Escaping Reality in the Escape Room

Rachel Lemley, staff writer

The Charlottesville Downtown Mall has a good variety of things to do, and one good way to spend a day is locked in a room. Escape Rooms are fun ways to use the mind while going through thrilling or chilling tasks. The Cville Escape Room has many different kinds of rooms involving puzzles and clues for all ages. Some of the themes include Jack the Ripper’s London, Archaeologist’s Adventure, Sherlock: Moriarty’s Revenge, Conspiracy X, and Paris: Le Chat et la Souris.

Every few weeks, the Escape Room will bring back a retired theme for one day, and the one that my friends and I ended up attending ($25 per person) was that of the Mad Scientist. We ascended a long, steep staircase and were shown into a large office room with posters that had deformed versions of inspirational quotes. After a short wait, two people in lab coats came in to explain what to expect, what to do, and how to play the game.

We were ushered into a shadow-filled room, where the door was shut immediately behind us and we waited in the pitch dark. A few seconds in, some flickering fluorescent lights came on, exposing the disturbing contents of the quarters. The walls were covered with diagrams and maps of the human body, most of which were splattered in fake blood, and shelves of imitation bones and skulls were placed around the area. The floor was decked with an array of lock boxes and in the middle of the room was a body on a steel table half draped in a sheet.

After surveying our situation, one that we have never been in before, we collected a first clue and started the attempt to get out. The clues ranged from creepy poems to vague warnings of what would happen if our time ran out. There were about 30 different clue cards, all matching to boxes that had either key holes or pass codes. The first card said, “Look at the mind in a different light.” We found a black light lamp and traveled around each of the skulls, finally finding one word on the inside of
one of the heads, “Safe.”

We typed the word and one of the boxes finally clicked open to reveal three unattached arms, all wearing watches with different times, which we put in to unlock yet another box. This one had a crumpled up note with a few words circled in bright red. Following much speculation, our group split up so we could find the final key before time ran out.

About half an hour later, a drawer inside the desk of the scientist was open and the last key lay inside. With only minutes to spare, one of us rushed to the glass box on the wall that held a large button that would finally let us out. Pictures were taken, then our group left, feeling different, smarter, and free.

The Escape Room is open on Friday 5-9 p.m. and both Saturday and Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. with many different rooms for all kinds of interests.