The Escape Ventures Winter Garden — Attraction in Winter Garden

I've done over 150 escape rooms in Seattle, LA, New Orleans, Houston, and the Bay Area. I actively travel and seek out the best escape rooms in the US, so this review is catered specifically to enthusiasts looking for unique, high quality rooms.

The Quest - mid 4 / 5. (Rank 36 / 156. A good game, and one we'll happily recommend to travelling enthusiasts. One of the best games in the Orlando area).

The Quest is a mostly lock based game where you're on a quest to slay a dragon. There is an (in-character) GM in the room with you at all times to help you out - generally not a fan of this, but our GM was nice and tried to be as unintrusive as possible. The game has a mom and pop feel, and they did a pretty good job with the theming and overall structure of the game. The set was a medieval house (i don't like house themes) with a bunch of interesting custom props, the story had some nice flavor and a good decision point at the end though not much progression throughout the game, and the puzzles had a nice mix, including one more hands-on physical puzzle. Overall a pretty decent room that did most things reasonably well, and worth the trip up.

Player Recommendations - Standard recs of bring near the minimum (2-3) for experienced players, and around the middle for beginners (4-5). A good portion of the room is highly parallel so you can bring more if you want.

Set - You're in a medieval house full with medievally stuff. This stuff is well themed and appeared to be mostly custom, which evoked the feeling of being in a fantasy world reasonably well. Not a lot of change in scenery, but the props were great.

Puzzles - The puzzles were mostly reasonable, and had a decent mix of stuff (and some amount of locks). One puzzle required a bit of scavenger hunting and probably could have used some better cluing, one involved a fun wooden mechanical contraption to get a thing, and there was one fairly complex logic puzzle which was fun to work out. Some of these puzzles

Story - You're trying to figure out how to stop a dragon and are on a quest. Each of the tasks during your quest was nicely on theme and had some variety, though this felt more like a bunch of random tasks rather than one coherent quest (which is still fine given that they were going for the parallel structure). Some of the tasks also had a couple of flavor moments which were a nice touch. The ending was also cool, since you get to make a small choice that impacts the ending that you get, which is a fun moment of choice in the game.

Personal Stats: Escaped just in time in a group of 2 enthusiasts taking ~3-4 hints.

A Fisherman's Tale - mid 3 / 5. (Rank 80 / 156. A decent game, somewhat standard, but one of the better games in the Orlando area).

A Fisherman's Tale is a mostly lock based game where you're trying to find a lost treasure. The set was good but a little mundane, the story had a couple of nice moments but not much in the middle, and the puzzles were reasonable but more on the standard side of things (though the final puzzle was neater than most). All in all, this was a decent game but a bit more standard compared to say The Quest.

......

We went here for my daughter's 19th birthday. None of us had any experience with Escape rooms so we really didn't know what to expect. There were a total of 6 of us in our group. We chose what was supposed to be the easiest room due to knowing very little about escape rooms. When we arrived we were met inside by the host. She was nice but not very energetic and only seem slightly interested in us. We explained we had never been to an escape room. She really did very little to prepare us for the event other than go over the rules. Again, she was nice but didn't seem to care if we were there or not. After going over the rules, we were taken back to the entrance to our room by another host. She also was nice and told us a story about our room to set up the background. She did not speak clearly and was hard to follow and understand. She also seem rushed as opposed trying to really engage us. Again, she didn't seem to know or care that we were novices. After the story, our door opened and we were greeted by our escape room host. She was 'in character" and began the story. The story was ok but it was not set up well and we really didn't understand our purpose or what we were supposed to do. Our time started and we just started looking around the room, exploring trying to find anything that would point to what we were supposed to do. The room was small and relatively sparse. Overall, we were able to figure out one or two of the puzzles. As the monitor of the escape room watched us, it became increasingly obvious she was annoyed with our lack of understanding. We asked for several clues and even the clues we were given were confusing. Needless to say, we did not escape.

Now that I've been through the process, I can understand how this type of attraction could be very entertaining for some people. For me and my family, it was a total waste of money. I believe the staff could have done a great deal more to increase our enjoyment of the attraction had they taken more time to help us understand the event and our task. What was even more disappointing was the obvious disdain and frustration of the room host at our lack of understanding and problem solving. At $28.00 a person for one hour of confusion in sparsely decorated room with a bunch of combination locks, it was a waste of $180.00 for our group.

Final note, I would not recommend this attraction for anyone that has never done it before, unless you are with other people that have experience with escape rooms. Even then, this seems a very extravagant and overpriced attraction for something that looks like a display at a Rooms to Go furniture store with actors that probably did not make the cut for their grade school...

From the moment we entered Escape Goat, inspired by its stellar reputation, we knew we were in for a treat. Our adventure began with "The Quest," a challenging yet thrilling puzzle room that tested our seasoned escape game skills. The game was on the harder side, but our Game Master provided just the right amount of guidance, ensuring a smooth yet challenging experience. The puzzles were not only unique but one, in particular, featured an impressive mechanical twist that left us eager for more.

Motivated by our initial success, we spontaneously decided to tackle "Fisherman's Tale." This room took immersion to the next level. The set was so convincingly detailed, it felt as if we had stepped directly into a fisherman's vibrant world. The puzzles flowed seamlessly from one to the next, a testament to the thoughtful design that had gone into creating this engaging experience.

Riding the wave of our back-to-back successes, we did something we've never done before: a third escape room in one visit! "Area 51" was our final challenge, and it did not disappoint. The room was a perfect blend of technology and narrative, delivering surprises that delighted us at every turn. The set was immersive, and the storyline was meticulously crafted, making it clear why Escape Goat ranks among the top escape rooms in the country.

The staff at Escape Goat deserves a special mention too. Their enthusiasm was infectious, and their hospitality made our marathon of games all the more enjoyable. It’s no surprise that Escape Goat has earned accolades in the international escape room contest, Terpeca, distinguishing itself as a top-tier destination for escape enthusiasts.

If you're looking for a thrilling escape room experience in Orlando, look no further than Escape Goat. Whether you're a novice or a seasoned escaper, this venue promises an exhilarating adventure that's sure to impress. We strongly recommend a visit—perhaps you'll even dare to attempt three rooms in a row, just...