Hidden Barn Escape - Milan, Illinois

Jenny Covert

We have done over 60 escape rooms in various states across the US, and unfortunately this was not so great. We made our own fun with our friends, but frankly I was embarrassed that I had made the reservation for our group, given the state of the place when we walked in. It's a cute building on the outside, our receptionist / game master was very friendly, and some of the puzzles were unique (hence two stars instead of one). However, The state of the building on the inside is in serious disrepair. There are floor tiles missing, there are holes in the walls, the props and puzzle pieces are super basic and several of them were broken or falling apart. One of the locks was just duct taped to the wall. I honestly would have been embarrassed if I had created this room in this space. ⁷ It looked like they ordered a kit for a kids' birthday party escape room and put that in the space. That is not a $30 experience. I paid $20 the next day at another location in the same town and got a lot better production quality! Also be aware, the way you get clues is by asking on a walkie-talkie which is unique and seems fun but we couldn't understand what she was saying on the other end so that was a bummer. Please note, at this facility they will have you place your phones in a box that they will lock up for you while you play the game. I've only encountered this a few times where you have to put your phones in a locker of some sort (95% of places just tell you not to use your phones to Google stuff or take pictures ) so if you're not comfortable with this, just leave your phone in your car. I'm glad I had mine after the game so I could have her take a picture on my phone and didn't have to go hunting for it on Facebook. Side note to the facility owners, please provide a larger table for folks to place their puzzle pieces on and work on during the game (we played Interrogation). Also, most photo props that people use at the end of the game have to do with the theme of the game. These props were just the kind you would use if you're having a photo booth at a party. They were completely random. Again we made our own fun with our friends but not worth $30.

Tim D'Avis

Wish I could say we had a great time, but all we did was lose money.

My wife booked a same-day escape and put down a deposit but never received a confirmation that the booking was on. The deposit cleared the bank a few days later so my wife asked for a refund. After three weeks and a few emails, the owner responded that deposits were non-refundable and didn't make any effort to re-book or solve the problem another way. Buyer beware.

Connie West

I came here with my boyfriend last month for my birthday and had a lovely time. This was only our second escape room ever, but the owner was super nice and helpful. We did the jail cell room. The puzzles were challenging, and we had a blast! Definitely recommend!

Rosa Kennedy

We had a GREAT first time experience at the Hidden Barn Escape LLC

My son is a HUGE The Office fan and was a great asset, but the riddles are definetely well thought out and can be solved with just attention to detail... we worked together (like never before) to solve the clues and had a FANTASTIC time!

Thanks for the reccomendations and l agree is a 5-star attraction, we will look forward to checknout on our next visit!

I also appreciate accommodating us to bring our younger daughter who wasn’t playing & needed to tag along!

Grace W

We had a lovely time! It was very fun and the person working was so kind and gave us helpful hints when our brains couldn’t find the clues. Would definitely go back and try the other room!

Laurie Zuponeck

We were early to our reservation but they still fit us in. And allowed us to do a different room. It was super cute and fun. We did the room based off the game clue. Lovely girl at the desk and who runs the games. Definitely will return

Khrysta Beaird

Booked "The Escape" (AKA hardest room for this business) on the website, for a group of 7 experienced players for my birthday. Showed up and was told we had signed up for Clue (AKA the easiest room). When I said that I had the booking confirmation that said I had booked and paid for The Escape, I was told "Well, we have Clue set up." No apologies, no offers to set up the other room. For $30 a ticket, I would expect the booking system to be accurate.

We finished the room, the last two puzzles did not make sense, so we had to ask for a clue. We were walked through how to finish the room instead of being given a single clue and the opportunity to work through the rest of the experience.

Additionally, three players hit their heads on the low hanging light, and two others tripped (but did not fall) on tiles that were broken away. At the end, when we asked to take a group photo with one of our phones instead of just the game master's phone, we were told it "would be on the website to grab." The image is blurry and you cannot see the props clearly.

Dj Powell

So I have to be honest, in my opinion, the $25 we spent per person was not worth it. We did the clue escape room. Speaking of this room specifically, it was not great. We have been to over 10 escape rooms in Chicago and Iowa and this one was the worst. Clearly the money they’ve made hasn’t gone towards this room itself. It was fun but not really interesting or interactive. There’s no secret unlockable hatches, no speaker system and no world building. It felt like they took a bunch of their kids toys and turned it into an escape room in the barn attic. The low hanging light is a guaranteed hazard to hit your head on. I don’t know how it’s possible they have so many 5 star reviews, it is possible that the other rooms are cooler than this one? I would’ve asked for my money back but I do like supporting small businesses but I can’t go as far as to lie and say it was impressive. I wish the company luck but you can do more.