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Reviews

Reviews

Sleep No More [Immersive Theatre]

Sleep No More [Immersive Theatre]

The McKittrick Hotel

  • Escape room
  • Other
Complete otherworldly experience! This is not an escape room nor is it a haunt. It is a theatrical performance, but it is much more than a play. The best way I can describe it is if you were an invisible shadow on the set of a live drama. You can walk around the 5 floors of a hotel however you want, as long as you wear a masquerade mask provided to you and are completely silent. You are free to explore, and the environments and rooms are extremely well-decorated with astonishing detail. But if you’re here, you’re not just going to snoop around. You’re here to eavesdrop, watch, and follow actors as they run around, interact together, dance, and silently perform with an invisible audience around them. I love that you can choose to follow people, stay in one room, change who you choose to stalk, or even none of the above or all of it. It’s a true choose-your-own-adventure except it’s not about you. The show gets graphic, psychological, violent, and downright spooky, though it’s not what I’d call a haunted house. But I absorbed every minute, climbing up flights, being a lemming with the crowd as they ran after a performer, and just soaking in the sights and trying to understand the narrative. If you’re lucky, you may even get a special 1:1 experience with the actor, like I did! And wow, if I didn’t already love this immersive theater show before, that sealed the deal! The actors were amazing! Loved them all! Check this out now if you can before it closes for good! It’s worth it as a unique experience not easily found elsewhere!
Wizard Quest

Wizard Quest

Wizard Quest

  • Escape room
  • Other
Wizard Quest is a breathtaking one-of-a-kind experience! While you are not strictly escaping, this large attraction features multiple quests spread out across 4 elemental fantasy-themed worlds. You get around 2-3 hours to complete as many as you can. The game utilizes a tablet device for players to interact with the quest givers and to solve quizzes. Most puzzles are exploration-based, and require running around the world and closely examining the environment. It’s truly immersive, and there are hidden paths and secret buttons all over the place. There are live actors who can give hints, and you can also collect items and real, tangible prizes from finishing quests. I can’t stress enough how impressive the life-size figures and detailed environment are, not to mention the voice acting. One of the best exploration game experiences I’ve ever had! Highly recommended if you are at Wisconsin Dells!
The Nest [Immersive Theatre]

The Nest [Immersive Theatre]

Hatch Escapes

  • Escape room
  • Other
Poignant and thought-provoking, The Nest is more immersive environment experience than puzzle-driven escape room, and I love that about it. It’s reminiscent of video game walking simulators like Gone Home, but with actual walking. In the room, you follow a guided path through corners of a woman named Josie’s apartment. You can see her treasured items, figments of her past, and you can also listen to narrated tapes of her personal story. It’s as much a trip through her memories as much as it is a tour of her hoarded apartment, and masterful use of lightning and set designs show more than tell. The immersion comes in a different way from traditional escape rooms. I didn’t just feel like I was somewhere else entirely; I also felt like I knew Josie personally. There are actually a few puzzles, but they’re never overbearing, and there is no time limit really. You are meant to soak in the story, which is deeply personal and emotional. Be prepared to feel, to cry, to think about your own life. This room affected me in big ways, and I’m glad I experienced it with my love.
Activate [Interactive Arcade]

Activate [Interactive Arcade]

Activate - Lexington

  • Escape room
  • Other
Activate is not an escape room, but it is a super fun series of physical arcade-like challenges. It’s as if you were transported into a video game! You have to run, jump, shoot, crawl, climb, and throw in multiple challenges. Each of the 8 rooms has different modes and difficulty levels. And as long as nobody else is in that room, you can go straight in with your group for a private game. Once you start, you have 75 minutes to do as many challenges in the facility as you can or want. Games include pressing buttons to spell words while hiding from a gigantic eye, running on colorful disco floors platformer game style, and throwing balls onto specific targets. There are so much more, and you probably won’t get through them all in one session. There are 10 difficulty levels per game too and they ramp up fast. The challenges are so fun, and you will work up a sweat! As you win games, you get points that cumulatively add up across your visits in any of the locations across the country. Those points get you rewards like keychains and water bottles. Again, this isn’t an escape room, but there are similar challenges that test both your brain and agility. It’s intense, replayable, and a ton of fun with a good group! I’m already wanting to reactivate soon!
Activate [Interactive Arcade]

