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Downtown Harlan now features a brand-new option for folks looking to have a little fun while putting their mind to the test of figuring out a mystery with friends or family. Locked in Appalachia, downtown Harlan’s first escape room facility opened its doors with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday.

T.J. Jones, owner of Locked in Appalachia, shed some light on the experiences offered.

“We are what most people would think of as an escape room, but we’re more of an escape game,” Jones said. “It’s an interactive experience with puzzles and different mysteries.”

Jones explained the experience takes about an hour.

“Basically, you have 60 minutes to enter a room, solve a series of puzzles and riddles and escape the room,” Jones said. “We’re a little different than some escape rooms, where they lock you in a room. We don’t do that. We put you in an area and a scenario, and it’s your job to figure out the mystery and get out. So, we’re a little different, but it’s very similar.”

According to Jones, while this is downtown Harlan’s first escape room offering, he is not new to the concept.

“We have done several escape rooms,” Jones said. “We enjoyed them to the point that we really thought this would be a good idea. We did some research on what it would take to start one. We had some ideas we had been brewing pre-COVID. It’s something that’s been brewing for a little while. Once this location came along, we thought it would be a perfect fit.”

Jones pointed out there are two separate experiences offered.

“We have two different rooms, so we have two different scenarios,” Jones said. “Each one of them lasts an hour.”

Jones recommends having a group of four to six people to take part in the fun.

“We can accommodate a few more (people),” Jones said. “If a couple would like to come and do it – it’s going to be difficult – but it is something a couple could attempt to do. If they work well together, they should have some success. But our rooms are typically built for a team of four people.”

Locked in Appalachia will be open every Thursday through Sunday.

“We’re going to be open Thursday and Friday from 5 p.m. until 11 p.m., on Saturday we’ll be open from noon until 11 p.m., and on Sunday we’ll be open from noon until 8 p.m.,” Jones said.

City of Harlan Tourism Director Brandon Pennington attended the ribbon cutting.

“Across the nation, escape rooms are popping up,” Pennington said. “I think seeing businesses like this pop up that have entertainment value denotes the health of a downtown and shows we’re moving in the right direction. I think this is going to be something that adds to our tourism product.”

Pennington noted with all the options available, people can spend hours in the downtown area shopping, eating and enjoying entertainment which now includes Locked in Appalachia.

“We’re extremely excited to partner on initiatives to bring people downtown,” Pennington said.

While reservations are not required, they are encouraged.

For more information or to reserve a room, go to https://lockedinky.com or the Locked in Appalachia Facebook page.

Locked in Appalachia is located at 110 E. Central Street in downtown Harlan.