Key to Escape (Escape Room) Review
Photo: downtownstatesvillenc.org
Located conveniently in downtown Statesville, North Carolina is a small, beautiful, historic building built in 1898. Since its construction it has served as a Catholic church, marketing firm, law office, and a newspaper office. But since being purchased in 2017, it has served another purpose: providing a good time to all its visitors. That’s because now the small brick building is home to Statesville’s very own escape room!
The Sports Chief crew decided to go last Friday. It was our second time going, and just like the first, we had a great time. Upon walking in, you feel like you’ve taken a step back in time just from the historic look and feel of the place. We were kindly greeted by the employee at the desk, who then told us it was our time to enter the room after the group before us had failed to escape. Last time we visited we did the “Where There’s a Will” room and managed to escape with about ten minutes left on the clock (you have one hour to escape). This time we chose the newest room, “Under Pressure,” and were eager to put our skills to the test to be a perfect 2 for 2 in our escape attempts.
We were told the backstory of the room, which was set in 1925 Statesville. After a local still owner had been taken away by the police, nobody was able to find the valve key to the still to keep it from exploding. It led to a huge fire that destroyed three blocks of the city. As the escape team, we were tasked with traveling back in time to 1925 and solve all the clues to find the valve key, save the still from exploding, and prevent Statesville from the devastating fire. And we were given exactly one hour to do so.
Because of the nature of escape rooms, I cannot talk about important details of the rooms, or even take pictures or videos of them. Anybody that goes to any escape room must be careful with what they tell others because you don’t want any secrets getting out to help others escape the same room. But I will say this room kept us busy the entire time. Our group consisted of six people and we all had something to look for or help someone with at all times. There were twists and turns, clues leading to more clues, teamwork tasks, and the general requirement of thinking outside the box.
Photo: Trip Advisor/934RebeccaK
The biggest challenge to us was time. We knew we had to be close to saving the still from exploding when we went through one of the doors, but had a big problem when the clock told us we only had three minutes left. Hurriedly trying to figure everything out while still trying to remain calm was very difficult as the clock ticked down, and ultimately hit 0:00 on us. The still exploded with steam shooting out of it, filling the room. We were already disappointed we did not escape, but when the employee told us we were on the very last task and needed only about three more minutes, it hurt even more.
Even though we left disappointed that we didn’t escape, we all had a blast. The room itself was very cool with its Prohibition-style look. And challenges always provide a fun time. When you personally figure something out to help the group get closer to escaping, it’s a great feeling. Working together as a group toward one goal is a cool feeling as well.
Without a doubt we will go back and try the third, and last, room offered at Key to Escape. Its name is “Redemption,” so while it is the toughest room of the three, maybe we will get our redemption from this time. One thing you’ll notice is the staff at Key to Escape are really friendly and always excited to share the backstory of the rooms and discuss your performance afterwards. Their excitement really rubs off on the visitors and makes it a joy to come.
Just inside the door to the building there is a map on the wall of the United States and the rest of the world. On it are thumbtacks signifying the places from where people have visited Key to Escape from. It looked like other than maybe three or four states, people have come from all over the country. And there were also a lot of thumbtacks all over the world map as well. The fact that people from all over the world have come to try Key to Escape in Statesville, NC tells you everything you need to know. It constantly gets good reviews as one of the best escape rooms people have ever visited, and certainly gets our vote. We encourage you to bring a group of 4-10 people, depending on the room, and come see for yourselves. You’ll love it!
Garett