Our party had a great time at Room Escapers today. The location is easy to get to, the setting is…read morecasual, and the room was fun!! Not too easy and not hard enough that you can't finish. 4 people was the perfect number. Nadia was great to work with as well. We will be back during our next visit to Boston!

Back again for another run, this time at the School St location. This company DELIVERS. It's so…read morenice to return and discover it's as great as the first time!!! We did the Panacea room with 3 adults and 2 kids. Jake was our person (what do you call this role? Manager? Guide?) and was warm, friendly, and fun. We were all excited and kind of nervous and his demeanor really put us at ease and helped us get into the mood of the game. The School St location is completely different from Blackstone where the pirate room is. You activate a black rectangle next to the door between Brueggers and Chipotle and they'll let you in. Up the stairs and on your left is the surprisingly large and cozy waiting room. There's a bathroom handy off the waiting area, but I didn't use it so can't comment. We did our waivers and sat on the comfy couches to get a run down of what to expect and then hear the backstory for the room. It was terrific and the set up where we waited really set the tone. The room itself was really fun and fit the theme perfectly. I'd say if you have kids this is the ideal set up. You can definitely do it with 4 adults, too. I love when the room super commits to the theme, and this one did. Also, like my prior experience, they really do watch out for you the whole time and can intervene with a cryptic yet helpful hint when you're just not getting it. There are places for photo ops before and after, and - my favorite! - your guide will walk you through all the clues so if you've divided and conquered by the time you've finished you get a chance to see all the cool stuff you missed in your race against the clock. These were clever clues! I'm pleased to hear we can request Jake again since he was a delight, but everyone we've met has been terrific, so doubt you can really go wrong. They have 2 rooms I've yet to do and 1 new one in the works. Woohoo!

The lady discovered this spot when we were looking for something to do late night that wasn't bar…read morehopping or clubbing haha. Book online thru their website, $15/30min slots times. Tables are assigned at random or you can pay an additional fee to choose. When you arrived within 5 minutes of your time slot, you'll get access to the door and it'll unlock via online portal button. Clean, easy street parking late night mid-week. Clean indoor, cameras everywhere so don't embarrass yourself doing something you know you shouldn't. Screen to keep score (button underneath your side of table to press). Replay buttons available if you want to see a replay of the point. There is merch, drinks and snacks you can scan QR code and pay for. Bathrooms on site, ball net picker-uppers so you don't have to bend over to grab the ping pong balls. Paddles on site, some are delaminating but I'm sure they'll glue them. Fun time, would come play again, amateur here but there was a group that looked like pros playing when we arrived.

We were looking for a late night activity and discovered PingPod!…read moreMost places are closed pretty early on Sundays but PingPod is open 24/7. There are no staff on site but they have camera surveillance. We booked online through their website & they allow you to book 30min sessions for $15. It's $30/hr and is the same price for 1-4 people. Once you book the session online, they grant you access to the facility ~5min before your session starts. To get in, it's just a button on the site and once you click it, it opens the door. They charge an additional $2-3 if you choose a specific table, so we just opted for random assignment and got Table 1. We just did 30 minutes and I felt like that was a good amount of time for us. I grew up having a ping pong table at home that I have still but it's been a while since playing & couldn't find any of the balls to play LOL. But anyways, this was super fun and I can see myself coming back if I'm feeling bored late at night. They also have drinks available in a fridge (extra fees) & can be purchased via QR code. Parking: Canal St has lots of meter parking available, especially at night. Free after 8pm & free all day on Sundays.

Deep Dive--"Atlantis Rising" Provides a Watery Challenge!…read more Hello, everyone! Christian Krenek, the Dauphin d'Escape Rooms, is back with another review! I first heard that PanIQ was opening a location in Boston back in September of 2021, and gathered some friends (all escape room and puzzling pros!) to head there in March of '22 for my birthday (and 35th room total!). We chose "Atlantis Rising," a deep-sea adventure. Your goal is twofold: make your way into the sunken city of Atlantis, and then recover whatever treasure you can find inside. The room design is top-notch, especially because the space is relatively small. The Atlantis section is particularly well-done, with mood lighting and mysterious underwater sounds. Our group did have a slight problem seeing some of the effects, which is intentional (it's murky in the sea!). It might help to bring along a flashlight! The best part of any escape room, though, is the puzzles, and PanIQ did NOT disappoint on that front. I was particularly impressed by the number of tactile puzzles in the room--lots of hands-on and interactive challenges. PanIQ also does a good job of making sure that there multiple puzzles to work on at once, thus avoiding bottlenecks and getting people stuck. It CAN be overwhelming--the room is a full sensory experience--but there are plenty of opportunities for breaks if you need them! My only advice to potential players: go with a small group. We had six adults ranging in size from small to large, and the room only holds seven--and speaking frankly, at times we felt the crunch! :p I think this room would be ideal for a group of three or four players, but we still had a blast with six, so don't let that discourage you. If you DO go with a big group, though, be ready to split up and tackle multiple challenges! All in all, our trip to the depths was a success (we escaped with 15 minutes to spare--that's 29 wins, 6 losses for me!), and we're excited to return to PanIQ to see what their remaining three games have in store. Until then, have fun, everyone!

