Are you a puzzle master who problem solves well under pressure? Then, escape rooms are the gaming outlets for you.
This live-action phenomenon was introduced to the U.S. in 2012, but the hype’s proven explosive, and now venues are peppered all over the mitten. How does this theatrical experience work? Players get locked in a room with friends, family or strangers and have (on average) 60 minutes to escape.
For many, this sounds like the ultimate nightmare. But these team-building exercises mesh scavenger hunting with investigative sleuthing to test gamers’ intellects and get your adrenaline pumping.
All venues suggest players arrive 15 minutes early for a briefing on the game’s objectives. Consult their websites to book rooms, times, prices and parties. But take note: At some spots, you can’t challenge the same room twice and tickets are typically nonrefundable.
While the rooms foster mystery, there’s nothing scary about the experience (except, perhaps, the room with the zombie). Most venues require adults to accompany youth younger than 18 (varies by location), because the problem solving is geared toward adult minds. No need to pump iron in preparation; the puzzles require only mental strength. So checkout one of these escape rooms in Ann Arbor, Detroit, Warren and more, and let the timer begin.
Breakout! The Room Escape Game
Ann Arbor
- Address: 3460 E. Ellsworth Road, Ann Arbor
- Hours: By appointment, 10 a.m.-11:45 p.m. daily
Lansing
- Address: 2722 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing
- Hours: By appointment, 10 a.m.-11:45 p.m. daily
Royal Oak
- Address: 222 E. Fourth St., Royal Oak
- Hours: By appointment, 10 a.m.-11:45 p.m. daily
Warren
- Address: 7300 Miller Drive, Suite B, Warren
- Hours: By appointment, 10 a.m.-11:45 p.m. daily
Nostalgic for the circus? Locked inside The Ringmaster’s Den, find the key before the timer reaches zero, or you’re doomed to stay as a permanent resident. Feel like snooping? You can also choose from Zombie Roadhouse (for ages 16-plus), where the onslaught of the undead has forced survivors to take refuge in an abandoned pub or the Chamber of Illusions, where you are transported into a mysterious realm where nothing is what it seems.
Clueless Escape Rooms
- Address: 5204 Jackson Road, Suite F, Ann Arbor
- Hours: 12:30-10 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 12:30-11:30 p.m. Friday-Sunday, closed Monday-Tuesday
Bring an eager team and your wits in one of four rooms at this spot. In the first, you and your friends must find your way off of a deserted island. In the second, you’re tasked with saving Tony from a deadly snake bite. The third, you’re looking for a chocolate recipe in your grandpa’s candy shop and in the fourth, you must break an evil hag’s spell.
Decode Detroit
Ann Arbor
- Address: 4072 Packard Road, Ann Arbor
- Hours: By reservation
Detroit (coming soon)
- Address: 3014 E. Grand Blvd., Detroit
- Hours: By reservation
Ypsilanti
- Address: 16 N. Washington St., Ypsilanti
- Hours: By reservation
The Ann Arbor location offers three rooms led by sassy artificial intelligence. The Aurora Society and Magic Lessons are open in Ypsilanti. Watch for a Detroit location soon.
EpIQ Escapes
- Address: 561 Wildwood Ave., Jackson
- Hours: 5-11 p.m. Friday, 1-11 p.m. Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday
Fight for the win with your team on the Game Show or hunt for a serial killer in The Back Alley. There’s a nostalgic ’90s room and an attic, too.
Escape the Room
- Address: 1030 Randolph St., Detroit
- Hours: By reservation
Choose to tackle a top secret mission in The Agency, dive deep to unravel a mystery in The Dig or channel your 80s sleuth in the Stranger Things-inspired Rec. Room. But be quick! You have 60 minutes to gain your escape.
Escape the Room Novi
- Address: 44325 W. 12 Mile Road, Suite H175, Novi
- Hours: 3-10 p.m. Sunday-Friday, noon-10 p.m. Saturday
Choose from easy, moderate, hard and very hard rooms that include themes like The Bunker, Speakeasy, Illusionist, Cabin in the Woods, Pirates of the Sea and many others.
