What do Sherlock Holmes, pirates and a poltergeist all have in common?
They — along with mad scientists, secret agents and Alice in Wonderland — can all be found in Escape Rooms in Ocean City. Specifically at 2nd, 56th and 118th Street.
Trapped Escape Rooms has been in Ocean City since their location on 118th Street opened in 2015, but even for the biggest escape room fans, Trapped’s real-life escape games never get stale; at least one room is redone every season to keep the challenges fresh for returning customers.
For 2024, Trapped Escape Rooms in Ocean City offers three options:
Poltergeist (7/10 difficulty)
An eerie feeling awakes you, and you know something is wrong inside the mansion. You notice that the power is gone. As the lightning illuminates your fears and the darkness stares into your face, you realize that the thunderstorm must be responsible for the wrecked fuses.
Amidst all that, you realize you have company. Who is it, you wonder? You arenโt quite sure, but being aware of the mansionโs history, you figure it is a supernatural force. Time is winding down. You have 45 minutes to tap into your ghostbuster skills and catch the ghost, or else you will be trapped there for an eternity.
Black Sail’s Lost Treasure. (8/10 difficulty)
You and your team need to find the book of sails on board, and uncover the secret and end the curse. And if you fail, your soul will be forever hunted! Every minute is precious, find the treasure and run away as soon as possible!
The Great Heist (10/10 difficulty)
Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson are involved in a complex little problem that you guys must bring to a conclusion. Find clues hidden in the apartment at 221B Baker Street.
Good, clean fun, whatever the weather
These escape rooms aren’t meant to be just a rainy day activity. Kate and Asiya, two of the escape room owners in 2019, like to encourage their guests to get out of the hot sun and cool off with a challenging escape game.
“I don’t plan it around a rainy day,” said Kate, who travels and visits escape rooms all over the world. “I just want to go there because I want to experience something that challenges you, and itโs more fun to do besides just going to the bar and drinking.”
Groups who do take cover from a rained out beach in an escape room should expect a crowd: Rainy days tend to be the busiest days, and if a group doesn’t book the whole room for themselves (the largest room, Sherlock Holmes, holds up to 10 people), they may find themselves paired up with another team. That, however, only adds to the fun.
It’s a good way to meet new people, Asiya said. She’s seen several groups over the years head to the bar next door together after being paired up in an escape room.
“People should not be worried to be inside with somebody else,” she said. “Itโs a good opportunity to make connections and friends.”
It’s not uncommon for a pair to enter an escape room as strangers and emerge as new friends. And on a somewhat less regular basis, a pair will enter an escape room dating and emerge as fiancรฉs.
At least two proposals have occurred at the 118th Street location, and one on 2nd Street. The proposer will ask the escape room employees if they can hide the ring somewhere, an employee will put it in a puzzle, and the proposee will be led to finish the puzzle toward the end of the game.
Most people like a challenge. The rooms that are rated as “harder,” usually a 9/10 or 10/10, tend to be the most popular. But, Asiya said, what’s more important than completing a difficult puzzle or escaping a challenging room altogether is savoring the experience and having a good time with friends, old or new.
“People like solving puzzles, they like completion, but that shouldnโt be the ultimate goal,” she said. “The experience of the room, of being with people you love in the room and to see how theyโre solving the puzzles, I think this is the most important.”
