Today we’d like to introduce you to Zachary Slack and Aubrey Dewbre.
Zachary and Aubrey got the idea to start an escape room business after playing escape room games on a cellphone. Browsing online, Aubrey saw a search result that said “Real-Life Escape Room”. The pair quickly jumped at the idea of making one of their own.
They began building in 2014 and enlisted the help of their talented friends and family members. At that time, Xcape was the second/third escape room business in DFW.
Now, in 2017 there are well over 30. The two always encourage people to read the reviews and not compare escape rooms with each other, because as one sees when visiting Xcape, the bar is set pretty high.
Their first room was such a hit it gained the attention of Sony Pictures. Slack and Dewbre were invited to create an escape room to the theme behind the movie Pixels, with Adam Sandler. This, in turn, got the attention of a local morning TV show. You can find that video on their YouTube channel.
Shortly after the building of their second room, Steampunk, the suite around the corner became available. The pair loaded up their tools and imagination and took them to suite 100 where they have a 41oo sq ft “canvas” to build on. At the new home of Xcape Adventures sits Captain Skully, Contagious, Dr. Gene Etics and The Mission, their most recent completed room. These rooms took a total of two years to build which says something about the ingenuity and creativity that was involved.
Xcape Adventures remains family-owned and operated and is not part of a franchise.
They give a “mom and pop shop” a new meaning. They pride their business in being a family-friendly business that all ages can enjoy with a little something for every imagination.
Has it been a smooth road?
The main struggle for Xcape Adventures is being able to shed light on the industry.
Several trips to Lowe’s and Home Depo had people raising an eyebrow on what exactly were building in their city. The biggest achievement in this “adventure” was being a part of the City of Mesquite’s City Council meeting where an established Certificate of Occupancy was created specifically for the escape room industry. Having the panel of council members embrace what we wanted to create for the community to enjoy was a huge win for the guys.
Because we are family friendly it also means wanting to be the best. It takes money to do that and build the kind of rooms we do. We took a leap of faith and went with it and are seeing the fruits of our labor. Highlighting the family-friendly atmosphere at Xcape is our priority, as the third struggle would be people see the word “escape room” and fear sets in so they opt out.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Xcape Adventures story. Tell us more about the business.
Xcape Adventures is a REAL-LIFE ESCAPE ROOM business. Guests must use elements of the room to solve a series of puzzles, find clues and exit the room within an hour of entering. We specialize in providing an immersive escape room environment with rooms that are designed to be both challenging and entertaining with interactive puzzles, hidden objects, secret areas and cool effects.
Hundreds of our online reviews highlight what Xcape Adventures is known for; the fact that our rooms do not compare to others in DFW. We take delight in knowing that we have succeeded in building our own puzzle systems and props using our own hands.
This alone is what sets us apart from the other 30+ escape rooms in Dallas/Fort Worth.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
As mentioned early on, we are family-friendly. This factor is also our focus. However, we continue to brainstorm on new ideas for future rooms and upgrades to the facility to better enhance the Xcape Adventure experience. New rooms will come in the future. We foresee the community really embracing this new form of entertainment. Many have opted out of bowling or the usual movie. So, the trend is being set and it’s happening right in the heart of Mesquite, Texas.
Pricing:
- Private Reservations range from $175-$225 (8-10 people in a room)
- Per-Person Reservations are $25 each
Contact Info:
- Address: Xcape Adventures
2414 HWY 80 E, STE 100 Mesquite, TX. 75149 - Website: XcapeDFW.com
- Phone: 972-982-2073
- Email: info@XcapeDFW.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/XcapeAdventures/about/?ref=page_internal
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/XcapeAdventures?lang=en
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/xcape-adventures-mesquite
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
