This weekend we visited Decode Ypsilanti for their Aurora Society escape room. Decode has been voted a top 10 escape room in the USA by the readers of USA Today.
About Aurora Society
The Aurora Society is a magical society in Ypsilanti that gets their power from the Aurora Borealis. Once in the room, you will solve puzzles to complete your initiation (and maybe more). Get a glimpse of the room from their pre-opening Instagram video.
About the Aurora Project Escape Room
We were initiated into the Elevation Guild of the Aurora Society to learn magic and solve the problems.
The escape room has multiple phases and puzzles. We were directed to one puzzle to start, and then had other puzzles unlocked through mail or completing a puzzle. We find the best strategy to split up and work on various puzzles. Throughout the escape, we gravitated to different groups. I worked with 4 of the 5 other members of our group at different points.
The escape room has dynamic difficulty and can adjust to account for groups of different size and skill levels which makes it easier to be successful. They can skip puzzles or simplify them to make it easier. With 6 people (4 adults & two teens), we did manage to complete the room and escape in about 50 minutes. When we asked about the average time to complete, we
Currently the room is only setup for this guild, but the story line has 2 additional guilds that they can add later. We will definitely plan to return once they add the new storylines.
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COVID-19 Safety Protocols at Decode Ypsilanti
Currently, Decode Detroit is only open indoors at the Ypsilanti location where they offer the Aurora Society games. They are taking several COVID precautions:
- All games are private for your group of up to 8 people. (6 ticket minimum purchase)
- Staff members are all fully vaccinated
- Masks are required in the building for both guests and staff members.
- Upon arrival, all of the adults had to scan a QR code to fill out a health survey and disclaimer.
- HEPA filters throughout the building
- Reservations are fully refundable until 24 hours before your game
While we are all vaccinated, we are very COVID cautious. We felt quite safe at Decode.
Activities at Decode Ypsilanti
Currently, Decode Ypsilanti only has the elevation guild of the Aurora Project operating. The storyline has 2 more guilds, but they have not yet added them to the room. We will definitely be back once they add in the other versions.
Before the pandemic, they offered Magic Lessons. Magic Lessons are designed for 2 person teams.
Spellcasting is an adventure in downtown Ypsilanti and is listed as opening soon.
Visiting Decode Ypsilanti
Location: 16 N. Washington St, Ypsilanti
Phone: 313-438-8054
Price: $29/person, 6 person minimum
You should book your Decode Ypsilanti experience in advance as popular time slots do sell out. Bookings are taken by phone.
Decode Ann Arbor
Decode Ann Arbor opened before Decode Ypsilanti with The Minerva Project. That location and The Minerva Project closed in 2020 and they moved to a new location further west on Packard Rd. They are currently offering their new Around the World in 80 Days which we profiled in 2022.
In December 2020 we did the drive-in escape room at the new Decode Ann Arbor location on Packard Rd. It was a perfect socially distant, single family experience. Because it uses projection, it needs to be dark to run. They are currently updating the game to a new version.
Nearby Activities
With its location on Washington St in Downtown Ypsilanti, Decode is right in the middle of plenty of dining options for before or after your game.
We had plans to meet at Go! Ice Cream for a pre-escape snack and then get take-out from Bobcat Bonnie’s. An afternoon storm developed so we decided to skip Go! before our room. We finished 15-20 minutes before our scheduled dinner pickup, so we decided to treat ourselves to pre-dinner ice cream.
For more Downtown Ypsilanti restaurants and activities, check out our ideas below:
Ypsilanti’s Riverside Park Playground – Tuesday Playground Profile
Michigan Firehouse Museum
Maiz Mexican Cantina – Saturday Restaurant Review
CLOSED – Bobcat Bonnies – Restaurant Review
Ma Lou’s Fried Chicken – Restaurant Review
Ypsi Alehouse Restaurant Review
Other favorite nearby restaurants that we don’t have reviews for include Bellflower . For an adult evening out, the new Ypsi Cocktail Club just opened on Michigan Avenue.
Nearby shopping includes The Rocket, Unicorn Feed & Supply, Stone & Spoon, and Ypsilanti Running Club on Michigan Avenue.
Other Area Escape Rooms
In addition to Decode, there are a couple of other escape rooms in Ann Arbor. I have not personally been to the others, but my teen daughter has been to several other escape rooms in Ann Arbor.
- Clueless Escape Room – 5204 Jackson Rd, Suite F
- Breakout Escape Room – 3460 Ellsworth Rd,
Each of these Escape Rooms has multiple themed rooms. In recent years, my daughter has done a couple of rooms at Clueless and at Breakout.
By far, Decode Ypsilanti has the best location being right downtown. It has plenty of dining and shopping locations nearby.
Escape and Puzzle Games at Home
Of course, you can’t always make it out to an Escape Room. In the last few years we have done a number of both escape and puzzle games at home. These are some of our favorites.
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Finders Seekers Subscription Boxes
In 2021 we did a subscription to Finders Seekers Boxes through Cratejoy.
Finders Seekers Mysteries
Each month you receive a box with a mystery to solve in a different destination around the world. We started with the US National Parks. Other destinations included Chicago, Ireland, Washington DC, St Petersburg, and more. Each month’s box includes various puzzles and a “souvenir” that helps you solve mysteries at various locations in the destination.
We really enjoyed our boxes, but our lives got too busy to do one each month. They were perfect for our family of 3 (our daughter was 15 when we had the subscription). We do recommend it for a smaller family. Kids as young as 8-10 will be able to solve some puzzles. But, we recommend the box for families with teens.
Sherlock Holmes Games
For Christmas 2021, I was intrigued by Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Regulars at Vault of Midnight. The box has 10 mysteries that you will help Sherlock Holmes solve by traveling through London and talking to people at various locations.
We have only found time to play about half of the mysteries in the box and can’t wait to finish the rest. These are definitely more challenging than other mysteries we have solved. There are usually a couple layers of mystery that provide red herrings to the central mystery, but are also interesting to solve.
Exit Games
Of the individual box games we like the Exit series the best of the ones we have tried. Note: these are one-time use games as many materials are destroyed to solve the game.
There are two types of boxes – those where you are trying to “escape” and those where you are trying to solve a mystery. Our recommendation is to look for the difficulty level and start with a lower difficulty. We went from a 2 to a 4 difficulty and it was quite a bit more challenging. Don’t worry if you get stuck. There are hints available for each mystery.
