Baby Boomers who continue to discover the thrill and excitement of the escape room concept are helping lead the way to destination attractions such as the new Out Smart Escapes venue opening at the end of the week in downtown Buchanan. Having been relegated to crossword and jigsaw puzzles or a simple game of Hide-n-Seek in their formative years, the baby boom generation is joining younger crews in discovering the far more exciting and fulfilling experience of escape room concepts popping up across the landscape.
Now comes the escape room entertainment company Out Smart Escapes with their third venue in the region, following earlier establishments opened in South Bend and Elkhart in Northwest Indiana.
The new venue will be located in the historic Ross-Sanders building, a Greek Revival house built by John Ross in 1856. Ross was a prominent businessman and downtown property owner in Buchanan. The unique home was acquired by the city in 1951 and served as the police station and City Hall until 1984.
Out Smart Escapes will be opening their first room in Buchanan there this Friday, February 9th. Called “Cold War Spy,” the puzzle is inspired by the true story of a Soviet Union spy working for the C.I.A. during the Cold War and apprehended by the F.B.I. in the 1990s.
As players in the escape room at this version of Out Smart Escapes, your team has been recruited by the F.B.I as a special task force with the mission to identify the mole in the C.I.A . Your team must do your best investigative work to find clues and solve puzzles which lead to the arrest of America’s most notorious spy.
Venue owner, Matt Herm, boasts that the spy gear and special effects used in this escape room will amaze you, but best of all, he says, “Several of the spy tactics utilized in the game were actually used by spies during the Cold War.”
Herm tells us that that their design team is working hard to finish a second escape that takes place inside real jail cells. He jokes that the city’s old jail is the type of building an escape room designer dreams about.
South Bend’s adventures include the Studebaker Scandal and the Hunt for the Holy Grail, while Elkhart’s version features Pharoh’s Tomb.
All of Out Smart Escape venues are 60-minute, timed adventures wherein you and your friends or colleagues are locked in a room and you have to find your way out as the clock ticks down. You solve puzzles and find clues to unlock your way to freedom. The rooms are also staffed with Game Masters who can help with hints or simply observe your work. The venues are available to groups of families and friends or can also be used in corporate training.
The Buchanan location will be open on Friday and Saturday evenings starting on February 9th. Reservations can be made at their website linked below. The new venue is located at 107 West Front Street in Buchanan, according to Carol Carroll, Executive Director of the Buchanan Area Chamber of Commerce which will conduct a ribbon cutting ceremony there on Friday.
Here’s the link to the venue’s website:
