Escape Room Live DC

Had lots of fun trying to escape the eighties. Wished we had just five more minutes. :) Eric was a great gamesmaster

Definite 5 stars. If you’ve been thinking about going here GO! I had SO much fun. Our group was big, which for folks who are easily distracted (like myself) was not a plus when it came to actually solving the clues. But it made the overall experience super fun. The only thing I wish was different was I would’ve liked to have had something written for the directions. The directions were given to us verbally and I just couldn’t grasp everything. Call me slow, but my ADD would not allow me to pay attention to the lady giving the instructions. Bless her. She was really a nice young lady, but I don’t listen very well and I think that contributed to why we weren’t able to get out of our room. Overall, a really good experience. I will DEFINITELY be back!

GREAT CONCEPT! I came here with a group of six friends and we were able to book a room all to ourselves. The venue is on the side of building 2300 and beware there are two escape rooms– one is Insomnia Escape Room and the other is of course, Escape Room DC Live. The one you want is the one where you need to walk down the stairs not up!
The décor is really cute once you walk in. We were greeted by a staff member almost immediately.
DOWNSIDE: staff member talked extremely fast AND low. She provided us the scenario and explained to us the house rules but we barely grasped what she was saying when she was explaining it all. By the time we got to the room and started we still didn’t fully understand who we were trying to un-​frame and the story plot.
THE ROOM: Honestly, here’s a word of advice: tear that room apart! Not literally but I mean search through everything! Clues can be anywhere. Our group unfortunately didn’t solve the mystery and I think a part of it was because of the staff’s swift explanation and another part was because we held back and didn’t search the entire room in fear of breaking equipment/​furniture. Overall though it was a great learning experience! I found it really funny that the staff watches you the whole time– perfect way for us to make a fool of ourselves in front of strangers! Not sure if I would do it again but definitely a fun event.

It was a fun experience with my colleagues. My first time doing escape room. A word of advice– make sure you do this with people you know, otherwise it could get seriously awkward. We didn’t escape the 80’s room but our group was pretty smart and got further than most other groups (at least that’s what we were told).

This was an amazing experience! We were a group of five who did the «double crossed» room here and had a blast trying to figure out whodunnit and how to escape the room! It was definitely more challenging than we expected and although we tried to escape without any assistance — we had to have some clues revealed to us! The staff was super friendly and the room was accommodating for all five of us — we could have fit 1 – 2 more in our group and still would have been fun.
This is a great date idea as well if you don’t have a large group and I would definitely recommend this for anyone and any age group! Such a fun family idea as well!
They have three rooms that you can reserve — and my group and I definitely want to try the other two! An added bonus of taking funny pics at the end is also awesome! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

4 stars of fun and something different. Employee there was super nice but didn’t clearly articulate couple of the initial instructions (bit misleading). He was also trying to give a clue that we already had used (ie not the best communicator).
Definitely will come back down the road but I think 5-​stars here would be bit overrated. Rooms & items in here seem bit dirty (inside the metal drawers were dusty etc) in my opinion (with ton of people touching them :))
Small space maximized with a uniquely different concept. Entertaining. Recommend to everyone. Most will like the experience as we all did.
Team-​bonding? I don’t think so. Maybe bc we were already bonded. Far less than a good round of golf !

AWESOME! I previously attended Escape Room Live in Alexandria and was excited to try out their DC location. The experience was fun, challenging, and rewarding as ever!
The location itself is pretty small and can be found tucked away under a building (identified by a Starbucks on the main road). Their waiting room was much smaller compared to the Alexandria location, but still complete with comfy couches and games for guests to play. They also had a little arcade game, which I found neat. The staff members were very welcoming and friendly; I even recognized a few that had operated the Alexandria location! Our appointment was promptly honored and no time was wasted in getting started.
What I really like about Escape Room Live is that they have multiple rooms with varying themes and puzzles. Thus, even if you had attended one before, you can still have fun by challenging yourself to a new room! My friends and I had a blast working together to solve each clue. We took on their «Double Crossed» room, which was also labeled as their most challenging room. Without a doubt, it tested our ability to work together to decipher the multitude of clues. Everything had to be solved within 45 minutes and the puzzles were VERY challenging! My friends and I took advantage of asking for hints when needed, although it did forfeit our opportunity to make the record books. Nonetheless, we managed to escape with less than 4 minutes left, YAY!
Highly highly recommend visiting Escape Room Live! It is such an enjoyable experience that will allow you to create great memories with a group of friends (or strangers)! I am already looking forward to planning my next trip here!

