Themed "escape rooms" are an entertainment craze exploding across the United States. North Texas is no exception to the growing trend as they have been popping up all over the area within the last year.
Xcape Adventures was one of the first on the scene in the DFW area. When they opened in 2014, co-owner Aubrey Dewbre said there was only one other escape room in North Texas. Now there are nearly 30 and counting.
“We lock you in a themed room and you try to solve a series of puzzles, hidden clues, keys, secret passages in order to get out of the room within an hour,” said Dewbre.
The escape room craze taps into every person’s natural curiosity to explore and answer questions. But it also does a little more.
“We are trying to have a fun day at work,” said James Williams, owner of The Grounds Guys of Cedar Creek Lake. “So, this is one way that we can continue to build that team environment and yet have fun in the process while doing it.”
Williams brought his employees to Xcape. On the day they came, the group had to find treasure aboard a pirate ship before Captain Scully returned.
Dewbre is seeing more and more companies using escape rooms as a team building tool.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
“You have to work together,” said Dewbre. “You have to help in some way, whether it be the boss or the worker. Everybody relies on everybody.”
Dewbre jumped in on the craze after it made its way from Asia to the US.
“It just got over to America a couple of years ago. So, it’s trending and here to stay,” said Dewbre. “There’s an adrenaline rush and that’s why people keep coming back.”
