Escape rooms open Oct. 8 for Halloween season

MT. PLEASANT - The Midwest Old Threshers Halloween escape rooms open for their first weekend on Oct. 8.

Groups will have an option of four-themed 60-minute missions: trapped in the 80s, infection, evil in the big top and zombie uprising.

Grant Davidson, public relations manager for Old Threshers, said the activity is a great alternative for those looking for some Halloween fun.

'It's great for anyone in Southeast Iowa. It can be a date night thing. They don't have to drive into the city to do something like an escape room,” he said.

Davidson added it's something people can do, even in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Time slots for the escape rooms are purposefully spaced out with 30 minute breaks which will allow rooms to not only be reset but also thoroughly sanitized.

'They'll come as their own group, so they don't have to social distance or anything like that while inside,” Davidson added.

This is the first year Old Threshers has offered escape rooms. The announcement of the new activity came in early September when the organization canceled its annual haunted house and haunted rails in response to the pandemic.

Davidson said the group decided to pivot to escape rooms because it already had the necessary props and the space to set up the activity.

If the escape rooms do well, Davidson said he could see Old Threshers continuing to bring the activity back in years to come and may even incorporate it into different events.

'It fits the guidelines of everything that's going on right now,” he said.

The escape rooms are available Oct. 8-10, 15-17, 19-24 and 26-31. Groups can make reservations online at ThrashersHouseOfTerror.com/escape-rooms/.