I had a wonderful time while trying to escape the room! The place is very nicely decorated. They really went all out to have a large and spacious reception area, nicely painted and decorated. The room itself was a bit chilly. I don’t know if they did that on purpose but it was pretty cold.
It wasn’t difficult to find; there’s a sign out front and it’s the correct address. Parking in the area isn’t bad at all.
It was an awesome experience!!! The people who work there are very interested in giving you the best experience. We did the Spy or Agent room (forgot the exact name) and I’m willing to go back to do another one.

I’ve been to Escape Room three times now over the past year and each time it’s a different, fun, adrenaline inducing experience full of challenges and laughter.
First, props has got to go to Escape Room’s staff. These hard working folks are always so bubbly, helpful and excited to host you. Even if you weren’t excited before, I’m pretty sure you will be after being warmly greeted and given the rundown by these lovely folks. Additionally, if for some reason you don’t get out of the room they magically find a way to still make you feel like there was still the presence of genius room as they walk through all of the «almost» and «close» moments that they witnessed your team navigate and discover.
A few things to expect:
1) Signage is not completely visible from the street, so don’t expect that. The business blends in nicely with the residential surroundings, so just follow the directions and make sure to look downwards towards steps that will take you one level below the sidewalk to the entrance.
2) Be there on-​time. (This is not a negotiable.) There are always other bookings that will be following you, so there is really know way typically to push back your start time. The waiting room is cozy and fun, so better to have all of your friends arrive 15 – 30 minutes early to ensure that everyone is present before going into the room.
3) Take it seriously, but not too seriously. I think folks that will have the most fun have an adventurous and curious spirit. If that doesn’t really fit your profile, do what you can to contribute to the team. Everyone can help in some way!
I’ve come for a private event, I’ve taken a large group of co-​workers and I’ve come again with friends for a birthday and each time I’ve had a very different experience between both rooms. Additionally, if you are coordinating a work event, they’re so on top of their communication that it’s really a pleasure dealing with the business from that perspective as well.
Overall, a great time is sure to be had by all!

This is the most fun we’ve had in a while! I was worried it would be really cheesy or too easy, but Escape Room was totally the opposite. We arrived after brunch, and our Escape Room representative met us and explained the premises. 60 minutes started, and flew by! We’re a pretty smart bunch of people (too much graduate school even), and once we got through the first 30 minutes or so we were stumped. This also may have been due to the fact that we were still drunk from brunch… Oops…
We finally swallowed our pride and asked for hints, but sadly did not make it out in time. However, we were all left wanting to try again and would absolutely go back. I cannot recommend Escape Room enough as something novel and different to do in DC!

Such a great time! This was our first time doing an escape room not really was like an adult sized game of clue. And no, we didn’t make it out. We almost did though. The pricing made this a really affordable event and it was just the four of us in the room. They even put a special birthday message in a clue for my sister. That made it really special.
Even though it was really hard we want to do it again. It really challenges you to think outside the box, put together a really big puzzle and work as a team. We laughed a lot. The whole atmosphere was fun.
As a note, we parked in the lot behind the bagel place and didn’t have to pay since it was a weekend evening. That was awesome.

I thought this was a pretty cool addition to DC! I went a couple months ago when I first heard about its opening. Best for big groups, especially since this is such a great ice breaker (I definitely made new friends from this). This place was actually difficult to locate since it doesn’t have a huge entrance and the sign for the place was on this small chalk board on the sidewalk. You have to walk down a small flight of stairs as if you were entering a basement from the outside.
I was pretty early with my friends and half of the group didn’t show up yet so we were greeted and directed to the waiting room where one of the staff members described how the game worked. The whole place was well-​furnished and decorated in a modern and contemporary kind of way, which we took awhile to admire too! Once our group came, we were brought into a room to solve this mystery and had to turn the room upside down for clues. It was actually really challenging given how some clues can be red herrings (can throw you off), and others involved some math that really set us back! Time was ticking real fast, but in the end we solved the mystery! The guy who helped run the place came back into the room to take us to the lobby and took photos of us for their Facebook page, and we were even given props and costumes to put on!
Very fun experience, and I will most likely come back another time to try out the other rooms (each room has a different scenario and way of solving the mystery)!

