Review: The Office Experience Chicago

Are you a super fan of The Office? Then you won’t want to miss The Office Experience at The Shops at North Bridge on the Magnificent Mile! We were invited to the press preview to give you an inside look at the experience and it was incredible.

The level of detail to match scenes in the show, number of authentic props in each room that the actors used and wore, and interactive experience blew us away; it was obvious that Superfly X and Universal Live Entertainment consulted with the creator of The Office, Greg Daniels to create the spaces.

This two-story experience features 17 rooms filled with original props and costumes, set re-creations and more as you visit Scranton Business Park and other sites associated with the series. There are great facts interspersed throughout… like did you know that 57 billion hours of The Office was streamed over the last year?! Seeing the timeline of Jim and Pam’s love story was sweet, and they also have bios on all the characters with notable scenes that they appeared in.

Interactive Rooms at The Office Experience

There are several areas with interactive components. You are invited to pick up the phones at several of the characters’ desks to listen to messages and open drawers to find elements from episodes. Open the refrigerator in the break room to find a surprise. Stick your head in the spaces in the wall at Schrute Farms to see who you should fear most of all and be prepared to see yourself as Mose. Lift the beets at the stand to hear some clever quips and characters talking about the most amazing vegetable in the world (according to Dwight of course). Read the lines from cue cards to reenact the famous confession vignettes from the show. Stanley’s crossword puzzles were a huge hit with my kids as they tested their knowledge of the show by writing in the answers with dry erase markers on the wall.

Photo Opportunities

My son, who loves The Office and is a car enthusiast, jumped at the chance to take a photo with Dwight’s car in the Dunder Mifflin parking lot. You definitely need to sit at your favorite character’s desk and do impressions while a friend or family member snaps away. Stand behind the sumo suits and walk across the coals from the Beach Games episode. Hold Kevin’s pot full of chili as it spills all over the floor. Reenact Jim and Pam on the boat while gazing at Niagara Falls and dance down the aisle in the chapel where they got married. Pretend to operate the forklift as it pushes over a shelf in the warehouse.

Gift Shop

Looking for gifts or The Office merch? There is also a gift shop designed to replicate the warehouse in the show. You’ll find exclusive merchandise that has never been seen before. We enjoyed looking at all the clever apparel, games, and more. You don’t need to have a ticket to enter the gift shop, so you can stop by anytime.

Tickets

The Office Experience is opening on October 15, 2021 and will be there through January 17, 2022. You can reserve timed entry tickets starting at $37.50 plus taxes and fees. For $55, you receive timed entry plus a customized employee badge, much like the characters of the show. You can purchase this add-on when you buy your tickets and they take your photo for the card when you arrive and print on site. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.theofficeexperience.com. Private access tickets, as well as corporate and private rentals, are also available.

Location and Parking

The Office Experience is located at The Shops at North Bridge on the Magnificent Mile at 540 N. Michigan Ave. (corner of N. Michigan Ave. and E. Ohio St.). I prefer to use Spot Hero to secure parking ahead of time, especially around that area as street parking is sparse. We paid $14 to park at The Shops at North Bridge parking garage for three hours, which was nice because we were able to spend a little more than an hour at the experience, then head around the corner for lunch. Eataly and Shake Shack are around the corner to name a few, and the fourth floor of The Shops at North Bridge has some food options, including Jimmy John’s and Pot Belly.