Traveling can be a bit of a hassle. You need to spend a lot of money, pack up all of your stuff, get to the airport, and then spend hours on a plane in order to get where you want to go. Ugh, what a pain.
I need a good reason to put forth the time, money, and effort of traveling. For me, the joy of traveling itself isn't enough—I need something truly exciting at the destination before I'll hop on a plane and go somewhere. And escape rooms fit the bill!
There are so many escape rooms with unique concepts and incredible production designs around the world, and I'd be willing to travel the world to try them. Will it cost a pretty penny to get to them? Yep! Are they worth it? You bet.
1. The Crumbling Prince
Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
This room is often called The Legend of Zelda of escape rooms, which is incredibly exciting. It promises a more narrative experience than traditional rooms.
Also, each player gets to wear a mask that grants them specific abilities, meaning each of the four players will need to pull their weight as their mask's ability is required to solve things.
2. The Official Saw Escape Room
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, US
I love the Saw movies. I've seen them all multiple times (yes, even the bad ones), and every Halloween I go back and watch at least the first two or three films.
The idea of going and living out a Saw-themed escape room (without the pain and suffering that comes from an actual Jigsaw puzzle) is incredibly appealing. Thankfully, I'll be in Vegas in January, so I won't have to wait long to try this one out!
3. Jack The Ripper
Location: Los Angeles, California, US
This room takes place in 1888 and sees you gathering clues while you attempt to solve one of the world's most notorious crime sprees. It promises a hard level of difficulty, making it perfect for escape room veterans who want a challenge.
Reviews of the room cite an awesome vibe with a killer (see what I did there?) soundtrack. It's also supposed to be pretty creepy, which makes sense with the subject matter.
4. Conundrum Museum
Location: Boston, Massachusetts, US
While I was doing research, this room stood out because of the interesting premise where you and crew have been framed and you need to use your detective skills to clear your good name.
Also, Boxaroo as a company is incredibly well regarded in the escape room world, with 5-star scores on Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Facebook. On Google, it has a 4.9.
5. The Popstar's Room of Doom
Location: San Francisco, California, US
Just the name of this room is incredibly intriguing. You spot your favorite pop star dead in her apartment across the street. Then, time rewinds and you have 10 attempts to figure out what happened and save her life.
It's a little like the film Happy Death Day, only you're not actually the one dying each time.
6. The Vault
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
When it comes to escape rooms in Amsterdam, this is supposed to be the cream of the crop. The business, which is called Sherlocked, has two different rooms and based on our research, The Vault seems to be slightly cooler and more challenging.
It also takes 80 minutes, while The Architect takes 60. Essentially, your job is to break into the toughest vault in the world with the help of your team. It sounds fun and complex, which is exactly what I look for from an escape room!
7. Narco
Location: Orlando, Florida, US
The moment I read the premise of this room, I knew I was going to need to take a trip down to Orlando. The room is about trying to decide whether to help a drug lord smuggle suitcases into the US or stop him.
You have one hour to get through the puzzles and figure out what to do. The element of choice sounds quite entertaining and seems like it could lead to some interesting discussion between teammates.
8. The Asylum
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, US
I love all things horror. 13th Gate Escape is a place that does nothing but scary escape rooms. Each one is rated for fear levels and difficulty, and The Asylum is supposed to the scariest choice of all the rooms, which sounds amazing.
The folks behind this room used to design haunted houses, so they know a thing or two about scaring the pants off attendees.
9. Trapped in a Room With a Zombie
Locations:
- Chicago, Illinois, US
- Cincinnati, Ohio, US
- Cleveland, Ohio, US
- Columbus, Ohio, US
- Dallas, Texas, US
This room is incredibly different because it actually puts you in the room with a living person who's playing the role of a zombie chained to a wall. Every five minutes, a buzzer sounds and the zombie is given an extra foot of chain.
You need to solve the puzzles before the zombie is able to get you, or you die (not really, but you do fail the room). Also, we should note that while there is a zombie in the room, the creators say this is family-friendly and not too scary.
10. Civil War
Location: Lawrence, Kansas, US
In this room, you can your fellow soldiers have been captured during the Civil War and placed inside a bunker. As you can probably guess, you need to escape from the bunker within the time limit or that'll be the end of you.
A defected enemy soldier has hidden tools throughout the bunker that'll help you escape, and you'll need to figure out how to use them.