Austin Panic Room

We had a great time here tonight. I highly recommend it! It was my birthday and my friends took me here. We will be back!

Sooo fun, we actually got out of the Prison Break Room (by luck of guessing the last lock code), however we didn’t actually «beat» the room as we didn’t get the gold block. Had we read the instructions that you only have one try to open the lock, then maybe we would have made it. Oh well, overall SUPER FUN and makes me want to try all the rooms. I would definitely recommend it! =)

This was our first panic room so we didn’t have much to compare it to, but we were happy with the experience. Vincent was a good host and they run it really well from a business perspective.

I wasn’t particularly keen on spending an hour at the Austin Panic Room when it was assigned for me through my management class, but since it was a grade, I went ahead and did the exercise. All of my friends signed up for slots while I was out of town for an interview, so I ended up with a group of people that I didn’t know, which definitely had an impact on my experience there.
I LOVED going through the Museum Room. We had an hour to look for clues, patterns, and most importantly, codes and keys in order to open the lock on the door. It was great trying to figure out what role each member of our team wanted to play, and towards the end of our hour in the room, things actually did start to get really intense (for the record, we did get out with around 5 minutes to spare, but if I’m not mistaken, the Museum Room is one of the easier rooms they have available).
Everyone on staff was really friendly and helpful, and after our hour was up, they took a few photos with some props on the way out. I’ll definitely be back with some friends when I can find some time, and I’m excited to try out some of the more difficult rooms!

This place is an incredible amount of fun. Excellent destination for team building or just looking for something different. My advice is to go with a group of smart people; you won’t get far at all problem solving with morons. The room I was in was challenging and warranted a great deal of critical thinking. Meghna was helping our group and did a great job. Overall great experience!

I took my son here for a Mom and Son date and we loved it. My son is 11 and loves to figure things out. It was his idea and even though I have never heard of this before I went ahead and did it. I loved it too. We are going back and trying a different room. I highly recommend it.

Had a super fun time tonight at APR!!! Liz was our hostess with the mostest and she was great! We completed the Museum Room with only 4 and a half minutes to spare. Would recommend to any couples or groups or families!

Our group had 9 people and we booked the Museum room so we had it to ourselves. No one in our group had ever done one of these before so we didn’t know what to expect. We had so much fun! We were 1 lock short of escaping. The puzzles were so creative and luckily we had some really smart people in our group that figured them out but we still relied on the staff to keep us on track. She was so good at watching what we were doing and giving us feedback when we asked.
We did have one kid in our group… a 13 year old and I think it was fine for him but young kids would not do well as it is geared towards adults. The puzzles are tricky and you really have to think outside the box.
We can’t wait to go back again but try a different room!

Had a blast and almost made
It our in time! Should have used our clues sooner! Tons of fun!

While planing a vacation to Austin a friend in the area suggested one of the local escape rooms. The Panic Room looked good on trip advisor and we booked the prison room. Our room operator, Doug, did a fabulous job in his role helping us not have panic attacks. We also were thrilled to join a small elite group of prison escapees!

Was totally skeptical when my boss wanted our team of 10 to do this as a team building activity. I love puzzles and had a blast. I sort of expected a half hearted attempt by the company to make the rooms detailed and interesting and was shocked at the details when I walked in.
Great experience, something different and I would definitely recommend.
Oh! And an added perk– you get a parking pass for the lot behind the building when you check in. Free and easy parking is hard to come by!

I sit on a volunteer board and we did the Museum Room as part of a board bonding activity. It was a great opportunity to work together while problem solving, and have a lot of fun!
From start to finish the experience is great. Easy online sign-​up, great game master, and a fun experience. Admittedly, my team finished with 14 minutes left to spare, which makes the game even more fun!

We love the Austin Panic Room! The rooms are challenging, staged well, and a great for groups. We completed the Prison Room today with Doug as our operator (he is the BEST). Highly recommend

Refreshing, challenging, and exciting rooms filled with clues and locks! Great bonding experience for all and a great backstory to all the clues and situations! Special thanks to Stefan and Eric for guiding us in the right direction when we needed help! They even made sure we understood the clues at the very end even if we blind guessed correctly ;) escape was a success with just 1 min and 7 secs left! Really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend for group activities or bonding experience! Will come back again~~ :D

This was the most fun I’ve ever had. We did their most difficult room (Prison Break) for our first time and were about to open the final lock when our time ran out. Christina completely made our experience, and I’ll definitely be returning.

The APR was an interesting experience. I don’t want to harp on it completely because it really was fun for my workmates and I to do something as a team and I would definitely suggest it to people who need to work on communication skills at work. That said, my group did the prison break room and when we got about half way through we got pretty badly stuck. Well come to find out when the time ran out — we were stuck because a key that was supposed to be hidden in one of the cabinets we had unlocked WASNT THERE, which obviously meant we were never going to be able to continue on past that point no matter how much time we were given. When the employee told us there should have been a key there and we told him there wasnt, his response was «really? Oh thats weird woops.» And that was the end of it… no «Im sorry» no offer for a coupon or anything. I mean we failed because you left out a key ingredient for escaping I feel like that warrants a better response!
So ya in sum, go do it but beware the customer service

What a great idea for a group outing! I brought 16 hotel managers here for some team building. The staff was awesome. Our group has an odd sense of humor, but they joked along with us. Both of our groups escaped their rooms with a few minutes to spare. We will be talking about our experience for years to come!

My first experience was amazing! Its a great amount of fun and worth every penny. I paid in pennies. Doug was our guide/​dungeon master and was a great host. You’re in for a good time with Doug.

I came here with a group of my friends; we’re all students at UT. We booked the Museum Room a while back and it was actually pretty incredible. At first, the idea of «panic room» doesn’t sound like much when you’re stuck in a building trying to get out. However, if your friends are with you, or if you have others that are simply competitive and motivated, it gets pretty intense.
It did start off a bit slow. We were finding clues here and there, although we couldn’t really connect the dots. However, the pressure picked up when it would take us several minutes just to solve the next move. My friends were barking commands at one another, running around in a frenzy. Every time we found or «felt» (for those who did the Museum Room, you know what I mean) a clue, we would SWARM the clue in excitement. You can really see your friends’ personalities best under pressure, and some of them are absolutely hilarious. Some are thinkers, some are mediators, and some are simply outright aggressive. I was lucky to have a mixed bunch of friends, so we had quite a bit of good laughs about how silly some of us were after we left the room. Doing this escape room was a great experience, and we definitely would go back again.
Pro-​Tip: The clues are can be quite clever. If you see something abnormal, be sure to take multiple looks at it. Words can be re-​disguised and props can be hiding a clue very naturally. And also, try to assign roles and stick to them. Helps quite a bit for my team.

This was my first ever «escape room» type visit and I can’t wait to do another one! We did the museum room and thought when I went in to the room I can honestly say I was still a little confused on what to do but once the clues started flowing it all made sense. We had a full crowd and worked well with all the other people. Catherine was our host and she was so nice. I will def be looking into doing another one soon

My team was in town from Seattle & we were looking for a fun team event. We booked the Prison Room Escape & it was, hands down, the most fun thing we’ve ever planned. Everyone has told me this was their favorite event & the Austin locals are already asking when we’re going to go back.
We opened the last lock to get out with 1 second left — the rush still has us smiling two days later!

Austin Panic Room is the best way for a group bonding!
It was my second time here– first time with a group of church people, and this time with our research group. I’ve done the Museum Room and the School Room so far and I’m looking forward to coming again for another room! We couldn’t get out both times (close with just one hint away) but it was still really exciting and thrilling! Melanie was our operator for the school room and she was very professional and communicated well with our group through the walkie talkie. The School Room definitely involved more hands on actions (mixing liquids, etc.) compared to the Museum Room– I don’t want to ruin the fun for anyone but our group enjoyed the room so much we kept talking about it over dinner. It was really exciting experience especially at the 30 second count down time crunch, everyone was running around to find one missing piece of the blueprint! Highly recommend, would come again!

Definitely go there at least once. Nice way to get out of your comfort zone and do something new.
You essentially get locked in a room filled with lots of clues hidden all over. To get out, you have to figure out how to put all the clues together, solve the puzzles, etc. etc. until you get the key to get out.
We plan on going back another time.
P. S. The walkie-​talkie, while very fun, comes with serious responsibilities.

Wellllll…
Ok, so here’s the thing, it’s not that this was bad. It’s just that I’ve done better around the world.
Panic Rooms are the hot new thing and you can find one in every city. And some of them are amazing, being both clever and tricky at the same time.
And this one was tricky. We signed up for the brand new Prison room (which I was told was the best one). And I was really excited, because I was taking my mom for her first room ever and I wanted to show her what they were all about.
But there were problems right off. First off, we emailed to see if we could come that day and was told come at 12:30, they would be ready for us. But we came at 12:25 and there was no one there. So we hung out and waited and waited and even called from the lobby but nothing. Finally, at 12:40 someone walked in and were surprised to see us. Turns out, they started the 12:30 game early because no one told them we were coming. Cool.
And then we were put into the room. And it started well. We were separated into two groups and handcuffed to a wall. Cool. But from there… eh. Unlike other Escape Rooms, where clues come from a monitor, this one had a helper in the room which us, who kept asking if we «needed help» or «wanted a clue.» It felt a little weird to be watched the entire time by someone in the room, just waiting for us to screw up.
The puzzles themselves were also kind of… eh. I won’t go into details without spoiling it, but you’d find things like specific colour patterns and think they went together but it turns out, nope, just a coincidence. Or sometimes you’d get two numbers easily and the third would be so impossible that you just guess on the lock until you get it right.
And when we got out of the room, there was no sound to show you won or lights flashing or anything else for a sense of beating the game. Just the monitor going, «Ok, you did it.» Literally, that’s what she said, in the most flat tone possible.
Yay, we did it. (said in the most flat tone possible.)
It was close to $ 50 for two of us for this and damn, that’s way more expensive than it should have been. I’m giving it two stars because it says, «Meh, I’ve experienced better» and I sadly have for sure.

There’s a reason why Austin Panic Room is currently sitting at such a high rating — it truly is a unique, immersive form of entertainment.
Even with escape rooms becoming increasingly popular, APR is still top-​notch and one of the best at what they do. The staff is incredibly friendly, rooms are appropriately challenging, and the place as a whole just has a warm «feel» to it.
But what really sets APR apart from other escape rooms I’ve tried is the immersion from start to finish. I have been to other places where they don’t do much else besides locking you in a room, watching you run amok, then letting you out after an hour. Here, I’ve noticed an attention to detail that makes all the difference in the world — the story that your operator tells you before you enter your room is a good example of this.
I would highly recommend APR for all occasions — including birthday parties, informal hangouts, what have you — but especially for corporate/​group outings! Happy hours are great and all, but the team-​building and bonding that takes place is impossibly hard to replicate in any other environment.
It can be a little hard to find this location at night, as the signage isn’t especially obvious. Luckily, the parking situation is great! Just park in the lot directly behind the house — you’ll trade your ID for a parking tag when you get inside.
Looking forward to coming back to try all the rooms!

For several hours after our trip to Austin Panic Room, we were seeing clues and patterns in everything: how many chicken wings are on that plate? 14. How much are they at happy hour? $ 6, what time does the clock say? 4:30. Okay 146 430, 464 301, CWHH…
I’m glad I didn’t really know what I was getting into when I agreed to go to APR with a friend and all of her friends (read: a whole bunch of people I didn’t know). And I’m really glad that we beat our room, with 18 seconds to spare, or else our several hour post-​panic-​room-​high would have been several hours of in-​fighting and blaming each other for failing.
Seriously, panic room should be de rigor for first dates, deciding if you want to marry someone, or go into business with them. It could easily end less stable relationships. As aforementioned, since we beat the room, there were no breakups or divorces after our trip, but your mileage may vary.
Here are some non-​spoiler tips:
–have everyone prepay, etc. a couple weeks before you go. We did this and still had a few flakes but at least we’d secured our spot and then we had a couple other people join us who needed a bigger group
–plan to meet at the Tavern (Air Conditioned) an hour and a half before you’re supposed to be at APR
–everyone will actual gets there an hour late, meaning you barely have 30 minutes to down a couple drinks and walk over to APR but at least you’ll be on time to your APR slot
–don’t drink too much, there is no bathroom in there (well, there was in our room but you couldn’t use it). If we had lost, one of the marriages would have broken up over the wife being less than helpful at all cause she had to pee the whole time
–know of several happy hours that are happening when you get out of APR, you’ll either want to celebrate or drown your sorrows
–call a Lyft Plus to get you all there together safely and be weirded out about how everything looks like clues for the rest of the day and how you’re having a «Beautiful Mind» moment trying to figure out how to work the AC in the back of a 2015 Escalade
One annoying thing was, they don’t post the «Survivor» pics every day or even weekly. They only post them once a month. Seriously, it’s 2015. I could understand if you had to go develop film then scan in the pics with a flatbed scanner and load them on the internet on your mainframe at work but yeah, not that complicated. We went on October 3 and our pic wasn’t posted until November 6. Come on now.