Activate [Interactive Arcade]

Activate - Chicago (Oak Brook)

  • Escape room
  • Other
More of a physical challenge activities facility than an escape room, Activate is often a great time! The company has multiple facilities around the U.S. and Canada, and the location in Chicago has more games than the other one I went to in Lexington, Kentucky. It has active arcade games like a portal challenge, where you throw balls into holes and they pop out of another hole, and a game where you have a control panel similar to a video game adventure. Most of the other games are great too and range from being in an interactive platformer video game to throwing basketballs to solve trivia. We end up sweating from all the running around and crawling! There are about 15-20 rooms, so there are a lot of choices. The only thing that was tough is if it’s busy, you may have to use up more of your limited 75-minute time slot waiting for people. And if they’re too loud, you can’t hear some of the audio-based challenges. So it really depends on the day. I still recommend it for groups, and I would definitely say it’s a great spot for parties and big hangouts!
Radio Tave [Immersive Art]

Radio Tave [Immersive Art]

Meow Wolf

  • Escape room
  • Other
Meow Wolf is unlike anything I’ve ever been to. It’s not an escape room, but it’s also not quite a normal art gallery. It’s an interactive exhibit that displays bizarre artwork, presented in psychedelic ways. It’s immersive art on steroids. A wild fever dream that I’ll always remember. It’s absurd, weird, and I love it. Every doorway is a portal to chaos. It’s easy to get lost in the colors, the music, and the strange. Again, not an escape room, but there are hidden secrets and puzzles. But you could spend hours there without realizing that unless you really looked into every minute detail, and there are many. There are several of these around the county, and Radio Tave is super different. Embrace the Tave. It’s AAAAART!
The Wedding Party [Mystery Dinner Experience]

The Wedding Party [Mystery Dinner Experience]

Secret City Adventures

  • Escape room
  • Other
Very unique escape experience! You get to experience a faux wedding reception with live actors playing the role of a wedding party. It plays out like a somewhat normal albeit strange reception complete with actual wedding food. Then you get to do puzzles and it gets wild! You and your table get to interact with the actors and environment in fun ways. There are also full acted scenes and a finale that depends on your performance! Highly recommend for a fun night, although it is very limited so by the time you read this, it may be unfortunately over. We actually got to go this event on the same day as our actual friend’s wedding that we were in town for so we were already dressed for the occasion! It was a fun double wedding day for us!
The Real Unreal [Immersive Art]

The Real Unreal [Immersive Art]

Meow Wolf

  • Escape room
  • Other
The various Meow Wolf locations around the U.S. are not escape rooms, but they are immersive and interactive art exhibits. The Real Unreal in particular has a deep lore mystery that intrigued us, with similarities both setting wise and art-wise to Stranger Things. There is also an optional scavenger hunt and other activities that you can do with a special phone app. This was my 2nd Meow Wolf (1st one being Radio Tave in Houston, Texas), and both were amazing! I love the local art on display, the funky music, and immersing myself in the house of odder things. There is food and drink that you can purchase too. We took about 2 hours vibing to the art, and it felt so real unreal to me!
Great Big Game Show: The Original [Immersive Experience]

Great Big Game Show: The Original [Immersive Experience]

Great Big Game Show - Oakbrook

  • Escape room
  • Other
I loooove game shows! This special experience from The Escape Game lets you be a contestant in a game show, complete with a live host and a set with professional lightning, music, and video! You can go with as few as 2 and as many as 14 people split into 2 teams. There are physical and mental challenges, and a 1-hour game can have as many as 10 minigames. It’s lots of fun for big groups. You may have to play with or against strangers, but that’s how real game shows are anyway. So glad to have something so great near me!
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