Entry No. 2 — the Santa Cruz file — filed under: art
Middleof (The Puppetry Institute)
A local puppet-arts nonprofit took over a dead anchor-store space at Capitola Mall and built a 5,000-square-foot walk-through "fantasy realm" where creature puppets up to 16 feet tall react to touch, movement, and light. Founder Ricki Vincent's yeti puppet, Queen Betty, greets visitors near the entrance.
The story
Capitola Mall is, like most suburban indoor shopping centers, slowly watching retail real estate slip away. But inside Unit D-06—a 5,000-square-foot cavern where a major anchor store used to sit—artist Ricki Vincent and his non-profit Puppetry Institute carved out something far stranger: Middleof. Rather than letting the floor sit dark, they converted the commercial footprint into an interactive fantasy environment packed with custom creature puppets, some reaching up to 16 feet tall.
Vincent brought the Puppetry Institute to Santa Cruz County as an art school and sanctuary for practical theatrical craft. Inside Middleof, that mission takes physical form in light-sensitive sensors, manual mechanical rigging, and foam-and-fabric beasts that react when you walk past or reach out to touch them. Right near the threshold sits Queen Betty, a giant yeti puppet who sets the stage: this isn't a glossy corporate pop-up, but a handmade realm where theater craft meets dark-ride mechanics inside an enclosed mall.
What it's like
You step through a standard mall hallway into a dimly lit, dark-ride space filled with towering fur, scales, and mechanical skeletons. Near the entrance, Queen Betty looms over arriving visitors; past her, the maze opens into distinct puppet environments where ambient light and movement trigger the creatures. If you want the full experience, book the $20 Adventure Tour—a live-actor, hour-long hybrid of stage performance and escape room where you play a scavenger hunt called 'Find the Feegle.' Because it's run by an arts non-profit inside a shifting retail space, check current operating schedules online before driving down 41st Avenue.
The move: Book the $20 Adventure Tour with the full actor cast and play "Find the Feegle," a scavenger hunt through the different puppet realms — it plays out somewhere between a stage play and an escape room, and takes about an hour.
- 📍 Capitola
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 1855 41st Ave, Unit D-06, Capitola, CA 95010 (Capitola Mall)
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Rispin Mansion Community Park — Pair the fantasy realm inside a dying mall with a quiet stroll through the grounds of this 1921 real-estate showroom turned abandoned convent, less than a mile away in Capitola.
- Avalon Visions Center for Creative Spirituality — Trade giant mechanical puppet beasts for aura photos, tarot readings, and light-beam healing rigs at this Soquel mystical center under a mile down the road.
- Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History — Contrast hand-built creature puppets with decades-old local taxidermy set inside a historic Carnegie library near Seabright Beach.
Good to know
Where in Capitola Mall is Middleof located?
It occupies Unit D-06 (1855 41st Ave), taking over a massive former anchor store footprint inside the main enclosed mall building.
What is the Adventure Tour and how much does it cost?
The Adventure Tour costs $20 and runs about an hour, featuring live actors and a 'Find the Feegle' scavenger game through the puppet realms.
Is Middleof suitable for kids?
Yes, it is designed as an all-ages immersive experience, though the dim lighting and 16-foot puppet creatures might be intense for timid toddlers.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · lookout.co · goodtimes.sc · santacruzsentinel.com
last checked: 2026-07-20