On May 26, 2024, my crew headed to Salisbury, NC to try out the Agatha Room at Escape Central. I met Henry Alexander, the owner of Escape Central, at the Meroney Theater in Salisbury a few weeks earlier while we were awaiting the start of Clue. My family had never tried an escape room, but we enjoy challenging strategic games and decided to give it a try.
Escape Central's web site highlights four different rooms: the Jail, Agatha's Room, the Curiosity Shop, and the Casino. My youngest particularly likes dolls and reading/watching murder mysteries, so we chose the Agatha room based on the photos online. I emailed to make a reservation, received a prompt reply, and was able to set up our visit quickly and easily. The Agatha room is one of the more popular ones at this time. Discount pricing is available on Sunday afternoons when we visited.
The escape rooms are located on 118 East Council Street near Waterworks Gallery, Stitchin' Post, and the Meroney Theater. We parked on Main Street across from the Rowan Museum and walked a very short distance to the location. Parking was free.
We arrived a few minutes early and were greeted and invited to start playing early since our room was ready. We were given several helpful tips before being left alone for our adventure. Although we were "locked" in, the room had a camera and we were offered the option for hints a few times as we searched. With a time limit of one hour, we began searching right away and quickly found several written clues that were strategically placed.
Since none of us had ever attempted an escape room, we weren't sure what to expect, but each person in our group discovered different items that helped to solve the mystery. We opted to get a couple of additional hints because we wanted to complete the challenge and weren't sure we would be able to solve it in less than an hour. Some of the clues were challenging, but our group had loads of fun searching and trying to piece together the various pieces of the puzzle. Participants can choose whether or not they want extra clues to customize the experience and difficulty level.
I was graciously given the opportunity to take some photos after we finished so I could share this experience with my blog readers. If your group enjoys strategy and solving mysteries, this can be a fun option for a variety of ages. It's also nice to have indoor options when it feels like 100 degrees in the shade or for rainy or cold days in particular.
The Escape Central Facebook page is regularly updated - a photo of our crew showed up not long after we escaped! We noticed several pinball games in an area next door and decided to try a few of those before heading out for our next adventure. My crew unanimously said they would like to try another escape room at Escape Central in Salisbury in the future.
If you are looking for fun things to do in Salisbury or Rowan County in addition to the escape rooms, you might check out one of the local theaters or the NC Transportation Museum. Below are a few of my articles that might pair well with Escape Central as well: