What is an escape room?
Escape rooms are fun, immersive puzzle rooms in which a group of people enter an immersive and need to solve a series of puzzles to complete the mission before the time runs out! Will you and your team make it?
Do I need special knowledge or skills?
No you do not. Everything you need to escape the room is located inside the room. No outside information or tools are needed, these things will just confuse you.
Do I get a prize for escaping?
Whether you win or lose, your adventure will be commemorated with a virtual team photo! (Note: A victory or loss may affect the direction your smiles are turned.) Make one of the best times and get on our leader board!
What makes Curious Escape Rooms different than other companies?
We’re glad you asked! Our owners are enthusiasts as well. We design all of our games and choose unique themes and settings rarely seen. In fact, when choosing a theme, they do a google search to see if any other (in the world) pop up and advertise doing the same thing. As far as we know and as of right now, we have the only 90s Video Store escape room in the world! Other rooms have had a dollhouse themed, but we have yet to find another whose set is inside a dollhouse. Co-owner Audrey Pendleton-Chow is a former set director in film/tv in New York City and values entering an immersive and interesting environment when playing an escape room. Co-owner Jeremy Pendleton-Chow loves exploring and learning new tech to incorporate into game design. Together, they enjoy creating fun, innovative, varied and interesting puzzles, clues, and experiences designed specifically for that themed game and space. This passion is not mass produced. The owners are also very involved in promoting the community of Fitchburg. So if you believe in supporting local, consider supporting this mom and pop team.
What happens if we lose?
We joke that we keep your souls, but in actuality, the time runs out and you did not complete the mission. We still take a team photo inside, answer any questions you may have, and you get to go home!
Are we locked inside?
No, in all of our games, you are never locked inside of a room due to safety precautions. The Dollhouse, the door is unlocked. The 90s Video Store needs a key to enter, but participants can push the door to exit with ease.
I’m claustrophobic! How large are your games?
Many have been concerned about the size of our games, but have yet to hear anyone complain about it by the end of the game. The Dollhouse is the size of a living room and the 90s Video Store is the size of a large retail store with a push exit to the street. The Dollhouse is designed for 4-6 or 8 players, because we think the space is very comfortable and freely movable for any running around and excitement for up to 8 strangers. We can have up to 10 players in the room though. The 90s Video Store is, perhaps, the largest indoor escape room game in Massachusetts. We recommend 4-10 players for most and we can have up to 15 players for most versions. Check the details on the particular game that is running here.
Do these games require much physical activity?
No, escape room games are exercises for the mind and not the body. All of the challenge revolves around working together to solve puzzles! However, we do recommend wearing comfortable shoes and attire.
Is Curious Escape Rooms wheel chair accessible?
We are excited that the 90s Video Store is wheel chair accessible! The Dollhouse, unfortunately, is up the stairs on the 2nd floor. We do not have an elevator. To enter the lobby on the first floor, there is a 2½” step up. Our restrooms, currently, do not have any bars set up. We apologize for the inconvenience and hope we can make all of our games ADA compliant in the future.
I cannot stand for long periods of time, is there seating in your games?
Yes! We have heard this question often, so we make it a point to have at least a few places to sit immediately available in all of our 60 minute games.
What age is this appropriate for?
Our rooms are designed for adults and teenagers, but our escape rooms are for those ages 12-112 years old! It’s excellent for team building; team bonding; birthday, bachelor, bachelorette, holiday, graduation, etc. parties; night out; double dates; family game night; etc.
Every player will need a waiver to play. Teens 15-17 need a parent/guardian signature on their waiver. Those 14 and under require adult supervision in the game. Feel free to print and sign the waiver beforehand.
Please contact us at info@curiousescaperooms.com, if you would like to book a game with any players below the age limit. Players below the age limit and their guardian may not be permitted to enter the game. No refunds may be issued.
Is this good for team-building?
Escape rooms are a great exercise in team building as they encourage team work in order to escape. Not only that, they’re great for team bonding. Escape Rooms are one of the rare team building exercises that your employees may actually already do for fun! Read more, here.
What are your hours?
We are open by appointment, so we recommend using the book now button to reserve your spot at a specific time slot. It’s best to check our booking pages, since our hours are subject to change.
If you do not have anappointment, please give us a call to make sure we are available.
Do you accept walk ins?
We recommend booking in advance. We’d hate for you to arrive and there is no availability, which is why we suggest giving us a call to check. Please arrive 30 minutes in advance. If you don’t make a reservation prior to your game, there is no guarantee there will be availability for your team and we may start a game early if all ticket holders have arrived. If no one has booked the final time slot of the night, we may close early, so please give us a call at (978)696-5136.
Will I be in the room with strangers? No!
All of our games are currently private, so it will just be you and your crew!
You’re not open when me and my team would like to come. Would you be able to open for us?
If you would like to request that, please fill out our Request a Private Game form, and we will do our best to accommodate you and your team! This is a great option for team building, birthdays, or those just visiting.