Word of caution– if you’ve never been to the panic room I wouldn’t recommend starting out with Prison break.
Many of the puzzles are cool and clever but it is a little tricky trying to figure out what you are supposed to be doing next without asking the operator.
There are several locks that are labelled (L1, L2, L3, etc), however, the numbers aren’t related to the order in which you need to unlock them, making things unnecessarily confusing and causing us to waste some time.
Overall, 4-​stars because there were some very memorable moments and a fun experience.

My wife and I went here for a friend’s birthday. I didn’t know quite what to expect. One thing to note right off the bat is that parking can be limited and depending on the time and day could be a real issue so make sure you check that out.
Our group did the «Abandoned School Room» puzzle. You are given one hour to find clues hidden throughout the room and solve various puzzles. You need to find four pieces and also come up with a code to make it out of the room. There’s no one thing that will guarantee success; we had everything from engineers to Ph.D.s in physics in the group along with more «regular» folks, and everyone ended up contributing. Some things are about finding things, others are about creative ways of solving puzzles. The biggest enemy: Information overload and thinking EVERYTHING might be a clue. You can also find certain items that you can use to call in and ask for help, sort of lifelines if you’re stuck.
Time definitely flies as you’re frantically trying to solve everything and racing against the clock. In the end, our group fell just a few minutes short of solving the last code to get out of the room, but it was still a lot of fun. Kudos to the proprietors on coming up with the concept and setting up these puzzle ideas.

I’ve come here twice now, once with a private group with friends and another time at a Unilocal Elite event. I’m really impressed by how well put this panic room is!
The concept is simple, and it’s super easy to coordinate and enjoy an outing here. Booking a room wasn’t hard, the directions were explained very clearly (shoutout to our operators Liz and Hannah!), and everyone had a common goal: to break out and get our Polaroids taken.
Fortunately for us, the first two services are well delivered by APR, and we managed to escape and have our pictures framed on the wall! Our operators were very friendly and helpful before, during, and after the escape. This made the visit very personable and for those who like to tie loose ends, satisfying as the logic was explained after the session.
TIP: There is parking is behind the building; it is a bit hard to find at first.

Went back. It’s still awesome. Ethan helped us this time and he was great. Can’t wait to go back.

This place is awesome! Such a fun concept for team building or just fun with friends. We took our staff here and we all had a great time. I had no idea what to expect and don’t want to share much but just get ready to make your brain work and for an adrenaline rush! Highly recommend checking the Panic Room out!
ETA: We did the museum room!

I had so much fun in the Austin Panic Room! I had heard that panic/​puzzle team events were getting popular and I was super excited to try the Austin Panic Room with my friends. I was surprised to find the Austin Panic Room was located in a cute home on 7^th street, but I guess a panic room in a sketchy bunker would be creepy and legitimately scary.
There are 2 rooms that you can sign up for. We signed up for the smaller room and had to complete a mission that was set up as an art museum. The other is a larger room meant for bigger groups and is set up for the contestants to turn off a «bomb». The person who ran the room said they change the themes and puzzles every few months, which is great because you can come back!
I would highly recommend coming here with a fun group, with family, or even for a work event. You’ll have a good time and unconsciously work on some good team building/​problem solving skills.