Escape on Purpose
4.9(299)4.9 out of 5 stars, 299 reviews Durham, NC
About Escape on Purpose
Escape on Purpose specializes in providing highly engaging and immersive escape room experiences that are particularly praised for fostering strong family bonding, especially between parents and teens. It's an excellent choice for special occasions like birthdays, or simply for a memorable family outing focused on teamwork and collaborative problem-solving.
What parents should know
Summarized from real visitor reviews.
Best for: Parent-teen bonding experiences, especially effective with older teens (e.g., 16-year-olds).Birthday parties for pre-teens and teenagers (e.g., 14-year-olds and their friends).Family outings focused on teamwork and collaborative problem-solving.First-time escape room players seeking a guided and positive introduction to escape rooms.Groups including 9-year-olds and adults looking for an engaging and shared activity.
Why families love it
- Exceptional for parent-teen bonding; one parent reported significant bonding with their 16-year-old son through the '(T)ERROR IN THE SKY' room.
- Rooms like the 'Submarine room' are highly immersive and elaborate, making you feel genuinely within the setting.
- Specific rooms, including the 'Uncommon room' and 'Space Mission', are well-designed with challenging yet solvable puzzles and fun, unexpected clues.
- Staff members (e.g., 'Attic', 'Jay') are consistently lauded as awesome facilitators, friendly, upbeat, informative, and clear in explaining game rules and difficulty levels.
- Offers a great activity for birthday celebrations, particularly for pre-teens and teenagers (e.g., a 14-year-old's party).
- Successfully fosters teamwork and communication among participants, making it a solid experience for families and groups.
Insider tips
- **Always make a reservation** beforehand to avoid long wait times and to secure your preferred time slot and room.
- Be prepared for potential delays if you arrive as a walk-in, as staff might be busy with other groups and you may wait in the lobby.
- Inquire about specific room difficulties when booking to ensure it matches your group's experience level and preferences (e.g., the Submarine room is medium difficulty).
- Consider the '(T)ERROR IN THE SKY' room for a particularly strong parent-teen bonding experience.
- The 'Uncommon room' is highly recommended for groups who enjoy challenging puzzles with fun, unexpected clues.
Good to know before you go
- Visiting as a spontaneous walk-in during potentially busy times if you have a tight schedule or young children who struggle with waiting, as significant lobby wait times are possible.
- Assuming immediate availability of rooms or staff without a reservation; rooms can be fully booked, and staff may be occupied with other groups.
- Can experience significant wait times for walk-in groups, especially if the venue is understaffed (e.g., only one employee on duty busy with another group).
- There is a potential for staff to be occupied with other groups upon arrival, which can lead to delays in greeting and initial onboarding for walk-ins.
- Crowds
- Reviews suggest the venue can be busy enough to warrant only one employee on duty at times, leading to potential wait times for walk-ins. However, there is no explicit mention of overwhelming crowds or overly busy environments within the rooms or lobby.
- Value
- No specific pricing information was mentioned in the reviews, making it impossible to assess the monetary value directly. However, the experiences are consistently described as 'awesome' and 'great', indicating high satisfaction and perceived value for the engaging and bonding experiences provided.
- Safety
- No specific safety features were mentioned in the reviews.
What parents say
"Me and my son did (T)ERROR IN THE SKY, and I can say, that’s the most bonding we did since he was 10. He’s 16. Not only did we spend a great time together, but we bonded and spent some much needed time with each other. It was both of our first escape room. Escape on Purpose and Attic made it a wonderful experience! Thank you Attic for being our guide☺️"
a month ago
"We visited Escape on Purpose as a walk-in with no reservation—my wife, 9-year-old son, and adult niece in tow—hoping they could fit us in. Thankfully, they did! We did wait quite a while in the lobby before anyone came out to greet us, but it turned out there was only one employee on duty, and she was busy prepping another group. Once she came out, she was incredibly friendly, upbeat, and informative. She walked us through everything clearly, including how to book in the future and the difficulty levels of each room. We chose the submarine room (medium difficulty) and had a great time solving "
in the last week
"We had an awesome birthday experience for my 14yo and her friends. Attic was an awesome facilitator and we loved the Uncommon room! It was challenging but not impossible and had fun unexpected clues! We will definitely be back to check out the submarine room! Highly recommend this place."
a month ago
Reviews sourced from public Google data.
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