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ESCAPE ARTISTRY by Julie Simmons
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ESCAPE ARTISTRY
STORY AND PHOTO BY JULIE SIMMONS
Elizabeth Eleanor Creighton disappeared on May 13, 1988. After months of searching, she was never found. Devasted by her niece’s loss, Verdie Creighton left Elizabeth’s room exactly as it was the day of her disappearance, then sealed it shut. Now it was up to me, my mom, my mother-in-law, and good friend Ms. Bea to solve the mystery – with just 60 minutes to do so!
Amelia Island Escape Rooms is a locally owned, family-run business whose goal is to offer memorable, immersive experiences to visitors while contributing to the local community. Three of the four in our party had never experienced an escape room, and the welcoming staff sensed the nerves and warmly greeted us, explaining that we’d work as a team on a scavenger-hunt like event.
To get started, we were invited to walk through the colorful hallways and past the other “escape rooms,” including The Library of Secrets, Dread, Th e Creighton House Attic, and Greybeard’s Treasure, until we arrived at the back where the entrance to our room, “Unlock the 80’s,” was located.
Sage, our gamemaster, pressed play on a quick “safety video,” which was hilarious, reminding us to keep our fingers out of light sockets and to avoid doing anything stupid. We also were reassured that while we are challenged to “escape,” if we were ever feeling claustrophobic or had an emergency, we could just open the door and walk right out. With that, we were off to unlock Elizabeth’s secret!
The countdown started as we dug through old VHS tapes, jewelry boxes, and looked under rugs trying to solve the mystery. If Sage sensed that we were hunting up the wrong tree or getting frustrated, he’d give us a tiny hint on the television monitor that was tracking our time. It was just enough detail to keep us going and having fun without divulging any of the mystery. We laughed when we got stuck, cheered when we would uncover a clue, and definitely questioned our intelligence a couple of times as we traversed the brilliantly designed adventure.
When our hour was up, owner and designer Cari Cahill greeted us with a smile. “Dan and I discovered escape rooms in 2016 and enjoyed it so much we decided we wanted to bring this experience to our community.” Cari, Dan, and their two teenagers hand-design each of these adventures. With a background in theater, they have big imaginations and have learned a lot about building props and designing sets that has proved invaluable in this business.
“We are ecstatic when we come up with an entertaining surprise for a room, and trust me, we love designing the adventure just as much as anyone loves playing,” she smiles. Cari is from Nassau County and works hard to embed local history, facts, and real people in her designs. “We can make the experience as challenging or easy as you wish by giving you plenty of tips to help you out – or not – as you request.” Individuals, families, birthday parties, and large groups are all welcome, including kids who are old enough to read. If you want to catch the Attic room, you better visit soon because it is going to be replaced with a new room very soon!
With four minutes to spare and many hints from Sage, we unlocked Elizabeth’s mystery and celebrated with a huge round of applause and laughs. To experience the quest yourself, visit www.ameliaislandescaperooms.com for more information.
