The best escape rooms in and around Raleigh

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Nextdoor
  • Email

Cat cracking the code. | Photo by RALtoday

Last weekend, we (City Editors Anne + Cat here 👋 ) found ourselves locked in a closet with little more than a bike to help us escape — just two journalists captured by the KGB in the midst of a nuclear disaster. With only one hour to escape, we did it. Kind of.

In December, we asked you, our readers, what you want to learn about Raleigh in 2022 , and today we’re tackling escape rooms. Naturally, we used this as an opportunity to try out NERD Escape Room ’s Chernobyl room. It was a blast. (Shoutout to Jake who gave us many, much needed clues to crack the codes.) 🔐

Here are six escape rooms with adventurous, cryptic + entertaining storylines to try in and around the City of Oaks:

🔎 Amaze Room Escapes , 3209 Gresham Lake Rd. | 3-11 players | $25/person | Plot your escape from prison, the Mysterious Room, or the Black & White.

🔎 Game On Escapes , 107 Edinburgh S. Dr., Cary | 2-8 players | $27-35 | In addition to themes like jungle, manor, and sorcerer, seasonal rooms are offered.

🔎 Nerd Escape Room ,117 Glenwood Ave. | 2-10 players | $28/person | Book one of four puzzling rooms with unique storylines. Pro tip: be sure to notice the matching items in your room.

🔎 Room 5280 , 123 Glenwood Ave. | 2-8 players | $28/person | Choose from four different rooms, including the spooky Dark Room with a 40% success rate (at least you’ll have a flashlight).

🔎 Tarheel Escapes , 140 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill | 3-8 players | $29/person | Game of Thrones and Indian Jones inspired escape rooms. “Snakes?! Why’d It Have To Be Snakes?” (We hope there are no snakes.)

🔎 The Tower Escapes , 115 W. Morgan St. | 2-10 players | $28/person | Escape rooms like the Sir Walter Speakeasy + the Castle of Loches.

We have a confession to make. It took us one hour and eight minutes to escape.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Nextdoor
  • Email
Anne — originally from Annapolis, Maryland and based in Roanoke, Virginia — joined 6AM City as a City Editor for RALtoday in January 2022. She is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and has contributed to publications including Garden & Gun and Washingtonian. When Anne’s not writing, she’s hiking through the Blue Ridge Mountains, practicing hot yoga, or finding her new favorite foodie spot.