Sometimes, we all want to fall down the same rabbit hole as Alice and escape reality – just for one night! When that urge for madness comes upon us, the only reasonable thing to do is quite unreasonable to be sure. You must, of course, bring Wonderland to life.
Curiouser and Curiouser
To bring the curiousness of Wonderland to life takes only imagination and a quick Google search of all things related to Alice’s Adventures. There are so many pieces of canon related to the stories, that you need only to dive into the direction of your choice. This way, that way or the other way, as it were.
Here, we’ll share some inspiration from our sleuths who have created their own Wonderlands, where all the inhabitants are quite mad! Here is a map of Wonderland from our mysteries that will help you plot your adventure.
Four Locations to Bring Wonderland to Life
1. Entrance to Wonderland
This is the first impression that your guests will have, when they realize they’ve entered a new reality and for now, they don’t have to figure out how they’re getting out of it! You can make your door sentient with its own face, create a tunnel to crawl through, or use a decorated path to have everyone follow the white rabbit and his pockwatch!
Once inside, mesmerize your guests with their first look at a very wondrous land. In the past we have:
- Hung picture frames, clocks, tea cups and more from any branch we could find
- Propped up large antique mirrors or smaller looking glasses
- Placed quotes from the book in frames or on signs
2. The Mad Hatter’s Garden
The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party is a central theme for any Wonderland party, and you can set a whimsical table with all manner of things to eat and drink. Very merry ideas include:
- Potion bottles with ‘Eat Me’ and ‘Drink Me’ labels
- Second-hand and mismatched china tea cups and tea pots
- Polka dots, checkerboard or other patterned tablecloths
- Fresh or fake flowers
- Themed cookies and tea time sandwiches
“If you drink much from a bottle marked ‘poison’ it is certain to disagree with you sooner or later.”
3. The Queen’s Rose Garden / Croquet Ground
The Queen of Hearts is the so-called villain of Wonderland and is famous for her penchant for ordering the beheading of all she meets! Under her tyrannical domain are the Rose Garden and the Croquet Garden. Both of these can help make your Wonderland a place of madness and curiosity. How to set them up:
- Paint large fake roses with white and red
- Hang decks of cards from trees or DIY some large playing cards
- Get a flamingo croquet set online for everyone to play a round
4. Caterpillar’s Mushroom
In our murder mystery Murder in Wonderland (link), the Caterpillar’s Mushroom is also the crime scene!
From his Victim Profile: Living atop a mushroom in the forests of Wonderland and constantly smoking a hookah, The Caterpillar was considered one of the wisest residents of Wonderland, owing to his uncanny ability to know seemingly everything that went on in the land.
The Caterpillar was found dead next to his mushroom, and after close observation, it was determined that his hookah had been laced with arsenic, which was what brought about his swift death.
You can decorate this area with giant painted mushrooms, a bottle of poison, a gravestone or a chalk outline marking the evidence. Keep the fun, but add an element of mystery!
Ready to throw your Wonderland Mystery?
Check out our adult version, Murder in Wonderland, or the Kid & Teen friendly version, Mystery in Wonderland.
