By an escape room owner with 50+ rooms under my belt… and one very humbling lesson learned from my daughter.
Back in 2016, I walked into my first escape room with a gaggle of teenagers for my oldest daughter’s birthday party. Two months earlier, my kids had done one with friends and hadn’t stopped talking about it. So there I was, surrounded by teens, about to try to solve why a local bakery’s sweet treats, in a room called Sweet Dreams, were so suspiciously addictive.
We failed. Completely. And I was completely hooked.
That experience eventually led me to own and operate escape rooms myself. Since then I’ve played about 50 rooms and watched thousands of first timers walk through our doors. Here’s everything I wish someone had told me before that first visit and everything I now tell our guests.
Before You Even Arrive:
Get there 15 minutes early.
This sounds simple, but trust me, use the restroom before you go in! Once that clock starts, you’re locked in a room for a full hour. Nature doesn’t care about your puzzle progress.
Arriving early also gives you time to check in calmly, listen to the game master’s instructions without rushing, and get your head in the game. Don’t be the group that shows up at the last second and misses the briefing.
Book ahead and know your theme.
Book ahead and know your theme.
Most escape rooms offer a range of themes and difficulty levels and browsing your options ahead of time makes a real difference. If you’re bringing younger kids (more on that in a moment), look for lighter, non-scary options among our 9 escape room adventures. We have a Teddy Bear Workshop that’s perfect for families with little ones. Spooky, horror-themed rooms – like our Buried Alive – are thrilling for adults but can genuinely frighten younger children, so read the descriptions carefully before booking.
Inside the Room: What Actually Happens:
There’s almost always more than one room.
First timers universally assume they’re in the room. They’re not. Most escape rooms have multiple spaces and just when you think you’ve cracked it, a secret door swings open and a whole new room is waiting for you.
This means one thing: move fast from the start. Don’t linger too long on any single puzzle in the first few minutes. Do a full sweep, get your bearings, and save your deep thinking for when you know what you’re working with.
Look everywhere. Seriously… everywhere!
This is the number one mistake first timers make. Clues are not sitting neatly on a table at eye level waiting for you. They are:
- Taped under tables
- Hidden inside drawers
- Tucked inside boxes
- Written on the back of items
- Built into things you’d never think to examine
Pull things out. Turn them over. Open every box. Inspect every item you find. Nothing in an escape room is decoration. If it’s there, it’s there for a reason.
You’re allowed to ask for hints.
Most first timers don’t know this. Your game master is watching via camera and can send hints into the room through a screen. There is zero shame in asking. Getting completely stuck and staring at a lock for ten minutes is not the escape room experience. Using a hint and moving forward is. Use them.
And remember, the more you play, the better you get. The skills you develop – thinking outside the box, looking everywhere, communicating fast – get sharper with every room you play.
The Teamwork Thing (A Lesson I Learned the Hard Way):
I have to tell you a story, because it’s the most important lesson I’ve learned in 50+ escape rooms.
A few years ago, midgame, I was deep in concentration on a puzzle. I was certain I knew how to solve it. My daughter kept trying to get my attention, gesturing at two items, suggesting they went together. I brushed her off. I had it handled.
We got stuck. We asked for a hint. The hint told us exactly what my daughter had been trying to show me the whole time.
She has never let me live it down. Not once.
Here’s what I took from that moment: escape rooms are a collaborative game, not a solo performance. Sometimes you need to step back and let someone else take a look. Have someone else enter the code. Trust that the person who seems least likely to crack a puzzle might be the one who sees it clearest.
The magic of escape rooms is how they reveal hidden strengths. The quiet coworker turns out to be a visual puzzle genius. The kid who never sits still spots the clue everyone else walked past. Let people contribute. Listen to your kids. They are fearless about trying unusual solutions, and unusual solutions are usually the right ones.
Who Are Escape Rooms For?
Honestly? Almost everyone.
Escape rooms are designed with different types of puzzles: visual, mathematical, verbal, pattern based. So every kind of brain has a moment to shine. You don’t need to be a puzzle expert or particularly “smart.” You need to be curious, communicative, and willing to try things.
Age range: We’ve had players from 8 to 80 in our rooms. The key for younger kids is choosing the right theme. Skip the horror rooms and look for family friendly options.
Physical accessibility: Most escape rooms are primarily mental challenges, not physical ones. Our rooms have been played by guests in wheelchairs. If you have mobility concerns, just call ahead and ask. A good escape room operator will be upfront about what’s involved.
Dates: Here’s my hot take: escape rooms are not ideal for a first date. The pressure, the potential for frustration, the revealing of how you handle stress… it’s a lot for a first impression. But by the third or fourth date? Perfect. You will learn more about a person in 60 minutes inside an escape room than in three dinner dates. How do they handle pressure? Do they listen? Do they get bossy or shut down? It’s all on display.
Team building: Escape rooms are genuinely one of the best team-building activities out there, precisely because they show you how people actually work together (not how they say they do).
Ready to find the right room for your group? Browse our 9 escape room adventures and book your first experience today.
Quick First-Timer Checklist:
- Arrive 15 minutes early and use the restroom
- Listen to the game master’s full briefing
- Do a full sweep of the room before getting deep into any one puzzle
- Look everywhere: under, inside, behind, and on the back of everything
- Don’t hoard clues: communicate what you find with your group
- Ask for hints if you’re stuck (no shame!)
- Listen to the youngest person in your group
- Remember: win or loose, you will have had an Epic experience!
The best thing about escape rooms is that you walk out having experienced something together… whether you escaped or not. That shared story, that moment of triumph or defeat, is what keeps people coming back.
And if your daughter tells you two items go together? Just listen to her.
Have questions about escape rooms or want to book your first experience? [Contact us / Visit us]
