‘Escape rooms’ are opening up around St. Louis — a group is ‘locked’ in a room with clues on how to escape in a certain amount of time.
Julie Buchheit-Morrissey is in the final stages of building out her escape room in Maplewood, Escape From St. Louis (7403 Manchester Road). They plan to do ‘beta testing’ next week and open the following week.
The first room will be called “A Ghost Story.” Guests will have an hour to uncover a ghostly mystery and escape the room.
Two identical rooms are competition rooms — groups compete to escape. They’re called “Trapped in Detention.” Teams will be thrown back into high school detention and have to break out before the other class.
Buchheit, 26, from the St. Johns area, said Saturday at an open house that she’s never designed escape rooms before, but has done similar things.
“Just with our friends and family we do a lot of scavenger hunts and trivia — different events, and now we’re like, we should maybe try to make money off of it,” she said. She added no one is quitting their day job.
Buchheit’s father, Joe, was there taping drywall. He said she planned scavenger hunts for the trips to weddings of two of her siblings; one was from St. Louis to Watseka, IL, and some guests were almost late to the wedding because of it. She had a scavenger hunt at her own wedding reception as well. “We like to have fun,” he said.
Escape from St. Louis launched its online booking website on Wednesday.
They are going to be in the other half of the newly divided space that Escape From St. Louis will be in. I think they should be finished with the construction soon, but I don’t know when they will open.
I’m checking, Mary. Will let you know.
Please what is happening with the group of artists planning to work and exhibit in a Maplewood store?