A worldwide phenomenon has reached the Bahamas, with a local husband and wife opening the Bahamas’ first escape room experience.

The idea was the brainchild of Lee and Chrystonia McCoy, who have done many escape rooms around the world.

The pair developed the idea for the better part of a year, and attended the international Room Escape Conference in July.

This motivated them to finalize the design and business aspects of the room, and the game started testing in September and officially opened for business in October.

To date there has been a mix of participants playing the room. Many local Bahamian players have taken part in their first ever escape room, while some have done games in other countries.

There have also been tourists playing the room, from large family groups to experienced enthusiasts who sought an escape room in the Bahamas.

The overall response has been extremely positive, with great reviews on Facebook and TripAdvisor.

Kathy, a Nassau resident, wrote “This is an amazing and absolute MUST see and do experience! So nice to have something different and exciting to do in Nassau. Thanks for the experience!”

For those who don’t know what an escape room is, the concept is simple - a group of people are placed in a room, and they have a set time limit to “escape” by finding clues, solving riddles, and completing puzzles.

The challenge is in working together to complete all the tasks in the set time limit. The experience is akin to going to the movies, except it’s an interactive game in which you becoming immersed in the scenario.

“The backstory to Blackbeard’s Escape really ties into the history of the Bahamas and the surrounding Pirates of Nassau Museum” describes Lee McCoy.

Members of the Rotaract Club of East Nassau

Tourists and locals alike participate in the fun 

Family & friends partake in the game

“The year is 1718 and Woodes Rogers is rounding up pirates - you are summoned to meet Blackbeard in his hideout and have just one hour to escape before the British soldiers find you.”

For those that may be claustrophobic or weary about being locked in a room, Chrystonia explains “you’re never actually locked in and you’re free to come and go, the game clock just keeps running. It’s a great hour because people put down their phones and come together as a team.”

The room is designed for beginners and advanced players. The fastest time to escape has been 27 minutes, while many groups have not escaped and were fictitiously caught by the British soldiers.

During the game, the “game master” is watching and each team gets three hints to help them along the way. Some groups have escaped with no hints while others require more than three - it’s up to the game master to keep the gameplay flowing.

Many escape rooms use technology to augment the puzzles and clues, but a purposely chosen low-tech room was created.

“We wanted to tie into the time period authentically - it adds to the immersion and makes people feel like they are trapped in a pirates hideout” explains McCoy. “There were no blacklights in the 1700’s, so we don’t have any in our room”.

The only complaint guests have is they can’t do it again. Chrystonia responds “we’re already working on more rooms with different themes; we’re really excited to offer more things to do for locals and tourists alike.”

Pricing for the experience starts at $30 per person or groups can book a private room for up to 8 persons for $199. Gift certificates are available for purchase. Guests can get more information and book online at their website blackbeardsescape.com or call 242-813-3222 for reservations.

Blackbeard’s Escape Ltd. is a 100% Bahamian company owned and operated by Lee & Chrystonia McCoy. The pair also own TMC Engineering Ltd, Harbour Safaris Ltd., PROMPT, and Jungle Float Ltd. More details on the various companies can be found at www.the-real.com