As I’ve mentioned in past blogs, my husband and I recently became obsessed with escape rooms. For those unfamiliar, an escape room is a game that locks you in a room where you and your group need to solve a series of puzzles, riddles or other games to “escape,” typically within an hour. While the concept has been around for years, we did our first room about a year ago and were immediately hooked. It’s a great activity for a date night or with a group of friends or family.

There are several escape room companies near where we live. One of our favorites is Exit 4 Escape Rooms. We’ve visited the Collingswood, Delran and Glassboro locations. We also enjoyed Olde City Escape Games in Philadelphia. We’ve visited many in Philadelphia and South Jersey, as once you play a room, it isn’t as fun to revisit once you already know the puzzles.

In addition to the local escape rooms we’ve played, we began seeking out escape rooms while traveling. Last winter we visited friends in Alexandria, Virginia, and took them to their first escape room. We worked amazingly well together as a team and finished the challenging room with more than 30 minutes to spare. While visiting a friend in Charleston, South Carolina, last summer, we took her to her first escape room where we also easily won. During our trip to London this fall, we decided to carry our obsession across the pond and booked an escape room before dinner one night. At an hour or less, it’s a unique activity worth adding to your itinerary.

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If you’re a fan of puzzles and haven’t experienced an escape room yet, I recommend checking out one near your home or on your travels.

Katie Skrzek, vice president/digital director