Local ‘Escape Maze’ is a Must Try

Sarah Sobanski

Escape Maze isn’t a traditional maze you have to escape – it’s even better.

Frequent travelers with a bone for entertaining, the Preddy family had the idea for Escape Maze while co-creator Jaclyn Preddy was touring Holland and found a similar attraction. Upon returning home, Preddy and her family researched the area and caught yellow-fever from the rich history of the 1866 Eldorado, Ontario gold rush. They turned their barnyard property into an immersive Western themed escape house.

Scott Walling welcomes beginner escape artists in the lobby at Escape Maze. Photo: Sarah Sobanski.

Scott Walling welcomes beginner escape artists in the lobby at Escape Maze. Photo: Sarah Sobanski.

Patrons enter through the front of the stylized old-timey barn, under a sign that reads ‘Last Chance’. Inside, they are asked to give up their electronics and briefed on the history of gold rushes in Ontario – this one made people gold-crazy even before the Yukon gold rush.  Guests in groups of up to eight are then ushered into one of fourrooms; the One Room School House, Miss Kitty’s Parlor, the Moonshine Shack or the new room, the Sheriff’s Office. Once inside you are given 45 minutes to escape the room.

The rooms are designed with different levels of difficulty.  The One Room School House is a moderately difficult room to leave, with a 15 to 20 per cent escape rate,  the less challenging Miss Kitty’s Parlor has a 25 to 30 per cent escape rate, and the Sheriff’s Office has the lowest success rate with only 5 per cent or participants managing to escape.

I brought 4 friends and together we were admitted into the One Room School House.It is exactly as you’d imagine it, decked out with the decorative details out of a Western film. The letter blocks and children’s desks gave us a false sense of hope when we entered – we thought it would be easy.Lucky for us there is an emergency escape key and a ‘hint’ bell to ring when we got stuck.

Sarah and her escape team get into character before heading into Escape Maze. Back; Dan Batty, Hayley Preston. Front; Sarah Sobanski, Michelle Sobanski. Photo: Scott Walling.

Sarah and her escape team get into character before heading into Escape Maze. Back; Dan Batty, Hayley Preston. Front; Sarah Sobanski, Michelle Sobanski. Photo: Scott Walling.

The goal inside the room is to find the key and escape by solving a variety of puzzles and riddles that lead consecutively to said key. For example, a matching game, whose pieces were found in a desk and whose board were found under a chair, lead to a math equation which unlocked a briefcase beside the teacher’s desk inside which was another riddle.

In a group of five, more minds were better for us, and a lot of fun. We made it to the final clue, only having to ring the ‘clue’ bell once, but still didn’t make it out within the set time limit.

The Preddys mastermind and create all of their own clues, working together to find new ways to stump patrons. They change up their rooms every three to four months to keep things fresh and engaging.

“Everyone’s always happy to have been,” says Scott Walling, son of Jaclyn Preddy. He says he’s seen groups come from businesses for the experience as a part of team building exercises, as well as families come to try out the escape house, and everyone leaves with a smile.

Escape Maze, off County Rd. 28, is located at 156 Cedar Bank Rd., Peterborough, and open most weekdays and weekends. Rooms can be booked on their website. Admission is $25 a person.

 

 

Tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply