Escape Manor

This place is so much fun! Spooky and challenging and just a great way to spend some time with friends or colleagues. The rooms are professionally and cleverly put together. Can’t wait to go back and try my third room. The bar is a nice place to strategize pre-​room or debrief post-​room.

If you like puzzles and that sort of thing you’ll probably like the Escape Manor. They made solving the escape challenging, and most groups are unlikely to escape. But this really is not my cup of tea, so I can give it only 3 stars.

If you’re looking for a good escape room in the city, go here. These guys have their stuff together.
— The narratives of the rooms are very well crafted, cohesive, and executed with care.
— The service is great
— The lobby is cozy, and starts to immerse you the instant you walk through the door
— I heard they now have a liquor license, so you can have a pint while you wait and a pint afterwards discussing everything with your friends (I need to verify this)
This is basically what an escape room should be: an escape from reality while you’re completely immersed in a story-​line, with good and varied puzzles. The problem with rating escape rooms is that it’s impossible without giving away spoilers, so I’ll just stop here.
Go and enjoy.

Escape Manor is SO MUCH FUN! I honestly was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. I went with all my co-​workers as a team bonding/​outing. Admittedly, I have my strengths and weaknesses and I really didn’t think that making my way out of a room with clues and puzzles would be a shining moment for myself. I was so wrong! The staff are so amazing and the rooms are so interesting that it’s really hard not to invest your whole being into getting out of there! I haven’t had this much fun in a while. We never actually got out of our room but we came so close! It’s astounding to think of the thought and amount of intelligence that goes into planning these rooms out. I am going back in a few weeks and I am so excited!

My girlfriend kept getting pumped over this to the point where I finally gave in to going.
There is a genuine effort put into the place. The clues aren’t always really obvious and don’t really play super well into the back story but I have to admit I was expecting it to be incredibly childish and easy which it was not.
The only thing I would have liked to be done differently is if you fail I would have liked there to be some type of costumed character to burst through the door wielding a chainsaw or something.
The most important advice that can be given is to make sure you go with the right people. Going with the wrong people pretty much guarantees you to fail and 21 $ for 45 minutes isn’t super satisfying if you don’t succeed.

I am so pumped that the escape room trend has made its way to Ottawa. This is a great group activity for team building, or a different take on a night out with friends.
When I first checked this place out at a previous elite event, I have to confess it wasn’t entirely my cup of tea. I was a bit freaked out and had no idea what we were supposed to be doing, but after my second experience I am a total convert. (Maybe don’t start off with The Asylum as your first experience… ha!).
For those who haven’t been to an escape room before, the idea is that you and a group of friends are told a story (often creepy), about the room you are about to enter, and you have a certain amount of time to find the key that unlocks the door. You need to use clues, puzzles and logic to find your way out, and it’s especially challenging when you may not know your group very well (or, if you have a lot of vocal leaders!).
So far I have tried to Asylum and The Wine Cellar, and preferred the Wine Cellar. I won’t give you any more information for fear of ruining the experience! They do have other rooms as well (Prison Break and The Darkness), as well as a larger room that takes up the basement and is for larger groups.
One thing that I love about this place is the décor in the front room. The owners have gone to great lengths to find super creepy, antique-​looking furniture and neat accessories that make this an enjoyable place to hang out before or after your escape. They have boardgames and a bar as well.

I’ve been here twice now with a group of friends, and I think it’s one of the most fun things to do in Ottawa. They stick your group into a room, and you have to solve puzzles to get out. But what makes it great is the mood-​setting of the rooms, including sound effects and creepy clues. The staff is super-​enthusiastic and seem happy to be there. The price is very reasonable (around $ 20 per person), and it’s a great way to spend an hour.
The only negative is that it might take you a while to get a reservation because they are so popular now. There are 4 rooms, so you can go back, and I expect they will add more!
UPDATE: I should have mentioned — I’ve done the Asylum and the Wine Cellar rooms so far!

Really enjoyed coming here! This was my first escape room and almost solved the Wine Cellar themed room. The room was well designed with many puzzles and the 45 minute time limit was not an unfair amount of time. We booked the last time slot of the night which was 11:15 and arrived early. There are several puzzles in the lobby to keep you occupied while you are waiting for your room to be ready. We didn’t end up escaping, but it was a ton of fun. Be sure to bring your A-​game as you may need to do mental math or solve riddles for these rooms!

A great time for new or experience room escape room fans.
We were in town and had some free time so we booked the last two slots in the Darkness room. I have experience in escape rooms but everyone else was a first timer. The room was well designed with a good variety of puzzles of various challenges. While we didn’t escape, we still had fun and will be back to experience the other rooms next time we’re in Ottawa.

Escape Manor is a series of themed rooms into which you are locked and must solve puzzles in order to escape under 45 minutes. This concept is such a cool experience and a welcome addition to Ottawa’s entertainment scene.
I attended an event this past week with a group but I had low expectations of success or even really enjoying myself. I had heard from friends how difficult it was, how scary it could be at times and so I signed up with an open mind but with a plan of what I would do and not do (nothing in the dark and not the asylum room). I also worried that it would be a survivor-​type thing where 1 leader emerges in the group and the rest get stepped on or you see the worst sides of your friends’ personalities as you worked under the pressure of a ticking clock.
It was nothing like that. Our team of 5 was assigned the prison break room. It was clear there were lots of clues and it was hard to tell what was important and what was a red herring. With the exception of a friend and my husband we were strangers to each other, but everyone got along really well and contributed each of their strengths and no one shot down ideas. We were SUPER CLOSE to breaking out: we made it to the main door to the hallway but had missed about 3 clues that would have solved it for us. The staff were responsive when we called for tips and were tireless and enthusiastic when explaining things, even though they must do it about 100 times a day.
The bar and the décor added to the ambience: this is a great place for a party or a team building event, as part of a tour of neat things to do in Ottawa, or even a fun date!
I would definitely like to go back.

I was super excited to hear there was something new and different to do in town, and I’ve been wanting to go ever since. I finally got the chance to go with my colleagues for our summer social/​team building activity.
Most of us planned to go out for lunch beforehand, so we looked for places around Queen Street or Sparks Street, somewhere nearby and convenient for a large group. The Bier Markt had better reviews for their food, but they couldn’t accommodate a reservation for 15, so we headed to 3 Brewers instead. It’s only a 3-​minute walk away and very convenient for a large group heading to/​coming from Escape Manor.
Because we were such a big group, we booked our trip to Escape Manor about a couple of weeks in advance, directly with the business instead of buying our own passes online. There has been a wait list for some time for evenings and weekends, so I would suggest booking well in advance.
There are currently four rooms (the jail cell, wine cellar, asylum, and darkness) and typically six people per room. We had a private booking and ended up with five people in each room, other than the darkness. If you are a group with less than six people, they will put others in the same room as you — something to consider if you don’t play well with others!
The rooms are upstairs and you will need to take the elevator or stairs to get there. Once you enter, there are sofas, chairs, and tables with board games scattered around and a bar behind the cash. It was $ 21 per person, taxes in, for 45 minutes in the room. You also sign a waiver and get some instructions (and a bit of a story) before heading into the room.
I was in the asylum, but I can’t really expand on it because it’s something you need to experience for yourself and I wouldn’t want to give out any hints. Essentially, it’s a lot of problem-​solving and creative thinking, as you would expect. Once you find the walkie talkie, you can ask for the one hint you’re allowed. You can ask for more, but your attempt would be considered as a failure to escape. There’s also an emergency key for anyone who is worried about getting too claustrophobic or if you have any other health concerns. You have a timer in the room and if you don’t get out in time, they come in and ask you if you’d like to know how to escape. I didn’t want to know because I plan to be back! They also tell you your approximate percentage of progress at the end, which we were really surprised with since we thought we were further along than we really were.
We were told that the plan is to demolish the rooms every few months to build new ones, though I have a feeling at least one or two of the more popular ones may stick around longer, if not for good. Apparently the jail cell is a bit harder to get out of, so keep that in mind also. There are no photos allowed in the rooms to keep it fair for everyone. It was so much fun and most if not all of us are definitely coming back!

We didn’t escape but we WILL RETURN!!! Hahaha!!! It truly is a FANTASTIC experience!
You have 45 minutes in the room. They have a timer on the outside of the room (for the staff) and a timer on the inside. However, They failed to tell us it was the timer and we stopped it with out knowing when we were looking for clues. SOOOOOO just be aware and don’t stop the timer LOL…
Staff: They are very nice and friendly.
Atmosphere: We did the wine cellar. The room was a lot smaller than I expected and there really wasn’t anything scary. However, the puzzles and the clues keep your mind turning. It was so much fun. We did not escape but we were SOOOOOO close. Next time I know that you really need to look EVERYWHERE. You cannot leave any stone unturned. IF someone says they checked it, well make sure because sometimes 2 minds are better than one. Which is why this is a group effort.
Enjoyment: It was so much fun. We didn’t escape yet we managed to still have a blast. We talked about it for hours afterwards trying to figure it all out and trying to see where we went wrong. What we could do better for next time. I CANNOT WAIT to go again… :)
Bar: Sadly the beer was super warm :(… I like my beer ice cold and this one wasn’t. But its ok, I should have said something and just left it at that. I drank my warm beer and enjoyed some puzzles while we waited for the room.
BIG TIP!!!
IT is really hard to book through their website. The date I wanted said it was closed. However, I sent them an email to verify and they happened to have an open room for us. So if you see everything booked online just email them and see if you can get in. Chris was the person I dealt with through email and he was fantastic, very friendly!
We will be going back for sure…

I WILL GIVE IT 5 STARS WHEN I FINALLY MANAGE TO ESCAPE.
Seriously though, I will definitely be returning.
Staff: One was super cheesy– like a bad highschool drama teacher but younger. The other was fine, friendly and nice.
Atmosphere: Room was waaaay smaller than I was expecting, however; the puzzle was also a lot more intricate than I was expecting. Decorations were good. Didn’t realistically believe I was actually being locked anywhere, but that didn’t detract from how fun it was. An hour is enough — not a rip-​off. Scare factor not really present.
Enjoyment: Definitely a plus that before and after you can spend time at the bar/​games area. The game itself was hilarious and enjoyable, there were enough components to the challenge that you rarely got stuck and found yourself standing around doing nothing. Extra points here due to the fact that Ottawa doesn’t really have anything else like Escape Manor.
Bar: Suprised by the bar. Server was cute! Adequate bar — not much selection but being able to buy a Keiths when you don’t expect it to be a drinking event is beautiful.

Think you’re good at puzzles? Work well with teams? Do you have 30 minutes to spare? A group of your friends? Maybe team up with strangers? Well this is the place for you!
The staff at Escape Manor are super friendly and will give you a background story about the «puzzle» that you’re about to solve. There’s multiple rooms that you can choose to be locked with a group try to find clues to escape!
You have 30 minutes so make the most of your time and hopefully you don’t get locked in the room with someone you can’t stand!
I don’t want to say more without spoiling anything so go book your team in!
The booking kind of sucks as it’s an open booking system. People reserve and times slots are usually booked up for a few weeks in advance and prime spots can be booked up months in advance. You can asked to be put on a waiting list for rooms in case anyone cancels.