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Crack the Code Escape Room takes escape craze city-wide in Staunton

staunton virginiaCrack the Code Escape Room will be taking their popular real-time puzzle-solving activities to the streets of downtown Staunton on June 8 during their second annual Escape Staunton city-wide escape event.

Escape Staunton blends the concepts of an escape room and a scavenger hunt with aspects of the TV show The Amazing Race. This year’s theme is Prohibition and will feature teams competing to be the first to solve clues scattered around town by fictional socialite Millie Mullins. Solved clues will guide them to her swanky, but well-hidden speakeasy, The Moxie. The cost is $40 per player, and participants must be 14 years or older to participate.

The deadline to enter is May 18, at www.escapestaunton.com.    

Crack the Code Escape Room owner Beth Brown says the event is designed as a fun way for participants to explore Staunton’s downtown area and have a larger-scale escape room experience. The escape room trend has skyrocketed around the US in recent years according to gaming experts quoted in USA Today that report an increase from 22 rooms in 2014 to an estimated 2,300 in 2018. Says Brown, “A lot of our players see the escape room phenomenon as a great way to get off their devices and do something in real life with friends, family, or coworkers. It’s a refreshing change of pace for everyone.”

Teams that participate in Escape Staunton will be treated to an exclusive after party at Millie’s secret speakeasy courtesy the event’s sponsors​. There will be live music, a signature drink, and proceeds and tips from the cash bar will be going to the PowerOn​ Program, an organization that takes lightly used tech, refurbishes it, and distributes it through a network of LGBTQ centers for those who otherwise might not have online access.

Crack the Code Escape Room opened in January 2017 and is located in the Echols Building next to the Augusta County Courthouse in downtown Staunton. The business has four themed escape rooms and a new portable version called Tohua Island that can be booked for fundraisers, events, business conferences, parties and festivals, or other special occasions. Crack the Code is openFriday: 5:30 PM – 9:00 PM, Saturday: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM, and Sunday: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM. Rooms can be booked for private groups Monday – Thursday by appointment. Contact Beth Brown, beth@crackthecodeescaperoom.com, 540-688-2085 for more information.

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