I participated in a Unilocal Event at Escape Room. Excellent time. The staff is really friendly and helpful. As others have mentioned, the lobby is full of fun stuff to take pictures with while you are waiting.
They have two rooms that you must escape from by finding clues and puzzles throughout the rooms. The premise is that you are an agent who has to both find the identity of a traitor and also find the codes to deactivate the security system that locked you in the room before the police arrive. Fun concept.
This is not for large groups (although you could split your group into two groups, one in each room). Probably about 10 people per room would be the max although read their website for more info. They also strongly recommend reserving online as walk in time slots are virtually impossible to get.
They said they change the clues every few months to keep things fresh. This would be a great night out fpr a group of friends etc.

What an amazing group experience! We had two groups from our organization participate in two separate (but concurrent) Escape the Room scenarios as a team building exercise. We are a team of outgoing marketing folks, so Escape the Room was just what we needed to do something fun and different. It sure as hell beats pub trivia!
The puzzles were solvable — our room averaged a 34 minute escape time. We got out (with 9 people) in around 42 minutes. There are smaller rooms as well — the other group was 6 people and they escaped right around the 45 minute mark.
Prior to going in our rooms, our teams set some ground rules — only three clues allowed per team without a time penalty. We’re competitive, so simply escaping the room wasn’t going to be enough for us. We needed a clear winner! Someone needed to go home with office bragging rights.
Overall, this was a much better experience than any other «Escape» experience I’ve had before and boasted a very well curated set of rooms. I’d love to return again and try my luck at another room!

I was just surfing the net trying to find some awesomeness to get into and I came across this place. I grabbed a group of 8, paid online, and off we went.
The place is adorably decorated, the staff was totally cool, and the concept was hip and fresh. At the start of the game they gave us a narrative and we headed off to our room. Once inside we were given 45 to complete the task of finding the key to release ourselves. It was fun and crazy at the same time. Fortunately we made it out with just 1 minute to spare. My whole group was excited!
Once released we grabbed some props, posed in front of a decorative wall and they snapped a few photos for us.
What a cool way to share some laughs with friends!
Fyi we had two teens in our group and they were very helpful!

This is such a great concept. It is such a cool thing to do, great to do with a date or with a group of friends. I reserved the large room for a group of 12 this weekend. Despite the fact that it was chaotic at first with everyone in the group scrambling around the room trying to find clues, everyone had a blast. Some of the strong points:
— Uniqueness
— Price: very reasonable at about $ 25pp with the group discount
— Staff: Very friendly, attentive, and made sure we had fun
A few areas of opportunity that would make this a 5 star experience hands-​down:
–Repeat-​ability: They don’t change the puzzles/​clues often, so once you’ve played a room once, your only option is to play one of the other two rooms
–They don’t allow alcohol anymore unless you are reserving before or after hours. This is definitely a very fun experience without alcohol, but some members of my group balked at the idea of an activity that didn’t involve alcohol.
Overall, this is one of the coolest things I’ve found to do in DC. I would highly recommend it. Remember to bring your thinking cap. We had literally one minute left on the timer when we finally got out.

