Austin Panic Room is not quite as daunting as it sounds. Guests of this house, located just west of the Texas State Capitol, tackle difficult challenges, to be sure, but not claustrophobic ones. The panic comes from racing against the clock to complete a complex mission. Each of the rooms inside the Austin Panic Room home offers a unique hour-long adventure, where groups work together to hunt for clues and solve puzzles, in the hopes of escaping before they run out of time.
The Free Fun in Austin team recently gave one of the challenges a try, and had so much fun that we have partnered with Austin Panic Room to give away an escape experience to one lucky reader. Read on to learn more about how Austin Panic Room works, and enter to win a booking for you and your friends, family, or coworkers.
Austin Panic Room
Upon arrival at Austin Panic Room, groups are welcomed by a tour guide who describes the challenge, explains the rules, and offers assurance that he or she will be available to assist you during your hour-long experience. Our guide was Kaylyn Hudson, who masterfully answered all of our questions–occasionally offering hints as to what we should ask–and ensured we had the information we needed to succeed.
Our mission was to escape the Museum Room. This was the backstory Kaylyn shared, before leading us into a small gallery filled with “evidence.”
Mr. X has captured your loved ones and taken them hostage! He is blackmailing you and your team into helping him with his devious plans. Mr. X broke into a museum last night and attempted to steal the most valuable item. Before he was able to escape with the prized item, alarms were triggered and he had to stash the item away somewhere inside the museum. Mr. X is now demanding you and your team to break into the museum and retrieve the valuable item. There’s just one catch – you have to escape before the police come back to check out the crime scene!
And then the game was on. We spent 53 minutes racing around that Museum Heist crime scene, digging up enough clues and solving enough puzzles to escape with seven minutes left on the clock! Honestly, I’m not quite sure how we pulled that off. Without giving any spoilers, there was lots of running in circles and shouting of questions. While stressful, the challenge did make for some great team building, as we had to constantly communicate with each other in order to make any progress at all. Thankfully, I work with a clever bunch!
Want to give this unique escape game a try? Austin Panic Room currently offers four different missions:
- Museum Heist
- Prison Break
- Abandoned School
- Cabin Fever (new!)
How to Book
Grab a group of friends, coworkers, or family members (supervised children as young as 10 are welcome), choose your adventure, and book a time slot. If there aren’t very many in your group, you may be paired with other players. But, as long as you have at least four people on your team, you are good to go! The price is $20 per person.
Discounts
- Want to save $5 per person? Make a matinee reservation (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) for dates between Monday, March 28 and Thursday, March 31, 2016 to save 25%! When you book during any of those times on the Austin Panic Room reservation page, the price will be $15 instead of $20.
- Members of the military can get 15% off (no expiration).
- Students can save 10% on Mondays (no expiration).
What to Know Before You Go
- Most rooms require teams of 4-10 people. Check the website for details.
- No food or drink is allowed in the themed rooms. If you’d like to BYOB, plan to arrive early or stay after to enjoy your beverages in the waiting room.
- Allow time to park. If you park in the small Austin Panic Room lot, you will need to exchange your license for a parking sign to display in your vehicle.
- You will have a 5-10 minute briefing upon arrival. You will be locked in the room for exactly 60 minutes. The entire session will last 80-90 minutes.
Giveaway
For a chance to experience Austin Panic Room’s brand new Cabin Fever room, enter to win a free booking for 10 (worth $200+)!
Cabin Room
A fierce blizzard has hit your secluded ski resort! So much for that relaxing trip. Caught in the snow, you and your friends were forced to take shelter in a nearby cabin. But beware! The old wooden structure can only stand the brunt of the storm for so long. Can you find a way to save yourself and your companions? Or, will you succumb to the fury of the blizzard?
Enter below for your chance to win. One winner will be selected at random on Sunday, March 13, 2016 and notified by email. Official rules.
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For more information, visit the Austin Panic Room website.