We have done a lot of escape rooms, and I would probably put this in my bottom 5. Had several…read moreissues with it, but the biggest one is that the room is just really run down and is in dire need of a facelift. Here are some more details... - There are several "games" that you play during the hour, some that are very arbitrary and in no way relate to the scenario. When you finish and you receive the code to unlock whatever the next step is, you cannot go back. But there is nothing to write them down on, so if you don't remember the code which may only appear for a few seconds, you're screwed. - we were told explicitly to not manhandle anything in the room, which is a pretty standard rule for all escape rooms. However, there is one hook on the wall that you need to pull on fairly hard in order to open something. We intentionally did not pull on it because of the previous instructions. - once you find the hidden shoes, there should be some indicator to not mix them up with the other shoes because that wasted 10 minutes trying to figure out what the correct two shoes were that we needed to use. - in the final room there were lots of little boxes and distractors all around the walls that were nothing more than little wooden blocks. They looked very kindergarten and cheesy. - our game master was nice enough, but when we tried to call for a clue, we got no response. After about two minutes I went out to the lobby and she was standing there talking with a couple of people and asked if she could help me. I said yeah we're trying to get a clue and she said oh I'll be there in a minute. I understand that if you're understaffed, she has to spread herself thin, but that is wasting our money and our time. She's supposed to be dedicated to us for that hour. My final complaint is that this entire room seemed completely arbitrary and non-linear. It's like they tried to make a James Bond themed British escape room and just threw a bunch of random puzzles together. I would definitely not go back and recommend that you go elsewhere as well.

We stumbled across this place, and happy we did!…read more There are two floors of circus style mini golf with an arcade and a bar. Talk about the adult inner child dream! There is a very potent floral/rose scent in the building in tandem with the beautiful decorations, so beware of any allergies or irritants We purchased the golf and arcade combo which gave us access to either floor for mini golf and 30 minutes unlimited play in the arcade. I like the style of the arcade because you can win as many tickets as you want in that 30 minutes based on which games you play. However, your only prize is the claw machines with different size teddy bears, but I won!! Each try is 100 tickets and I had 15 tries in that 30 minute period with what I won. There is an area to buy memorabilia and other gifts but can't use the tickets there The mini golf is so fun!! We played for about 45 minutes while the caddie staff walked around and got your drink orders!! I got the midway margarita which had lavender pea blossom and rock candy and my wife a frozen margarita. I also got the classic spicy margarita. This place is 21 and older, so be prepared to show ID at the door

Unfortunately, our experience didn't live up to the hype. We spent the majority of our visit…read morewaiting around rather than actually playing mini golf, which made the outing feel more frustrating than fun. The ambiance was genuinely nice and offered a unique vibe compared to other mini golf spots in the area. Credit where it's due. However, the drinks were a major letdown. For Boston cocktail prices, we expected quality, but what we got tasted like watered-down juice. Hard to justify the cost. Great concept and atmosphere, but the slow pace and weak drinks left us wishing we'd gone somewhere else. Hoping they tighten things up, because the potential is there.

We live in neighboring Revere and have a 15 month old so needless to say, Boston Playground has…read morebeen a regular hang out for us while we brave colder days and someone needs to burn off energy. You go through the Family Dollar entrance but immediately take a right, to where you enter a whole different world. Having a little one, I have only done the "open play" which is very reasonable ($15 for the two of us, $18 if my husband joins) and we can stay as long as we like. The place is very clean, there are lots of options for different ages of kids, and plenty of space to run around. The staff has always been friendly and we have never had a bad experience there. My recommendation is to call first to make sure the big room isn't rented out for a party. Chances are during the week, you're gold. But it may not be open for a bit on Saturdays. Just call ahead. No big deal.

Nice place to take the kids out very clean and the staff so friendly…read more My son had really fan and I do recommend this place

On a recent trip to Boston I joined an advanced open play morning session which was fun! Really…read morecool space, unfortunately the bar/food was not open yet but everyone was very friendly.

Came here just for a trivia event but the pickleball courts looked cool (have only played…read morepickleball once or twice and stopped after almost twisting my ankle). Seems like a cool space to hang out with friends and eat some just-ok BBQ. We had a hard time finding the entrance and almost went through the emergency exit but just know that it's on C Street and the signs for PKL/Pig Beach are pretty inconspicuous and small. We tried a few things off the Pig Beach menu, none of which blew my socks off. Ordered a sampler platter of BBQ meats, my favorite of which was the cheese jalapeno sausage link. The rest of the proteins were either dry/lacking in flavor (brisket) or doused in some indeterminable sauce that overwhelmed everything else (pulled pork). The best thing I ate ended up being the crispy chicken that my husband added to his salad. I wish they brought back the nachos on the previous menu. Parking: Limited meter options so get here with some time to spare. We did a few circles around the block before we finally found a spot in front of the building.

I play pickleball and the open play here is totally unorganized and not friendly to beginner…read moreplayers.

I truly enjoy playing Pickleball at Bosse. The courts are well maintained and the price point is…read moreexcellent. There are ample opportunities for Open Play at various experience levels. The Open Play sessions are casual, yet competitive. I've met lots of folks who love to play the sport!!! We've become friendly as a result!!! I've taken a few "Skills Session with a Pro" and these sessions have helped me improve my game. Scott, Kenzie and Carter are professional in both their approach to the game of Pickleball as well as the way in which they treat their clients. I highly recommend Bosse Sports!!!

We had a fabulous experience here. The instructor was really good- a tall older man, so sorry…read moreforgot, I'm terrible with names. But he was so patient with me as I learned- gave tons of tips each time as to what I needed to correct, either in the step, keeping the axe straight, holding my elbows higher, etc. By the end I was hitting bulls eyes and getting other points. My favorite was playing to 21 points with my partner. My bf Frank P. Was way better, having come before with his friends, but sometimes I came close to beating him at 21. If it were head to head there was no way I'd win- once he kept getting back to back bulls eyes and got invited to join a league. Honesty, those seem like a great deal as well- I think it's a bit over $100 for 5 weeks of competitive play! Must be a nice way to make friends. There's drinks (we had some mighty squirrel sours that were tasty), and board games in back too if you want to keep the competitive juices flowing.

Fun time and a good place to throw axes. They also have darts and other games. There are also axe…read moreleagues you can join and the community is full of great people.