Activities like public art trails or history trails enhance the exploration of a new city or even a familiar city. In fact, for those familiar with a place, a trail can offer a fresh perspective or even illuminate aspects previously unnoticed. This summer, Mass Escape NB created a new experience in downtown New Bedford. This experience combines public art, small businesses, and, accordingly, its signature offering, gaming. So, choose a nice day, grab your family and friends, and explore the city with this new outdoor escape room.

Put your sleuthing skills to the test and navigate through downtown New Bedford on a one-mile scavenger hunt. The trail begins at Mass Escape headquarters. Clues along the way lead your team to participating small businesses. The outdoor escape room, The Cipher Collective, takes about one hour. However, Mass Escape permits teams two hours for extended exploration. This extension, therefore, encourages shopping and snacking on local bites along the way. In this way, the Cipher Collective serves as a testament to the solidarity among the small business community in the city.

Small Business Community

For Daniel Turpin, one of the owners of Mass Escape, this project is a love letter to downtown New Bedford. It highlights the shops, restaurants, galleries, and public art along the course as you solve the puzzles at each location. Pop into restaurants and smell the delicious food being served to curious patrons. Find unique shops and meet the owners. On a beta test, the staff at a local establishment encouraged the testing team. Patrons looked on and inquired about the game. This type of interaction between the game and businesses offers cross-marketing opportunities and fosters a sense of community among visitors.

The game itself is at times as high-tech as Mass Escape’s indoor escape rooms. They fabricated machines at the headquarters and placed them inside and outside of businesses around downtown. In fact, you might walk right by a piece of the game without knowing, because they are created with such skill. The setting and application of the experience are truly immersive. The puzzles require a variety of skill sets and, therefore, teamwork is essential. This also made the creation of the game a challenge for the Mass Escape crew. Consequently, they underwent a series of trials and errors to ensure that players are getting the best possible experience.

Outdoor Escape Room FAQS

The escape room takes one hour and requires roughly one mile of walking. An additional hour is permitted to allow time for shopping or dining along the way. Mass Escape recommends teams of two to six for the best group experience. The games are geared towards adults, but all ages are welcome. However, an adult must accompany children under eighteen. Book your Cipher Collective journey today!