*Cave of Wonder voice* “Seek ye out the diamond in the roughhh…” Well, we have found it! (And just saw the new live-action Aladdin) On the backstreets of Lithia Springs, GA lies The Hidden Escape. While the location does not lend itself to the usual random drive by, it’s definitely worth the trip!

The Hidden Escape features two escape rooms, Orion and Year of the Roommate, with a new, third room currently in the works. Orion is the office of Professor Eisenstein, a renowned astronomer and treasure hunter, who is looking for an apprentice. You are his newest recruit but must pass his test to prove you are worthy to continue his legacy. In Year of the Roommate you are a college freshman who is suspicious of your roommate and have to snoop around your dorm room to figure out what he’s up to.

We decided to take on Professor Eisenstein’s test in the Orion room. Once that door closed, armed with the provided dry erase board, we were immersed in the office of Professor Eisenstein. The theming is so spot-on that it almost felt like an invasion of privacy trying to unlock and dig through desk drawers and read private journals. The quantity, quality, and variety of the puzzles in this room is mind-boggling! Letter- and number-sequence combination locks, hidden compartments, geography and astronomy challenges, and just when you think you are nearing the end of this test, Professor Eisenstein has a little surprise in store.

Thank goodness for our game master! We ended up tackling this room by ourselves, which we do not recommend for anyone else! Due to the number and complexity of the puzzles in this room a divide and conquer methodology is definitely required. The game master skillfully offered clues that never completely gave anything away but got us on the right track and allowed us to continue working through the puzzles ourselves. While we definitely experienced some forehead slapping moments, there were a few puzzles that there was no way we were figuring out without his help.

Do you know what our favorite part was? Unfortunately, because it was just the two of us we weren’t able to escape in time; but the game master allowed us to finish up the few remaining puzzles, so we didn’t feel completely defeated.

Based on our experience with not just the Orion room but the staff at The Hidden Escape we will absolutely be returning to test our skills on Year of the Roommate and are super excited to see what the minds behind Containment Haunted House have in store for the upcoming room.

Grab your friends, co-workers, or just some smart strangers and head to The Hidden Escape in Lithia Springs, GA!