Escape Room 60 is located in the Champlain Centre North mall in Plattsburgh. (Photo provided — Diane Chase)

We are always on the search for different ways to get out of the house and away from the TV and video games. My daughter recently commented on how it was so much easier before we had phones. Now we are Googling event times and researching activities, but even though we aren’t using the phone for gaming, it still manages to separate us. Nothing says phone-free together time like a stint in an escape room.

Ironically, the first escape rooms or puzzle rooms were actually based on video games where participants searched for clues to solve puzzles and riddles to move to the next level. Though I wasn’t able to find a clear history, since many locations claim to be the “original,” the earliest escape room that I found can be traced back to 2007 and Scrap Entertainment in Japan. Yes, 5W!ts Productions did start their live-action solutions based on their museum curated exhibits in 2004, but the concept isn’t quite the same as an escape room, with its puzzles and ciphers. Escape rooms have now spread across the globe, requiring participants to decipher riddles, signs and secrets before the time limit runs out.

My children and their friends participated in an escape room in Albany, with other options found in Queensbury, Troy and across the pond in Burlington, Vermont. Since November, Plattsburgh is the latest location to join the trend with Escape Room 60.

Two themed rooms are available at Escape Room 60, with more escape rooms being added in the next few months. With a full backstory to set the tone, “Taken” offers groups of two to eight the opportunity to escape the clutches of a serial kidnapper. Working as a team is necessary to solve the brain teasers before the kidnapper returns. “Pirate Plunder” has people cracking codes to gain access to buried treasure, all while the tide is rising and the secret trapdoor slams shut from behind.

My kids and their friends had to work together as a team searching for clues. Riddles led to answers that led to more questions until the time ran out. You are either lucky enough to finish the final clue within the hour and escape, or must wait for the resident key holder to take pity and let you out. Children under 13 years of age must be accompanied by an adult while no one under 6 years old is allowed to participate at this time.

Escape Room 60 is located in the Champlain Centre North, 60 Smithfield Blvd., Plattsburgh (across from Dick’s Sporting Goods in the mall). Call 877-4-60ESCAPE or check out “http://escaperoom60.com”>escaperoom60.com for more information. Admission is $25 for adults and $10 for children (under 10). “Area 51” and “Upstate Prison Break” are two themes that will be offered in the future. Enjoy!

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Diane Chase is the author of the Adirondack Family Time guidebook series. For more family fun activities, go to adirondackfamilytime.com.