Are there restrooms that we can use?
Absolutely! We recommend using the restroom before playing our games, so we have a restroom in the lobby. There is no restroom accessible in the 90s Video Store, like most escape rooms, but conveniently, there is a restroom in The Dollhouse if you need it during the game!
How many rooms are in each of your games?
We prefer to keep this as a mystery to not spoil any surprises. You’ll just have to find out when you come and play.
Are your games scary? Is anyone going to jump out at me?
At times, they can be scary, but our games are not haunted houses. At this time, we do not have any live actors in our games.
- The Dollhouse: (Expand)
- The Original 90s Video Store (Expand)
- “Monster’s Curse at the 90s Video Store” (Expand)
- “Holiday Staff Party at the 90s Video Store” has absolutely zero scary or unnerving elements …unless you think Santa is creepy, which is fair, but there’s not much we can do about that.
What’s with these different themed “90s Video Store” games? Is it the same game with different decorations?
No! Each one is a completely different game making it worth revisiting the set. “The Original 90s Video Store” (2017) is the most 90s and Video Store centric thus far and the most challenging game we currently have to offer. It has a 4 person physical minimum and a 15 person maximum. It’s best for 6-12 players. “Holiday Staff Party at the 90s Video Store” (2019) is a light game with lots of Holiday-themed puzzles making it accessible for teams as small as 1 or 2, but with plenty to do for teams of 15! “Monster’s Curse at the Video Store” (2022) is also a light game that gets most involved easily with fun things to play with immediatedly. It has a lot of Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark elements, but it’s mostly a silly goofy game honoring famous movie monsters. Each of these games has a great soundtrack, very different vibes, completely different storylines, no repeat puzzles, but all set in the very nostalgic 90s Video Store installation.
I’ve played [insert game title] in [insert year]. Is it the same as [insert game title]?
Pay close attention to the title. We have started bringing back the different versions of the 90s Video Store and swapping them out at 2-3 months at a time. So if you have played a version with the same title and story line, chances are you have played the game before. Over the years, with all our games, we may make some tweaks, rearrange the puzzle flow, adapt the puzzles, etc. but they’re each essentially the same game. “The Dollhouse” only has one version since we first opened. However, if you’ve played “The Original 90’s Video Store” (formerly known as just “The 90’s Video Store”) but haven’t played one that was full of Christmas decorations or with fences, Movie Monsters, and a “scary” story at the begining, then you have not played “Holiday Staff Party at the 90s Video Store” or “Monster’s Curse at the Video Store” and it would be worth coming back for a totally different game.
I am color blind, I am allergic to ____, I cannot read English, I am blind, I am deaf, I use a wheelchair, I cannot be around flashing lights, high-pitched noises hurt my ears, etc. Do you have any elements in your game that may hinder me?
Please contact us before purchasing if you have any concerns and we will let you know whether it may be a challenge, easy for us to modify, or likely will not be a problem for you. We do our best to make our games as accessible as possible, while being specific and touch on various skills. However, if there are others on your team that do not have these concerns for themselves, your team should be fine. In each of our games, we try not to repeat the same kind of puzzle twice, and attain to have unique puzzles overall. As with all teams, we advise players to lean towards their strengths, be mindful of your challenges, and have someone else work on those pesky other puzzles 😉
OK. How much is it?
Because our games are now private, in other words, just your team, it is $30 per person for a team of 3-15 players, $45 each for a 2 person team, and $90 for the very few persons that like to play escape rooms solo. Fill out our quick survey to find out if you’re eligible for a discount.
I want to buy the gift of Escaping! We have a discount code, how does it work?
That’s great! Buy the gift voucher online or in-store for a physical gift card or ticket for the discounted amount. To redeem:
1) Hover over our Gift Certificate tab and click Redeem: CuriousEscapeRooms.com/redeem-gift-voucher/
2) Enter the voucher code. Click Next.
3) Under Promo Code enter the discount code.
4) Choose an available date and time slot, either from the list or click the Pick Date button to go to a specific date.
5) Click Book.
That was so much fun! Can I play the same game again?
Sure! We don’t have a problem with that! Know that our puzzles live with each puzzle room, so you’ll already know most of the answers. One aspect of the Dollhouse changes irregularly as a different solution for the same kind of puzzle. You will be eligible for the Replay Leaderboard. Just please don’t ruin it for newcomers. It’s a fun atmosphere and can be great to bring new friends to experience it. Please contact us at info@curiousescaperooms.com from the same email you used to purchase your previous game with (or your former booking receipt) to prove you had played the game before, and we’ll give your team a private game!
Excuse meeee, you still haven’t answered my question!
Thank you for checking out our FAQs and exploring our website first. You are a diligent individual! Please contact us at (978)696-5136, info@curiousescaperooms.com, or message us on our Facebook!
(Last Updated 12/14/23)