Escape Cullman is located in the old Channel 2 office in downtown Cullman.
CULLMAN – Escape Cullman, the area’s first escape game venue, will open its doors today, Thursday evening, June 1. See more here.
Ahead of the grand opening, the staff graciously offered The Tribune the opportunity to take their first finished escape room on a shakedown cruise as they work out the final details.
Team Tribune consisted of correspondent W.C. Mann, wife Lana, kids Heather and Hunter, and friends Marissa Swimelar and Emily Bradford. We were kids and adults from middle school to middle aged, band geeks, gamers and honor students, a high school salutatorian, two with graduate degrees. Four of us have done escape rooms before. We felt confident, but we would be pushed hard and luck would prove to be a powerful ally.
Escape Cullman’s first escape room is a tribute to Cullman County high school sports, a locker room in which the all-star team has been locked in only an hour before the big game. We promised not to reveal too much, but folks who follow area sports will see some familiar things. If you’ve been to the escape rooms in Birmingham or Huntsville, this room will seem simplistic at first glance, without some the complicated gadgetry of other places. Its appearance is intended to be more straightforward and uncluttered; it doesn’t instantly overwhelm players.
That appearance is deceptive, though. With an intentional minimum of up-front instructions from the staff, the team was locked in (Don’t worry, claustrophobes, there’s a big red panic button that opens the door.) and had to go to it. The clues were there, but they came in bits and pieces that required a good bit of deductive reasoning and on-your-feet thinking. There were opportunities for everyone to get busy, with multiple things that could be done at the same time; teamwork and delegation of responsibilities were keys to speed.
Along the way, Team Tribune got some help from occasional notes that popped up on the monitor on the wall. A big stroke of luck came our way when, purely by chance, we were able to bypass a step in the process. The staff assured us during the debriefing later that the loophole we discovered (Remember: this was, in part, a test run.) would be closed by opening night. We beat our heads against dead end walls several times, and cheered each other on when pieces fell into place.
With a lot of teamwork, a lot of talking through things, a fair bit of trial and error, and just enough luck, we got the door open and made it to the big game ahead of the deadline. It was definitely a challenge: not impossible, but far from a pushover. And, most importantly, a good time was had by all.
Student reactions
Heather – “It was challenging, but it was a lot of fun!”
Marissa – “I liked it a lot. That’s something I’ve never done; I thought it was really neat.”
Hunter – “It was a lot more impressive than I was expecting. It doesn’t have the gadgets of the big (escape game) chains, but it was still challenging and thought-provoking.”
Emily – “Very creative. I’ve never done anything like that before. I thought it was interesting.”
At a glance
Escape Cullman
103 Third St. SW (U.S. Hwy 278, just west of the railroad tracks in the old Channel 2 office.)
Opening day: Thursday, June 1 at 4 p.m.
Business days and hours: Thursday through Sunday, 4-10 p.m.
IMPORTANT: BOOK IN ADVANCE. Walk-ins cannot be guaranteed a place on the team for any time slot. To make sure you get your turn, the folks at Escape Cullman ask that players book a time in advance at www.escapecullman.com.
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