Lost Spirits Distillery (CLOSED)

The Arts District is a maze of brick warehouses, but look for the one splashed with a mural of a woman and a green door and you’ll find Lost Spirits Distillery, a bizarre booze experience that offers whimsy at every turn.

As kitschy as it is scientific, the reservation-only distillery tour feels like a theme park, beginning with a chatty computer system, Tessa, who introduces the journey in the velvet-draped entry hall. Before you know it, you’re sampling high-octane rum, wandering through a maze, climbing aboard a raft and boarding an immersively made over bus. You’ll trek through jungles and hop on a merry-go-round–like tram, all while learning about—and tasting—the mad science of Lost Spirits’ process: a combination of heat, bright light and various wood chips that simulate (and expedite) the traditional barrel-aging process for rum, brandy and whiskey. The talking birds in the gift shop will try to sell you a few bottles, and, honestly, how can you say no to a talking bird?

Looking to extend your tour? Pull up a chair at the wooden banquet table and drape yourself in furs for a very Island of Doctor Moreau-inspired tea service, boozy macarons, and octopus served on swords: You’ve found Fish or Flesh, a weekend-only restaurant whose opulence is matched only by its founders’ unbridled creativity.