The clock is ticking. Almost an hour ago you and your team walked into a room and, using your power of observation and puzzle-solving skills, are close to getting out. The question is: Will you solve the last puzzle before the clock hits zero?

An escape room is a real-life team-based adventure game! Escape Again “locks” your team inside one of their themed rooms where you are completely immersed in the game. Your challenge is to solve the puzzle, beat the clock and escape…in under 60 minutes.

Escape Again is the product of months of work by Tracie Whitacre and David Sebek. “We really wanted to be unique,” says Tracie. “And David and I love the challenge of creating our own stories.” In their endeavor, they’ve enlisted the help of scenic artists in Virginia and a professor of game design in Toronto to consult on story flow. The result is fantastic. Experienced “escape room enthusiasts” laud David and Tracie’s rooms as some of the most unique and best experiences around.

Tracie and David met when their kids participated in a first-grade problem-solving club together. “We always thought it would be fun to have something like that for adults!” says David. Fast forward 15 years and the two Aggie alums played an escape room in College Station while visiting for Parents Weekend. “Our families loved it,” says Tracie. “We played every room, and David and I thought. ‘We can do this!’” A month later they signed a lease in Sugar Land and in December Escape Again Rooms opened.

All of the clues you need are in the room. Escape Again game masters follow your movements on closed-circuit cameras and provide help if needed. Just remember…after four clues you are no longer eligible for the leaderboard. “It really feels like you’re solving a mystery,” says Tracie. “People sometimes ask if our rooms are scary. They’re not. We always tell them the scariest thing in the room is your imagination.” “The coolest part,” continues David, “is that for one hour, people put their phones away and are focused on communicating with each other. They’re playing the game and working together to escape. And the rush lasts far beyond that. Hours later they’re still talking about how they escaped.”

Middle school kids, high school kids and adults enjoy maneuvering the escape rooms. “Many times, adults overthink it,” says Tracie. “They come up with the wildest situations…we would be evil if we did what some people come up with. But kids…they get it.”

Call ahead and reserve or conveniently book online. Escape Again welcomes couples, friends, birthday parties, and corporate groups. Groups of five or six work well, but as few as two or as many as 10 can attempt to escape a room. Want to bring in food? Reserve the spacious lounge and make it a party.

One freebie hint from Tracie and David: “Divide and conquer and work with urgency!” Good luck!