And it has been hiding, not so subtly, under the noses of Wildwood boardwalk visitors since the beginning of last summer, and, it’s only gotten bigger and better. We’re talking about the kind of experience that looks really cool – and then actually turns out to be as cool as it looks. Of course, I’m talking about Cloak and Dagger’s escape rooms on the boardwalk, their blaster based dark ride, and now AXE THROWING! These guys just don’t stop bringing the cool to the boardwalk! Speaking of cool – they are air conditioned!
Let’s get to the details, shall we?
First of all, if you’ve done escape rooms in the past, you probably know that not all escape rooms are created equal. We’ve visited some, like Cloak and Dagger’s escape rooms, that were amazing. Meanwhile, Kalahari Resorts’ escape rooms prove that technology alone is not enough to keep an escape room from being terrible. While Kalahari’s escape room gives new meaning to the phrase, “all sizzle, no steak,” Cloak and Dagger’s Wildwood location proves that a 30 minute escape room can be high tech, super fun, and challenging. This is no small feat – many have tried and failed. With three rooms to choose from, we decided to tackle The Knight room, which is set in a castle. I’m obviously not going to tell you anything about the room, because that would ruin your experience. I will say, it was amazing. There isn’t an age limit, but, if you have kids that are 8+, who have been asking to try an escape room, this is the way to go! At 30 minutes, it’s not going to suck up your entire day, and, you get a break from the baking heat of summer. The sun is much more enjoyable when you’ve gotten some intermittent breaks from it. A few tips:
- They accept walk ups, but, booking online secures your spot – the place is popular – and for good reason.
- Don’t be afraid of going into the room with another group. I hate doing things with strangers, but, doing an escape room with strangers is oddly enjoyable.
- If you really can’t stand going with strangers, just book the whole room. The rooms have a max of 8 people. So, at under $14/pp it will cost you just under $112 for 30 minutes of entertainment on the boardwalk. It costs almost $112 to watch the school of rock kids play music for 30 minutes on the boardwalk. Just kidding – the School of Rock show is free.
- If it’s raining, this is a great option. If it’s hot, this is a great option. If it’s perfect out, this is a great option. You see where I’m going with this?
Let’s shoot some blasters!
While we were waiting for our escape room, we hit the dark ride. I have avoided these things for years because… well, because they used to be so lame. Man… technology has kicked it up a notch over the past few years, and, this is the kind of dark ride that stays at the cutting edge of technology. They result is that the ride can make you feel like your falling, flying, or sinking in the sea, without making you feel motion sick. The other nice thing is that they have a dark ride for whatever intensity you are looking for. Due to the awesomeness of each scenario, we ended up doing every single one (we probably would have tried this with the escape rooms, too, but, they were booked and there was ice cream to be eaten). Having done each of the four games (zombies, werewolves, wild west, and alien robot things), I can say that, even if you have little kids, there’s a game for them (it’s the wild west game). There’s no blood, no gore, and somehow, the werewolves and the zombies will still make you jump out of your skin. It’s pretty awesome.
Why would you want to throw axes?!
Honestly, I have no explanation – I just know that it’s really freaking fun, incredibly challenging, and oddly addictive. This one comes with a caveat, though. With a parent or a guardian, it’s 13+. Otherwise, it’s 18+. So, let dad take the little ones for a coconut and a smoothie from the awesome smoothie place nearby, and mom and the big kids can throw some axes! Or, you know, whatever works for your family.
This is a win-win, which is something you can’t usually say on the boardwalk.
Usually, money spent on boardwalk entertainment is wasted on (mostly) vain attempts at winning cheap prizes that you don’t actually want. This is the exception to that rule. Everything these guys offer amounts to an experience with family and friends that will last far longer than that cheap stuffed rainbow llama – and that’s if you even win the stupid thing. If you want a new experience, you typically need to go somewhere new, sacrificing the trip to that old favorite destination. Not this time – As long as your definition of summer includes the NJ beach and boardwalk scene, then we just gave you the chance to have your Kohr Bros ice cream, and eat it to, my friend! Enjoy your summer!
Family Road Trip 