Escape Woods - The Dig | Near Atlanta, GA

RATING: 3 Keys RESULT: Win REMAINING: 00:38

Take it outside! Diggin’ up a different kind of escape room.

Story

You and your group are part of an elite dig team called the Artifact Recovery Coalition or A.R.C. The team is in a furious search of a very valuable ancient artifact that was buried in the woods many years ago so it wouldn’t get into the wrong hands. The government has also been searching for the treasure and will stop at nothing to find it first. In this escape you will need to embark on a journey through the woods to find the hidden treasure and escape before the government discovers what you are up to and shuts you down.

We have been tasked with trekking through the woods to find a hidden ancient artifact of great value; a real treasure to behold. However, our team of elite diggers will not have the luxury of taking our time and savoring every moment of this significant mission. We’ll need to work fast to beat the government to the punch and recover the artifact before we are found out – and thrown out.

Escape Wood’s gold standard of full immersion when it comes to location is literally exposing players to the real thing. In this case, the story takes us on a journey upon real dirt, traversing among real trees, in a storyworld located fully outdoors – a one where we could actually conduct a dig.

Scenic

The scenic is about as spacious as it can get. The setting is the great outdoors! The walls are a maze of pallet wood. The ceiling, a canopy of trees. Instead of traversing over carpet, in this journey players traipse through leaves and dirt. All around is the earthy smell of soil and lumber. It truly is a unique setting in which to find oneself.

Our adventure begins at our dig team’s campsite and equipment shed, where it seems like taking the time to set up camp might be a poor use of one’s time. Regardless, our journey continues without much change in scenery until we come across an impressive cave-like structure where darkness and mystery await. We’ll return to the woods soon enough, but only when the time is right – and only after we’ve properly explored the cavern for scenic visuals that play a part in our journey.

Puzzles

A literal physical maze forms a unique challenge; on one hand, it seemed deceivingly easy because we could see through the walls into the areas into which we wanted to advance. Just the same, it was actually challenging and somewhat vexing at times, as it was hard to discern one path from the next. We could see the general direction we needed to go, but couldn’t get there until we figured out how to access that part. It’s like the old adage: So close, yet so far…

The puzzles are well-aligned with the storyline and are loaded with mysterious ancient symbols that would thrill any cryptologist. As we closed in to finding the buried artifact, we observed more symbols and other less valuable objects that helped guide us in our task. Once we deciphered the symbols and solved the mysteries of the cave, we returned once more to the woods to map our escape.

Overall

The Dig is a game that is sure to prove appealing to younger adventurers and families. Uniquely set outdoors, there’s something – well, refreshing – about being out in the nature. Just the same, being outside merits wearing good comfortable shoes with an outfit that you don’t mind possibly getting a little dirty.

Check the forecast and strap on your raincoat and galoshes if precipitation is in the forecast – but, leave the umbrella at home. You’ll need your hands free to work on puzzles. If playing in the summer, it doesn’t hurt to layer on the bug spray.

This venue can also be very popular in the fall and around Halloween and Christmas. Allow plenty of extra time for the local traffic delays and for just getting to where you need to go once you arrive onsite.

Lastly, if you’re not an outdoorsy person – don’t let the fact that it is outside keep you away. This is a unique experience that is totally different than most rooms. There are a ton of fun activities to do at this venue while waiting to play. In addition, you might want to take a good look around for any familiar sights easily recognizable from the popular Netflix series Stranger Things, which filmed a good bit of its second season here.