Escapе rooms havе bеcomе an incrеdibly trending and intuitive entertainment option ovеr thе last fеw years. Groups work together to solve puzzlеs and accomplish tasks in order to “еscapе” simulatеd еnvironmеnts bеforе time runs out. Major citiеs nationwidе now havе multiplе еscapе room options and еach with uniquе and еngaging thеmеs guarantееd to gеt your hеart racing. Two hotspots for escape room excitement are New Jersey and Houston.
Escape Room – Solve the Room NJ
Escape room New Jersey making headlines is Solve the Room NJ in East Rutherford. Just 10 miles outside Manhattan, Solve the Room offers an exciting experience right in New Jersey’s backyard. Their facility includes four separate escape rooms to choose from.
The Pharaoh’s Tomb has groups searching for Pharaoh Nebka’s lost treasures. The Tomb Room sends participants back 4,500 years to ancient Egypt to find the key and escape the Pharaoh’s tomb before it seals forever. The Illusionist Room is inspired by Harry Houdini and challenges teams to uncover magician secrets. The Astro room launches into space for an interstellar adventure to restart a malfunctioning space station.
“We are thrilled with the feedback on our escape rooms so far; our guests seem to be having a blast trying to solve the puzzles and escape the rooms,”, says David Georgescu, owner of Solve the Room NJ. “Our design team spends a lot of time planning out the rooms to make the experience challenging but achievable if the group works well together. We can’t wait for more people to test their skills and try to escape our rooms!”
Exit Lab Houston
Over in Houston, Exit Lab Houston provides immersive escapes right in the heart of downtown. Owner Mark Pham notes “We have tripled our facility’s size to allow us to create a bigger, more impressive escape rooms near Houston experiences. Our rooms really transport players directly into the adventure.”
Exit Lab Houston offers four cinematic quality rooms – a casino heist in Vegas, a 1950s bank robbery, an Aztec jungle temple, and the mysterious disappearance of fantasy author Agatha Crispies. Their most popular room is The Book of Secrets,, where teams follow clues to find Agatha trapped inside her novels.
“We have hidden mysteries, concealed doors, intriguing storylines, and other surprises to discover in our escape rooms,” says Pham. “Our staff gets to eavesdrop on the excitement through audio and video feeds from each room as teams react to clues or find hidden items. There is nothing more satisfying than hearing that “Aha!” moment when a group solves a puzzle.”
Overcoming Challenges with Communication and Teamwork
Aside from providing pure entertainment, escape rooms also present an opportunity to strengthen relationships through shared challenges. The fast-paced environment requires quick critical thinking, constant communication, listening skills, patience, and teamwork. Participants get insight into how their colleagues or friends handle stressful problems. Lots of humour and bonding typically occur when people see each other think in new, creative ways or react under pressure.
“It’s great to take business teams through for corporate team building, as it provides neutral ground to observe everyone’s strengths and weaknesses,” says Georgescu. “You can get quiet introverts taking leadership roles and extroverted leaders practising active listening skills.”
Pham agrees, “We schedule a lot of tech and oil & gas companies who want their employees to indirectly improve communication and collaboration skills through our rooms.”
Over 90 minutes, groups of 3-8 participants will test the limits of their deductive reasoning, crisis management, and team dynamics to escape in time. It provides thrilling entertainment for friends, families, coworkers, first dates, or any other group looking to excite their day.
Conclusion
“Ultimately, our number one priority is fun!” declares Pham. “We want thrilled customers excitedly planning return visits for all our new rooms.” So whether on the East Coast or down South, break out of traditional entertainment moulds and step into fantastical worlds of mystery and adventure with escape room experiences. Just remember, time is of the essence!