Hour To Exit — Attraction in City of New Rochelle

An escape room created by passionate escape room enthusiasts? YES, PLEASE! We had decided to check out Hour to Exit because they had decent reviews and we were trying to make the most of an "upstate" NY trip. We did the Elude the Illusionist room with no expectations and left thoroughly impressed. We booked an 8pm game on a Saturday, so the positive for parking is that it is ample and free. We freaked out a bit because the streets before the intersection were pretty crowded, but when we walked near the room, we realized that we had more options than we thought.

Elude the Illusionist is created by Duane, one of the co-owners, who has done so many escape rooms. The room is appropriately challenging and the puzzles were enjoyed by even the most experienced escape room enthusiast in our group. I liked that the puzzles utilized a variety of skills and "lock" types (magnets and locks). The puzzles also matched with the magic theme, which is also more enjoyable. I have two minor critiques of the room. They have two puzzles that are based on lengths of things that are not the most obvious differences. Fortunately, there are other ways to solve those puzzles, but I think it could be a little more clear. Second, a previous reviewer mentioned that the room was not linear, but I think after the first major task, it does get linear. This is not the biggest issue because they allow private games, but that means a smaller group will work better!

Honestly, the best thing about this room are the owners, Duane and Brittney. If you are an enthusiast, you NEED to do this room and speak with them! They are incredibly experienced and offered us a lot of other suggestions of rooms to do. We plan to come back and do their new room Robbin Tiffany's, but we hope that they are able to create another room similar to Elude the Illusionist in the...

My girlfriend and I are escape game enthusiasts and we decided to make a stop at New Rochelle to try out HTE (Hour to Exit). We did a 830pm Pandora's Box room and 930pm Elude the Illusionist room back to back. Although it was very last second, they gladly accommodated us and we appreciated it!

Pandora's Box: Non-linear room and everyone is kept busy. Multiple things to work on in the room but teamwork is still key. Room was chilly but we'll take that over a steamy room any day! While Brittney, our amazing game master and owner of HTE was going over game rules, the room interacted with what she was saying which was pretty cool. Room atmosphere, decor, props, and puzzles were on point and was extremely fun. Escaped with 10 min to spare!

Elude the Illusionist: WAY different from Pandora's Box, non-linear, and follows a story line somewhat. Again, everyone will be working on something, a lot of detail is involved, and a bunch of fun interactions. Nice mixture of tech and traditional locks were in the room and the room looked well-thought out. We were immersed in the setting of the room and it made the experience that much more fun. Escaped with 10 min to spare as well!

Street parking available until 12am ($1 an hour) or in the parking lot across the street. Also, the actual entrance is on North Street! All in all, being a new escape room, it's a very nice addition to New Rochelle. Only a 20 min drive from NYC or 40 min train ride from GCT, I recommend making your way to HTE for your next escape...

We visited this escape room (Pandora's Box) recently. I've been to a number of Escape Rooms in NYC/Boston/SF, but the rest of my party experienced this as their first one.

It was an interesting concept and definitely geared more toward younger ages, but ultimately felt just okay as an escape room. There was no mystery to what we needed to do. A few of the indicators that were supposed to tell us if we completed puzzles or not were not functional and we had to be told over the loudspeaker that puzzles were complete. Some interesting puzzles, but also one or two really tedious ones that really slowed down the pace. The room also relied a little too much on locks; if you have to explain how to use four different types of locks before the game starts, it's not super exciting. Having it all be contained to a single room is also a slight bummer; multiple rooms lead to a better sense of progression.

Also, maybe nitpicky, but not having any sort of props or anything to take photos with once complete feels like a missed opportunity.

If you've never done one before, it's a fine starting experience. For more experienced folks, look for a more in-depth...