Hidden away in an abandoned factory on Jefferson Street in Portsmouth, Deadbolt Escape Rooms and Mysteries offers its customers an hour-long escape from reality in the form of intricate, exciting escape games. In an escape game, groups of players are “locked” in a room with a one-hour time limit and must use their wit and creativity to find clues to escape. Owners Stacey and Jerod Walker and Jon Ryan Tully have been operating Deadbolt since 2018.
Kady Wamsley has been working at Deadbolt for 4 ½ years. Currently, she is the general manager and marketing specialist.
“We have numerous 60-minute escape rooms with varying themes to challenge yourself with,” Wamsley explained. “The ‘mysteries’ part of our name comes from the time period when we used to do murder mysteries, which we ended when COVID-19 hit.”
Despite the road bumps caused by the pandemic, Deadbolt is still a unique, standout business in Portsmouth for many reasons.
“Deadbolt is the only escape room in Portsmouth and is an entertainment business that is intended for team bonding, challenging oneself and immersing in a one-of-a-kind experience,” Wamsley said.
Currently, Deadbolt offers four rooms, varying in difficulty. Rooms include “Castle Dracula,” “Camp Crystal Lake,” “The Collection” and “Precinct 740.” Wamsley said Deadbolt plans to open a Christmas room with a few different themes in discussion.
Recently, Deadbolt has updated its hours. The escape room is now open Fridays from 5 to 10:15 p.m., Saturdays from 12:30 to 10:15 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. Interested participants can book a room through the website at DeadboltEscape.com, which also contains information on all rooms, times available and difficulty levels. Deadbolt welcomes new faces and returning escapees, and always focuses on making sure everyone has a fun and welcoming experience.