Escape Room Studios
- Address: 28525 Beck Road, Suite 122, Wixom
- Hours: Call to reserve a time slot
Offers a “Steampunk Gypsies” option for kids and adults ages 12-plus. And around Halloween, find the Vampire’s Lair for ages 14-plus. In the latter, expect one player to be blindfolded and the others handcuffed through a portion of the game. Someone must lay in a glass coffin, too.
Escape Room-Zone
Canton
- Address: 41985 Ford Road, Canton
- Hours: By appointment
Chesterfield
- Address: 27923 23 Mile Road, Chesterfield
- Hours: By appointment
Farmington
- Address: 31514 Grand River Ave., Farmington
- Hours: Noon-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, noon-1 a.m. Friday-Saturday, noon-9 p.m. Sunday
Madison Heights
- Address: 31401 John R. Road, Madison Heights
- Hours: Noon-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, noon-1 a.m. Friday-Saturday, noon-9 p.m. Sunday
Waterford
- Address: 1490 N. Oakland Blvd., Suite B, Waterford
- Hours: 3-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, noon-midnight Friday-Saturday, noon-9 p.m. Sunday.
Ready for an adventure? You can visit Kentsworth Sanitorium, find your way out of Alcatraz, escape from an airlock and more. Don’t miss new rooms making their debuts throughout the year at various locations.
Ideal Escape Rooms
- Address: Legacy Center, 925 N. Lapeer Road, Suite 246, Oxford
- Hours: By appointment
If you like the Wild West, castles or always wanted to be a firefighter, check out the rooms at Ideal Escape such as ‘Quest for the Throne’ or ‘Firefighter Rescue’. There are five rooms offered here.
Michigan Escape Games
- Address: 9023 Davison Road, Davison
- Hours: Daily; consult online calendar to book a time
Return to Michigan Escape Games again and again with 10 live-action rooms at your disposal. Play the ultimate game of chess in CheckMate, solve a murder at bar Noir and more.
Michigan Escape Room
- Address: 58944 Van Dyke Ave., Washington Township
- Hours: By appointment
Puzzle gurus, unite! Get locked in a room with some of your favorite people, and assist your team with your expertise. The venue is regularly showcasing new rooms, but veterans’ favorites such as the Elevator and Kidnapped are always ready for a fresh batch of newbies.
Monroe Escape Rooms
- Address: 14750 Laplaisance Road, Suite H30, Monroe
- Hours: By appointment
This spot features four different rooms. Unravel a plot against the Prime Minister with Sherlock Holmes, find a missing pirate treasure chest, pull Excalibur from the stone at Merlin’s Castle and stop a missile from being launched.
The Fifth Wall Escape Rooms
- Address: 1930 Hilton Road, Ferndale
- Hours: 4-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 2:30-10 p.m. Friday, noon-10:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday
This spot’s original room was built for the great Harry Houdini to attempt to escape. Tragically, he passed in Detroit before he could try the room. Now, local metro Detroiters can solve the puzzles and riddles that were built to specifically vex the master escape artist. A newer option, The Purple Gang, is just 25 minutes and pits you, a group of Detroit Police detectives, against the Chicago mob and Weirder Stuff simulates the original Fifth Wall Society investigation.
The Great Escape
Grand Rapids
- Address: Masonic Center, 233 E. Fulton St., Suite 211, Grand Rapids
- Hours: By appointment
Royal Oak
- Address: 301 W. 4th St., Royal Oak
- Hours: By appointment
Choose from scavenger hunt rooms Sherlock Study and Moriarty’s Gameroom. They also have rooms that feature live performances and a “portable” option, too.
Think It Out Escape Rooms
- Address: 16658 15 Mile Road, Fraser
- Hours: By appointement
Sleuth for puzzle pieces under pressure. Rooms offered include On the Radio, The Locker Room, Campout and Superhero U.
Looking for even more family fun? Check out the Metro Parent calendar for ideas.
This post was originally published in 2015 and is updated regularly.
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