What is the craziest ideas to place escape rooms you can imagine? If you thing about escape rooms and have in your mind just a regular room with some props and riddles, you have no idea how cool and climatic this kind of entertainment could be!
Those who even once were in an escape room know what it looks like. Mostly. Imagine it - city center or not, just a regular building, the only thing that stands out is the banner or sign with the company's name. You enter this building, there is an anteroom where you can wait. The game is going to start in a few minutes. So you wait. You look around - it's a nice place, just aesthetic. Or not… Am I right? How many escape rooms start like this? But not all places look so ordinary or boring. Sometimes the fun begins before you walk into the room. Goosebumps and excitement from the first seconds.
Have you ever heard about an escape room on a real boat? And how about an old cabin somewhere in the mountain village? Or maybe something more climatic - a monastery from the first half of the 20th century. Never heard? So come on, today I’ll be your guide to the most crazy and unique escape room idea around the world.
Ready? Let's go!
Abandoned mansion
La Casa - Insomnia Corporation - Berga, Spain
La Casa is one of the best escape rooms in the world. It took 6th place on the 2021 Top Rooms list of TERPECA project. What is so special about La Casa? It is an escape room placed in the forsaken village cabin somewhere in the Spanish mountains. And you don't know where exactly. A few minutes before your time, you will be given directions to find the exact place. What is the story?
About the year 1972, the Maith family built this house to live in. A few years later, a serious incident in the well caused the family to be disturbed.
They were found dead.
Based on fans’ opinions this escape room is scary as… As the real abandoned old cabinet placed in the middle of nowhere - you won’t find help, there is only your team there. And La Casa. Players tip - book a night play to totally immerse into this story.
Antique buildings
]Building an escape room in some historical place is just a brilliant idea! Old walls smell in this specific way, cold chambers that saw a lot and remember times that you can't know. These are the 5 escape rooms I found as the most, thrilly or atmospherical in my opinion.
Eemklooster - Rock City Escape - Amersfoort, Netherlands
Rock City Escape is located in the beautiful Eem Monastery (Eemklooster) in Amersfoort. The monastery was built in 1932 for the sister congregation of Our Beloved Lady of Amersfoort. The last sister left the monastery in 2009. In 2016 Wanja and Adam - the Rock City Escape team, built the first escape room - Bloody Marry.
There are 2 rooms with extremely interesting scenarios linked with this place. Mentioned Bloody Mary is based on the well-known legend of a woman of the same name.
Bloody Mary.. Bloody Mary.. Bloody Mary.. Does this ritual really summon this dark, afflicted spirit? Or is it fear-driven imagination that tricks the believers?
Second one called Soup du Jour, tell the story of nuns who disappeared from monastery. Stories only for those who have nerves of steel!
Hedingham Castle - Keep Escaping - Essex, UK
Escape room is set on the top floor of the Castle itself. Famous treasure hunter and historian George Alderman is rumoured to have found King John's Jewels. His collection of historical items is said to hold the key to unlocking the secrets of the Essex Magna Carta Barons and lead directly to a secret holding place for the treasure. Are you ready for the adventure?
Palace of Fine Arts - Palace Games - San Francisco, CA, USA
Palace Game is placed in the complex of Palace of Fine Arts. It is one of the most significant and breathtaking sightseeing places in San Francisco, originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in order to exhibit works of art. Now Palace Games has 3 open rooms. Two of them - The Edison Escape Room and The Attraction, are on the 2021 Top Rooms TERPECA list.
Canterbury’s former city jail - Escape In The Towers - Canterbury, UK
Canterbury’s atmospheric former city jail was built in 1830. No, after almost 200 years, jail is a museum and also an escape room. Enthusiasts of puzzles and riddles have a possibility to play in 3 rooms with a different theme - old laboratory, WW2 comms room and museum. If you are in love with the medieval era and escape rooms - you have to visit Conterbury!
Old military shelter - Shelter Escape House - Timișoara, Romania
You will be locked in an old military shelter, which is a part of the Timișoara Fortress complex, built probably in the 13th century. The space from which you have to escape is large and involves numerous passages through different rooms. Throughout the adventure you are part of the game and you will have to interact with… I can’t tell! But it will be dark and scary for sure! This place is recommended especially for military fans. Below you can see a short video from Shelter Escape House Facebook page.
A little bit of art
So now we know that an old palace or even a former citi jail are a good space to build an escape room. And how about a place of art? Museum, old cinema - yes and yes! Ladies and gentlemen - know the most artistic escape rooms I found.
Camera Museum - Escape the Museum - McDonough, GA, USA
The Camera Museum is a museum of photographic history and image making devices founded in 2018 in McDonough (Georgia, USA).
There are hundreds of exhibit items including over 1200 cameras, accessories, vintage images, advertisements, books and other related items
Escape the museum on time or become an exhibit forever!
Old Cinema - Cinema Escape - Pszczyna, Poland
Fun fact - a cinema is not always the place to watch movies and eat some popcorn. There could be an escape room! Cinema Escape invites you for an uncommon visit. You can sit and just watch a movie, relax. But do not forget - you are on a mission, agent! You have 60 minutes to solve the mystery and escape the cinema. Extremely Secret Organization needs you. Are you in?
Conveyance
Why an escape room has to always be a room. That’s so obvious! Let’s see even more unconventional ideas than previous.
Boat - Escape Boats - Dublin, Ireland
Escape… boat? Like a real boat? Yes! Irish Escape Boat built their two escape rooms on the Zorg Ella boat. Boat is located in the Grand Canal Dock in Dublin. It’s definitely something amazing… if you have no seasickness. What is important, games require a level of physicality and will not suit those with mobility issues.
Bus - Escape Service - Warsaw, Poland
Unexpected change of route is the adventure in the two real historic Jelcz buses. Choose a bus stop and wait for the driver. But be wary, you won't necessarily get to your destination. This unpredictable game will change your opinion about escape rooms. Hope you have no motion sickness! You play while the bus is driving.
Game available for Polish and English speakers!
Outdoor
Summer is slowly passing, there is not much time left for outdoor activities - jogging, hiking, walking in the woods, solving puzzles in an escape room… What? Wait a minute, escape room is not an outdoor activity, right?
Forest Escape - Pabianice, Poland
Well, no! Meet the Forest Escape company from Poland - the real forest escape room which makes your skin crawl.
“Forest is a world which draws you in. It's a blissful food for the mind, and its job is to let you forget about your daily routine and to actively rest in unprecedented circumstances”
There are 4 scenario - Chapter I: Whispers, Prologue, Postapo and the newest one - Postapo 2 which is the second part of the story in the postapocalyptical world devastated by an unknown disease. Sounds extremely thrilling, doesn't it?
Forest Escape and its 4 scenarios are an absolutely must see for every Polish speaking enthusiast! The newest one - Postapo 2 is available both in Polish and English.
And here we are!
I bet there are more escape rooms built in unbelievable, amazing places - like these above. Escape room industry is still growing and looking for more and more shocky solutions, elements and scenarios. And location! If this entertainment is so incredible after about 15 years of existence, could you imagine what it will be like for the next 15? Honestly, I can’t wait!
Journalist and indologist by profession. Writer, marketer, tarantulas keeper and urbex explorer by heart.
In the meantime I’m playing escape rooms and board games, and I wonder how I find time to sleep (still dunno). I was born to write - my favorite forms of expression are extensive articles preceded by a long research, and horror stories (for some it’s the same).
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