Can You Escape?

February 2018
Written By: 
Hastings Hensel

The newest attraction the Grand Strand is locked in on: escape rooms

Suddenly the group finds themselves locked in the room. Above them, a digital clock ticks down from one hour. All they know is what their Game Master has told them: the woman was a seamstress. Here are the things she’s left behind: little trinkets, random postcards, locks, scattered bits of writing.

Can the group figure out what each clue means? Can they decode the seamstress’ messages? Bottom line: Can they escape?

Each member of the group scans the room. Where can they find the keys to these locks? What do these old postcards mean? Do all these numbers translate into something? Or are some objects simply red herrings—just unnecessary distractions?

They all scurry about frantically, collaborating and peering closer at various objects in various nooks and crannies.

Suddenly, one member of the group shouts, “Hey! I found a key! And look! It fits the lock to the box!”

The box opens. Inside is another trinket ready to be deciphered. When they decipher it at last, it only leads them to another lock, this one with a combination.

“Wait!” another person cries. “What are these numbers in the mirror? Do they have some sort of significance? Do you think they might be the combination?”

They try it. Those numbers are not the code to the combination. They stand there, utterly confused and finally stumped. They ask for help. A laminated sheet of paper flutters down from the Game Master above them. Ah ha! So that’s what those numbers refer to! They try a different combination. It fits!

If channeling your inner Sherlock Holmes sounds like fun—or if you’ve ever played the popular iPhone games like “Escape If You Can” or “Psycho Escape” or “You Must Escape”—then you’ll want to don your detective hat and try one of the six escape room attractions on the Grand Strand.

Most rooms take one hour to solve (or not!), but they differ wildly in theme, almost like the different rooms in the board game Clue or the different levels in a video game. One is a hotel lobby; another is a deserted island. Sometimes you’re a detective; sometimes you’re federal agents. There are jail breaks, zombie escapes, haunted rooms.

Whatever you prefer, you can probably find it at one of the local escape rooms. You can book rooms through the websites, and please be sure to double-check for pricing and current room themes.

Name: Backstage Escape Games
Location: Broadway at the Beach, 1314 Celebrity Circle #165, Myrtle Beach
Escape Rooms: “The Legend of Atlantis”: Indiana Jones type escape
Price: $34 per person

Name: Riddles Escape Room
Location: 9713 N. Kings Highway, Myrtle Beach
Escape Rooms: Marooned Island, Hotel Room, Steampunk Mansion
Price: $25 per person

Name: Myrtle Beach Room Escape
Location: 316 9th Ave. N., Myrtle Beach (second location in Garden City—541 Atlantic Ave.)
Escape Rooms: Walking Dead, Island Escape, Jail Break, Save E.T., The Theater
Price: $25 per person

Name: Escape! Myrtle Beach
Location: 606 Broadway St., Myrtle Beach
Escape Rooms: CIA Race Against Time
Price: $25 per person

Name: Escapology
Location: 400 N. Kings Highway, Suite D, Myrtle Beach
Escape Rooms: Arizona Shootout, Antidote (chemical weapons), TH3 COD3 (FBI)
Price: $29 per person

Name: Captive Escape Rooms
Location: 1120 N. Kings Highway, 2nd Floor, Myrtle Beach
Escape Rooms: Dracula’s Library, Charlotte’s Attic
Price: $27 per person