I read about Escape Room opening in DC awhile ago and between that time and today when I went with a group of friends, it has exploded! Not just Escape Room DC but Escape Room in general. I even saw a version of it on Big Bang Theory, a prime network television show! That’s when you know you’ve made it big. And after how much fun I had today, I can easily imagine why.
I booked the room about a month and a half out. Spots and rooms fill up pretty fast (because it’s so, so much fun). You can book online and see date availabilities. Escape Room DC has three rooms, 1) Double Agent’s Digs, 2) I Was Framed!, and 3) Double Crossed. I selected Double Agent’s Digs since it was a group of 8 of us, so we got to have the entire room exclusively for us and it got us a sweet 20% discount ($ 179.20 for 8 people before tax and processing fee). In order to get the room entirely to yourself, just reserve for 8 people for Room 1, 6 people for Room 2, and 5 people for Room 3. You can only bring extra people if you book the entire room.
This is like a real-​life game of Clue. You’re locked in a room and must search for clues that will help you find the key to get out within an hour. If you can’t get out within the designated time frame, womp womp. There is a camera in the room so the Game Master/​moderator can monitor and help you out if you need hints. Just remember, you can’t make the leaderboard if you accept any hints.
It was a lot of fun searching for clues and figuring out how they’re pieced together. We were able to get ourselves out, which was such an exhilarating feeling! The room had plenty of clues to sift through and figure out. We wrapped up our experience by taking some photos in their hip lobby space. I would definitely come back and recommend this to everyone. I can’t wait for their Alexandria location to open up this summer. I want to try all the rooms!

This was absolutely, positively the most unique, fun, invigorating, and downright awesome activity I’ve ever done. I had absolutely no idea what to expect when we came to Escape Room and I’m so glad that I didn’t because that made the experience so much better.
Once you walk in the building, you feel like you’re in someone’s very well decorated home. The waiting area is comfy and cozy, just the perfect spot to eat snacks and wonder what will happen next. When it was time for our mission to start, I was so pumped. She gathered us around and let us know that we were secret agents and told us what our goal would be. At that moment I felt like I was one of the greats! Inspector Gagdet! Carmen San Diego! Olivia Pope! An agent from Criminal Minds, even! I am a huge crime/​detective show fan so to feel like i was in one in real life was really invigorating. My favorite movie as a child was Clue for goodness sake!
We were told that we had 45 minutes to complete our mission and find a key to get out of the room. When the timer began, we ran in with guns blazing (not literally)! What was most interesting to see was that when you’re there with a group, you get to see everyone’s personalities shine. You have some that are perfectly fine spectating with wine in hand (you can bring alcohol!), some who just want to dance, and then there are those who immediately take charge, and plenty of people in the middle.
The 45 minutes seemed to fly by and unfortunately, our team was not able to complete the mission. Bummer! Let’s look at the silver lining though, folks. There is always next time because there is a whole ‘nother room and they periodically change the missions in each. Don’t ever hesitate to gather up a group of your friends to get your detective on at Escape Room. Just make sure that you get that trench coat and magnifying glass ready, because this is the real deal!

Talk about MAJOR fun! Escape Room DC is like living a real-​life game of Clue, and it is so, so much fun. While (spoiler alert), my group of fellow Community Managers did not end up actually escaping in time (womp womp… maybe something about too many cooks in the kitchen?) we had a heckuva good time trying!
Everything about this place is so well thought out and visually appealing. From the lobby space with the jackalope on the wall to the decorations inside the actual puzzle room, I thought everything looked super cool and fresh. The clues were actually really challenging, but a lot of fun to try and figure out. We were sooooo close!
This is a fantastic place to bring your team for some teambuilding, or to bring your friends or family just for a different kind of evening! I’m already planning on coming back to celebrate my birthday (there are two different puzzle rooms, and apparently they switch out the scenarios every few months), and cannot WAIT for their new location in Alexandria to open up this summer!

I loved Escape Room DC! I participated in the challenge with a group of my fab coworkers and we all had a blast. The place is so cute and comfortable — the perfect setting for a group of friends or team bonding activity. There are also two rooms — one for a larger group (around 12) and one a bit smaller. If you don’t max out the room with your own crew, you will be mixed with other folks which may not be as fun. We arrived and had some time to snack and have a drink (my boss brought this stuff — I imagine you have to clear it with the folks running the show beforehand).
Once we were all assembled, the host explained our mission and also a couple basic ground rules. Then, we were ushered into a room with a timer set for forty-​five minutes. That time went fast as we searched the room for clues. I don’t want to give anything away regarding how it works but you quickly figure out what you should be looking for and go from there. Unfortunately, we did not crack the case before our time was up, but we were close!
I know there’s a similar concept in Philadelphia and I cannot wait to try it. This is a great, fun and creative activity and I hope the idea spreads!