka, watermelon and lime Twinkle Toes served in a “unicorn chalice,” and then slurp it while on the course. Some locations also have karaoke rooms, and the Austin Holey Moley offers arcade games and interactive darts.

Meow Wolf, various locations

Each Meow Wolf is its own interactive world designed by dozens of artists. These large-scale installations in Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas (and coming soon to Los Angeles and New York) tell different stories, but all are “part art exhibit, part escape room, part scavenger hunt and completely wacky,” said Fodors.

The Santa Fe location, called House of Eternal Return, appears to be an ordinary Victorian-style house, but the “refrigerator door opens to a secret passage” and something “peculiar” is under the stairs, said Fodors. Houston’s Radio Tave is a mysterious “audiovisual extravaganza,” and at Las Vegas’ Omega Mart, visitors choose their own adventure in a surreal supermarket where nothing is as it seems.

Getting lost in the “labyrinthine pathways” and allowing your imagination to “run wild” is part of the fun, said Fodors. A visit to one of these destinations lets you “unlock a deeper appreciation for the creativity and ingenuity” displayed.

Paradox Museum, Miami

Prepare to spend your time at the Paradox Museum totally confused and feeling topsy-turvy — that’s the point. The 70 interactive exhibitions and illusions exist to “mess with your head,” challenging perceptions by “distorting or redirecting what you’re seeing,” said Time Out. One room is “literally upside-down,” while another makes it look like you are eating at a dining room table with “clones of yourself.” The trippiest area is the Zero Gravity Room, where it “seems like you’re floating in space.”

Don’t leave your phone in your pocket though. There are ample opportunities to snap photos that will “blow away” your friends on social media, said Time Out.

WNDR, Boston and Chicago

At WNDR, visitors go on a multi-sensory journey, making their way through mirrored spaces, interactive light exhibitions and a living gallery where the portraits on the wall come to life. There are 15 installations at the Chicago location and 20 in Boston; each taps into a sense of “curiosity, playfulness and — of course — wonder,” said Condé Nast Traveler.

The experiences are all “thoughtfully curated” and meant to make visitors stop and think about what they are looking at. Some take up entire rooms and follow a “particular storyline,” said Condé Nast Traveler, while others are “tiny reflections” that “bridge the gaps between multiple elements.”