The Escape Hour - Locked Rooms in Calgary

September 2019

The room dims, and the lock clicks shut. There’s a moment of silence. Now what?

Escape rooms have become a popular activity for families, youth groups, and even business colleagues. It’s a simple concept: allow yourself to be locked in a themed room, and solve the riddles inside to undo the locks.

Can you make it out?

Could I make it out? As I was locked in this room with my husband and 3 children, this was a pertinent and poignant question.

I’m not sure if it’s an overactive imagination, a penchant for stories, or simply a layer of childishness I never outgrew, but immersing yourself in a story is delightful entertainment. As such, I love visiting the Disney parks, but one must be practical some of the time. It can be difficult to find family fun that everyone enjoys, but we paid a visit to the Escape Hour as a 2019 back-to-school celebration, and everyone loved it! We were whisked away to the world of the Arabian Nights, and everyone was engaged and excited about our experience.

This was only our second experience in a locked room. The first time, I was skeptical. Lock myself in a room with children and work to get out? I was unclear how this was entertainment. We had a good time, however, and I was curious to try again.

First escape room experience for a birthday party: Finding the Lost Jewel of Zanzibar

This time, we chose the Curse of the Evil Genie from the 4 rooms available at the Escape Hour. The room was pleasingly themed and rated harder than the first room we had tried, giving me some doubt that we would succeed. The kids confidently spread out in the room and began the task of noticing, deducing, and attempting to solve the puzzle. My kids were between the ages of 10 and 14, and it was interesting to watch them solve the puzzles and work together. I don’t want to give away any secrets, but each of them had an inspiration about a clue that no one else had yet thought about, definitely assisting in our escape. The excitement the kids had when we solved a riddle was contagious.

It was also good to note that an employee of The Escape Hour was watching our progress and would type a message that would be displayed on a screen in the room if we needed help. (There are three levels of “help” you can access. We chose Normal and definitely appreciated the hints we received!) I have to admit, we did need a few hints. Time flies in an escape room and soon the clock read 30 minutes, and then 20. We were so close, but then we had only a few minutes left. With a flurry of activity – okay, plus another eleventh-hour hint – we solved the last riddle and burst out the door with only 2 minutes to spare!

There was much excitement and chattering as we escaped. You might have thought we really did escape the Evil Genie! And the kids were pretty proud when they got to dress up and pose for a picture with a sign that proclaimed, “We did it!”

Not knowing what to expect when you first try an escape room is part of the fun. But this time, having some idea of how these rooms could work gave us more confidence and, I think, enhanced our enjoyment. Sixty minutes of forgetting the problems of the real world and losing ourselves in a story made the best escape.

5 Tips for Escaping:

Look everywhere for clues – inside drawers, behind pictures, up or down – anything could help. The type of pictures on the wall might be a clue, page 42 of a book might solve a mystery, or even the music playing could help you escape.
You won’t need to perform acrobatics or heroics to escape. Our guide showed us the broken leg of a chair – contrary to what the person who broke it thought, nothing was hidden in a hollow leg. It should be obvious what NOT to do. (Our escape room had little signs on things that shouldn’t be touched or moved.)
Pay attention; the details matter. What is out of place? What strikes you as odd? What triggers that almost unconscious thought in your brain? What tools in the room should you use?
Work together! A half-thought you have might combine with a half-thought someone else has, and the riddle will be solved!
It’s a game. It’s supposed to be fun. If you just can’t figure something out, ask for a hint. It might be the nudge you need to go the rest of the way on your own. And don’t worry about feeling stuck or claustrophobic – you’ll be too busy to even think of it!