4 San Diego Adventurous Activities

Escape-Room-Style Adventures

Looking for an adventure in San Diego similar to Escape Rooms? Escape rooms throughout North America, Asia, Europe, Russia, and New Zealand share some common elements. In essence, it is a timed, physical puzzle that may or may not involve storytelling. The puzzles require strategy, cooperation, and hints to escape, and they are based on the video game genre “escape-the-room.” Although not an exhaustive list, common locations of escape rooms are space stations, prison cells, dungeons, laboratories, and shipwrecks. Because of similarities, the escape room demographic usually includes people who enjoy interactive team problem-solving in a creative, meaningful environment full of symbols and mystery. Here are additional San Diego activities (in no particular order) that might interest the average escape room player:

  1.   Murder Mystery Scavenger Hunt

While most scavenger hunts in San Diego appeal to children, Murder Mystery Scavenger Hunt contains clue-based games and hunts that are specially designed to be challenging for adults. It is far from run-of-the-mill passive walking tours. Instead, the scavenger hunt is a unique competition to identify a killer using detective skills while exploring beautiful locations such as Old Town San Diego, Newport Beach, Downtown Laguna Beach, or San Clemente. Armed with nothing but your wits, imagination, and team, you will compete with up to ten other teams scattered throughout the area in this “whodunnit?” remix. According to Yelp, even participants who did not identify the killer listed a 5-star entertained experience.

  1.   The Haunted Trail Balboa Park

This thrilling outdoor experience boasts a venue too large for the ordinary haunted house. While the Haunted Trail is a mile long stretch at world-famous Balboa and does not necessarily require navigating physical puzzles, you will be required to carefully navigate mental obstacles like fear and anxiety. Who knows what awaits as you walk through the trail of gnarled oaks and twisted pines towards the abandoned bus and farmhouse? All we know for certain is that popular horror icons like Freddy, Pennywise, Leatherface, and Michael Myers will be there, as well as the Stranger Things house and upside down world.

  1.   Rock Climbing in Joshua Tree National Park

Chillino Rock Climbing Company offers the safety equipment and setting to privately rock climb in Joshua Tree National Park. You may bring an entire group on the expedition and take your escape-room problem-solving skills to the Mojave high desert! The national park hosts a variety of difficulty levels for climbing from beginner to advanced. The bouldering, steep faces, multi-pitch, and low angle slabs, as well as thousands of moderate crack, climbs embedded in the magnificent rocky landscape will surely have you thinking about your every next step.

  1.   Coin-Op Game Room

Want to satisfy your craving for action gameplay and camaraderie without the physical obstacle course? Check out San Diego’s first arcade bar located in North Park. The menu hosts American style burgers and finger-foods. Loosen up your gaming thumbs at the notable bar program that includes a rotating 20 craft beers and house cocktails. The Coin-Op game-room boasts dozens of games from current day to childhood classics. Yelp favorites include Streetfigher, Mariokart, and Galaga just to name a few!