Use your Sherlockian senses to solve the locked room mystery.

So let’s say you’re at home in your apartment and need to head out. You’ve got your phone, your wallet, your purse…but not your keys.

Where. Are. Those. Keys? you think, as you slowly go room to room, retracing your steps.

Then, something in your brain clicks: the hall closet. Suddenly joyful, you race to the hall, open the door, reach up to the top shelf and retrieve your set. Now you remember; you used them to tighten a screw in the door hinge when you couldn’t find your Phillips head screwdriver.

This kind of scenario is not unlike what you go through at Escape The Room Atlanta, an interactive facility where guests spend 60 minutes solving a series of clues to find their way out of a locked room. Even if you just buy one ticket and go alone, you and the other guests are forced to band together and figure out the most logical way to move forward in the adventure.

One disclaimer: You’re not totally alone. A camera inside the room is linked to a control booth where Escape Room staffers (known as “clue masters”) occasionally throw out hints for puzzled patrons to follow. If you and friends or family have been looking for an affordable, new way to stimulate your brain and win a game that doesn’t involve racing up hills or diving through mud, then this might be the activity for you. Escape The Room Atlanta stays open until midnight Tuesday through Saturday, which makes it a great place to let off post-work steam or pre-date jitters.

When it comes to picking which room you want to escape from, there are options that don’t just involve being stuck in an apartment. Other choices include a newsroom-style space and an ‘80s-inspired rec room.

If you make it out within the hour, you’re rewarded with a group photo, with everyone holding signs that say, “Smarter Than the Average Bear” and “No room can hold me!” If you get trapped, the signs read, “We wanted to lose; it builds character” and “Winning is overrated.”

Win or lose, you come out on the other side, which is the ultimate reward. And, if at first you don’t succeed, you can always find another room and try again.

Escape the Room Atlanta
200 Peachtree St., 30303
678.783.3387
atlanta.escapetheroom.com

Tickets for each visit start at $28. Guests can purchase between eight and 12 tickets for each session, depending on the room. It’s recommended you buy tickets in advance, but walk-ups are welcome.

STORY: Erin Williams

Photo: Sara Hanna