All photos courtesy of staff
Escape rooms have become all the rage for date night, girls’ night out and family fun (not to mention an awesome spot for kids’ parties). We’ve escaped our fair share of escape rooms, but even we were blown away by the level of detail, care and depth involved in an Escapology adventure.
What do we love about this place? For starters, while your crew waits for your escape room to be ready, you can indulge in wine or beer (yes, it’s BYO!). If you’re throwing a party, take in a catered meal in the party room. And if you’re throwing a birthday shindig for the kiddos, you get to watch their escape room hijinks from the comfort of the party room.
Every 18 months the room themes switch out, so there’ll always be a new mystery to solve. And there’s a special room called Saving Santa for ages 4-14 designed just for the holiday season. Regular games are recommended for ages 7 and up and anyone under age 12 must be joined by an adult.
Room options vary in difficulty and currently include Arizona Shootout, Antidote, Budapest Express, TH3 C0D3, Under Pressure and Cuban Crisis—the last being the room the NJ Family team took on. Game Masters can hear and see everything you do along the way, giving helpful clues when you’re stuck. You can request three extra hints, but if you use more than those three, each extra hint will deduct two minutes from your hour-long countdown. You guys, it’s high pressure!
Our crew found clues, solved puzzles and picked locks, and (not to brag but…) escaped in 42 minutes and 51 seconds (with some help from Game Master Dan). After exchanging a round of high-fives, we took some photos and picked a team name (Team Dan & the Fam) to add to the location’s Hall of Fame rankings (we’re currently #57!). As an added incentive, each team member received a bracelet stamped with our room’s theme name, which you get with each visit so you can keep track of each room you’ve conquered.
Rooms are private, which means they’re exclusive to your group. They’re $29 per person, with a max of eight people per room, and you can reserve online ahead of time. Escapology also offers specials and discounts, too. During the month of May, to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, teachers, faculty and staff can score a free game (with ID), plus their guests will receive 25 percent off regular price. And on Mother’s Day, moms play for free. If you let Escapology know when your birthday is, you may get a freebie too!
Escapology
300 South Ave., Garwood
908-232-2222
Open Mon.-Thurs., 3-9 pm; Fri. 2 pm-midnight; Sat. 11 am-midnight; Sun. 11 am-9 pm.