NILES — Those looking for a little escape this weekend, can find a whole new meaning to the quest at Euphoric Stage. 

The Niles business is hosting an interactive game called, “Escape the Cell.” The escape room times are 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday and noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday. The escape room will return to Euphoric Stage again during the last two weekends in February.

Owner of Euphoric Stage Alicia Koch said she thought the event would give families a fun and entertaining activity to try during their weekend.

“Niles doesn’t have one,” Koch said. “They seem to be popping up at other cities, but we are trying to rejuvenate Niles and give them something exciting. We wanted to bring an escape room in for the Niles folks, so they don’t have to travel to far and they can still have fun in our hometown.”

The idea for “Escape the Cell” is that participants wake up in a room they have never seen before. While not much is clear about how they got there, one thing is known: they only have one hour to escape. Those involved will have to use their detective skills to find a way out of the room and avoid an “unknown fate.”

Andrew Irwin is the owner of Escape the Cell. Irwin is a Niles native who now lives in Granger. He designed it to be mobile, so people can have the activity come to them. 

“[Irwin] is from Niles and that makes it even better because he’s from our hometown and he wants to see things happen in our hometown,” Koch said.

The escape room launched last weekend during the Hunter Ice Festival. Koch hopes to keep the escape rooms an ongoing part of Euphoric Stage.

She encouraged people to see the game for themselves.

“It’s a team-building activity,” Koch said. “A lot of employers like to send people for a team building experience. It’s good for church groups – any group that would have fun working together: bridal parties, a group of friends. It’s a lot of fun.”

Koch said children are also welcome to attend, so long as an adult accompanies them. While the interactive game is exciting, she said it is not meant to be scary.

Euphoric Stage opened in in the summer of 2018. The business offers community members the chance to learn music lessons, participate in self-esteem building activities, acting and a variety of art forms. Those looking for an alternative to the Escape Room Saturday night can participate in a “Hamilton” the musical sing-along for $5.

The cost for escape room tickets is $35 each. Tickets can be purchased by visiting Irwin’s website escapethecell.com or by calling him at (574) 334-7790.