Crack the code

The trick is not getting into the casino room, museum display and island paradise hidden inside a simple brick building in downtown Homewood. It’s getting out of them. 

Breakout Birmingham’s new facility on 19th Place South opened in early April and offers a series of interactive games and puzzles for groups of six to eight. The end goal is to obtain a code to use to “break out” of the locked room in under an hour. Each is designed to be challenging yet doable, requiring groups to work together and think on their feet, co-owner Jeremy Carter said.

“There are a lot of ways to not get it right,” Carter said. “Whether you break out or not, you will have a great time. It’s an emotional rollercoaster with a lot of highs.”

You can play with friends or strangers, but the camaraderie is best with people you know, according to Carter.

Breakout currently has two kidnapping rooms that resemble a TV set, a museum heist room that looks like an old school office, a casino room and an island room. The island room is the most family oriented, and Carter warns participants that the kidnapping game is dark and spooky to some. The rooms will rotate over time, and new games will be added based on customer feedback. 

The first Breakout business was started by a friend and partner of Carter’s in Lexington, Kentucky, earlier this year, and locations in Cincinnati and Louisville, Kentucky, are set to open soon. The concept, also known as escape rooms or action games, is popular in Asia and Europe and is growing in the U.S.

Each game is monitored by a game master, who introduces each team to the game and then watches the room live on video to monitor its progress. The master also has access to a button that can open the room at any time in case of an emergency. 

Breakout Games is open on nights and weekends and welcomes corporate groups for team building during the day. Game start times typically run from 11 a.m. to 10:40 p.m. Each game costs $22 per person on a weekday and $24 on a weekend. All games are recommended for ages 12 and older. Children under age 14 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, and children under 18 must have a waiver signed by a parent or guardian. Reservations are required in advance to participate. 

For more information or to make a reservation, visit breakoutbham.com. Breakout Birmingham is located at 2717 19th Place South and can be reached at 282-4798.