ESCAPE! Alaska

We made a spontaneous decision to do an escape room one evening, and we ended up at ESCAPE! Alaska.  

We did the NOIR escape room, in which we had to determine who was a murderer, amongst other things.

You're given an hour, and you are also given a business card with which you can use a phone in the Escape Room and call a number for clues / assistance.  

And we had to call the number a few times in the first 30 minutes because we are very novice escape room players. 

Once we got the hang of things, it was easier for us to find clues.

We did eventually escape within the time frame allotted, with just minutes (seconds?) to spare.

I thought the experience was really fun and the clues / puzzles very clever compared to some of the other escape rooms we've done.  

Of course we did not make the leaderboard, but it was impressive to see how some teams finish the room in under 20 minutes. 

ESCAPE! Alaska was definitely a fun way to spend an evening! 

ESCAPE! Alaska
2000 W International Airport Rd Ste A8
Anchorage, AK 99502

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The Great Big Game Show + Promo Code!

Have you heard of the Great Big Game Show? Located in Ala Moana Shopping Center, it's an hour-long interactive entertainment experience where you compete as contestants on a TV-style soundstage complete with your very own gameshow host! You only need 2 contestants to play and each group will be split into two teams to compete in various mini-games. Every game show includes 5 or more mini-games and with over 17 rotating mini-games, it'll be a different experience each time you visit.

For our group of 11, we decided to play girls versus boys. Sora was our amazing game show host and explained the rules of each game. She kept our games super fun with her high energy and enthusiasm. The hour went by quickly thanks to all the fun we were having, and Sora captured all our best moments in a Highlight Reel we received the next day. That gift was a very nice touch and so fun to watch. Our group had the best time with one of my friends calling it five-star fun! Definitely recommend for groups that enjoy a little competition.

Co-host Chip 

Rolling to see who goes first

Ready Bet Go

Puzzles to solve in Letter Roll

The Great Big Game Show recommends their games for ages 6 and up. A paying guardian (18+) must participate with anyone 14 or younger, and anyone under 18 will need an adult to sign their waiver. Children ages 4 and under are welcome to tag along free of charge, but call them before booking as each game has a maximum player capacity of 14 contestants. Currently they are running a $35 ticket (regular $45.99) Back to School promotion with code BTS35. Offer ends 8/31 and play by 9/30/26

Thank you to the Great Big Game Show for hosting Hawaii Mom Blog! All opinions are honest and entirely my own.

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Visit Las Vegas: Trapped!

 While in Las Vegas, we decided to do an escape room at Trapped!

It was an impromptu decision, and we were lucky to book a time slot online for a decent time for the same night.

There were several escape rooms to choose from, and we chose Pandora's Box.

Upon arrival to Trapped!, we checked in, and were given three options to choose from in terms of how much help we wanted during the 60 minutes.

We then watched a video about the rules, were directed to lock up our phones in lockers, and proceeded to another room where we watched a video of the story behind Pandora's Box.

Staff members role play, which adds to the fun of the experience.  We proceeded to our escape room, and the fun began!

In terms of escape rooms and based on rooms I've tried in the past, this room was on the easier side, and very family-friendly.  It was also very interactive with neat effects (spoiler - we got a little wet).  During moments where we seemed to be stumped, an employee chimed in to give us some clues.

Overall, we needed minimum clues, and we fortunately escaped just in time.

The entire family had a blast.  

Highly recommend for a fun family night out in Las Vegas, away from The Strip!

Trapped!
4760 Polaris Ave

Las Vegas, NV 89103

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Visit Boston: 5 Wits

5 Wits is an interactive adventure that's part escape-room, part role-play, part-theater. 

We went to the Patriot Place location to take part in Espionage (another family was assigned to this mission as well).  In this mission, we were led by an agent as we traversed through lasers and air ducts to look for secret codes and solve puzzles to find out who was the mole in the agency.

Unlike an escape room, we did not have a time limit to solve various puzzles, and a staff member was with us the entire time to guide us through the mission, giving us clues when we got "stuck."

The kids seemed to enjoy figuring out the various puzzles and looking for hidden objects.

I personally prefer the more escape room-type experience, where we truly have to figure things out ourselves without prompts from an employee.

Also, because we were with another family, kids from that other family tended to not "share" the experiences with my kids (eg they always tried to be the first to take on a task without letting my kids have a turn).

Overall, I thought the experience was okay, but I hope to take the kids on a real escape room adventure one day.

5 Wits
202 Patriot Pl

Foxborough, MA 02035
(508) 698-1600

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Solve the Room Hawaii

Are you up for the challenge?

When Hawaii Mom Blog was invited to try out Hawaii's newest escape room, Solve the Room Hawaii, I was totally up for the challenge.  I have participated in escape rooms twice before and really enjoyed it...even when I didn't escape. There are 5 different themed rooms at Solve the Room and up to 6 people can play.  I like their 6 maximum players policy because from experience I know that too many players is not always helpful. 

Solve the Room is conveniently located in the R&C tours building at 1722 Kalakaua Ave with FREE parking in their lot and are open Sunday through Saturday from 9am to 11:45pm.  Booking online is a breeze and they are currently offering promotions on their website!

Solve the Room is a great team building activity for corporate teams or just for fun with friends.  I think it would also be great for middle school and high school students as it would teach them problem solving, leadership, team work, and communication skills in a fun way. 

My friends and I attempted the Black Site Prison Cell which has a 40% success rate and was very different from my other two escape room experiences.  Even though we work great together, it was a very challenging experience for us.  We had a great game-master that was very helpful when we needed a clue and we have to credit her for our last minute escape! 

Thank you Solve the Room for such a fun time and the brain exercise!    

Lots to keep you busy at Solve the Room! 

This way to the prison cell escape room.

Feeling super smart!

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Hawaii Escape Challenge at Pearlridge

Escape Rooms have been popping up all over the island in recent years, and I finally got to experience one with some friends.

We went to Hawaii Escape Challenge at Pearlridge.  There are four different challenges, and we did the Nuclear Launch Challenge.

After filling out a waiver (you can complete it there or prior to arriving via an online form), you are shown a quick video of the things you can and can't do (e.g. no use of phones, no eating, no drinking, no running, etc.).  There is a shelf in the room where you can leave your belongings.

A representative explains the scenario you're in and demonstrates the different types of locks you need to open.

Once in the room, you simply start searching for items to unlock the locks, find keys, solve riddles, and escape!

You have 60 minutes to escape from the room, and you are allowed 3 clues.

The entire time you are being monitored to not only ensure safety and that you don't do something you're not supposed to (e.g. unscrew objects), but also to provide the clues if your team requests it (we were told to throw a shaka after our group decided to get a clue).

There were seven of us, and let's just say, we BARELY escaped.

With just 23 SECONDS to spare, we made it out of the room.

We took a celebratory group pic (with props and all), and signed our names on the Winners Wall.

I won't get into more details since I do not want to spoil the mystery of the challenges.

I must say - I was a little nervous going into my first Hawaii Escape Challenge, but it was really, really fun.  

I already have plans to do another room this weekend!

Hawaii Escape Challenge
Pearlridge Center
Aiea, HI 96701
(808) 379-0952

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