“We’ve had people as young as six and people in their 80s. It’s an enjoyable concept for them all. It’s an intellectual experience. It’s a game, so it’s fun. Think of it as a real-life brainteaser where you’re moving and interacting and putting your hands on things. It engages you in a different way. It’s immersive.” – Owner Ryan Salone
The door is locked. There are no windows. There is no help. Your only hope is to find and solve enough clues to escape to freedom. This is only partially the plot to the Saw series, but also something you can experience in just a short drive down Monroe Road. Except there are no strobe lights, handcuffs, or tiny clown riding a tricycle (that I saw).”It’s like a family-friendly Saw,” confirms owner Ryan Salone. He and his wife Lindsey, residents of nearby Arboretum, dreamed up and developed the escape rooms. Lindsey said, “There are a series of locks that you will find. You just have to look through the room to see what you can use to figure out the lock combination.” Escape Hour may remind you of countless movies and television shows, except it isn’t as easy as solving the puzzle before the commercial break. You must get through multiple puzzles to escape.
Assistant Adrian described how to solve one of these interactive puzzles: “Our rooms are sort of like a spiderweb. The center of the spiderweb is the last piece of information you need. There are multiple layers when you start on the outside before you get to the center. There’s not one specific path and they are not sequential, but you start on the outer layer and you go in until you ultimately get that last code to get out of the door.”
Whether referred to as an escape room, room escape, or an escape game, Escape Hour provides something fun and unique to do in the area. The Salones brought their escape rooms to the MoRA area for the same reasons many other businesses and residents end up here: easy access to the highway and ample room for parking. After only a year they are planning on expanding and creating more escape rooms in the Greylyn Business Park.
