‘Anything may happen’
5 places to test your escape skills in Las Vegas
By AKIYA DILLON
Las Vegas Review-Journal (TNS)
LAS VEGAS — Are you looking for a unique Las Vegas activity?
You can put your sleuth skills to the test in an escape room, where guests are locked in a room of mysteries, clues and hidden items and tasked with one goal: Escape!
Here’s a look at five companies offering escape room experiences in the valley.
The Basement
The Basement, which offers horror- themed escape experiences, is at 3440 Polaris Ave., “one block off the strip” or a “5-min cab ride” away, according to the company’s website. The Basement is open Mondays through Thursdays from 3:30 p.m. until 10:45 p.m.; Fridays through Sundays, it opens about three hours earlier.
Those ages 12 and older can participate in three experiences – two 45-minute games or one two-hour game – each featuring a live performer or actor. The two-hour experience, “Dead and Breakfast,” combines the two shorter experiences and gives players extra time. The ticket for the expanded game is $108 per person, while the 45-minute games cost $48 per person Mondays through Thursdays and $54 per person Fridays through Sundays.
“We don’t rely on cheap jump-scares or gory shock-factors. We instead create a creeping sense of unease that anything may happen when you walk into the dark,” the Basement’s FAQ page reads.
Promotions, parking information and reservation instructions can be found at basementescaperoom. com.
Once Upon an Escape
Once Upon an Escape, 5067 Arville St., offers a “uniquely enchanting escape experience” with four fairy tale-themed adventure rooms for all ages. It is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m.
At Once Upon an Escape, the 60-minute rooms Arabian Nights, 7 Dwarfs, and Neverland cost $45 per person, and the 90-minute room, Once Upon a Time, costs $55 per person. These prices are discounted for locals and the military.
More information, including how to book with Once Upon an Escape, can be found at onceuponanescape.com.
Escape Blair Witch
If you love the “Blair Witch” film franchise, this escape experience is for you. Escape Blair Witch, 2121 Industrial Road, is open Wednesdays through Sundays with varying hours. Its website advertises “limited available spots” that require reservations.
“Do You Believe in the Stories about the Blair Witch? See if you can solve our escape room,” the website reads. “Our Escape lets you step into some of the (Blair Witch) franchise’s most memorable and exciting experiences.”
The rooms also use actors as a part of the experience, and the cost per person is $45.99 for the general admission experience – in which you may be paired with people outside of your party – and $65.99 for private experience tickets. This escape room is not recommended for children under 16, according to the Escape Blair Witch website.
Escape Blair Witch’s promotions and booking options can be found at escapeblairwitch. com.
Way of Escape
Way of Escape, 105 E. Reno Ave., near the MGM Grand and Luxor, offers seven kid- and adult-friendly puzzle room options, including Bugsy’s Nightmare, Hoover Dam Secrets and a holiday-themed Operation Save Christmas. These 60-minute experiences can be booked Thursdays through Sundays from 1 until 9 p.m., and the prices range from $34.99 to $42.99 per person.
According to the Way of Escape website, you can also book ax-throwing games, which are accompanied by a coach and can accommodate up to 16 players, for $35 per person. More information about Way of Escape can be found at wayofescape.com.
Escapology
The Escapology franchise, founded in Orlando, Florida, has two Las Vegas locations: 6587 Las Vegas Blvd. South in Town Square and 2797 S. Maryland Parkway. Between the locations, Escapology offers over a dozen 60-minute games, some themed after fan-favorite franchises such as “Star Trek” and “Scooby-Doo.” Others require players to escape a haunted mansion or solve an art heist. Both locations also offer duplicated and modified versions of some of these puzzles for children to play.
All the rooms at Escapology are run by a game host who will provide tips and hints throughout the experience if needed.
The Town Square location is open weekdays from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. until 12 a.m. The Maryland Parkway location is open Tuesdays through Thursdays from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m. and Fridays through Mondays from noon until 11 p.m.
All rooms are private and exclusively reserved for your group. They cost $39.99 during the first half of the week and $44.99 during the second half. According to the company’s website, Escapology also offers walk-ins but cannot “guarantee that the game you want to play will be available without a reservation.”
Promotions and discounts for the respective locations are announced on Instagram at @escapologylvts and @ escapologyvegas. More information about Escapology can be found at escapology. com.
Stephanie Lo, left, and her sister Emily play games at Escapology on March 26, 2019, in Las Vegas.
Photosa by Bizuayehu Tesfaye / Las Vegas Review-Journal / TNS
Private game rooms are seen at Escapology, where players are locked inside a themed room to play a high-adrenaline escape game, on March 26, 2019, in Las Vegas.
Escapology, where players are locked inside a themed room to play a high-adrenaline escape game, photographed on March 26, 2019, in Las Vegas.
