By Jacob Mathias

A national entertainment trend has sprouted another location in Stevens Point.

Breakpoint Escape Rooms, located inside the Antique Up store, is now open for reservations. Escape rooms are themed game rooms where participants are “locked in” for a set period of time and have search for clues and solve a series of puzzles in order to escape. Game masters monitor the room via camera and provide hints when needed.

Jaime White, owner of Antique Up and Breakpoint, said she was inspired to start the escape room business after trying one herself while on a business trip.

“I was hooked,” said White. “There really isn’t anything else like this that you can do.”

Breakpoint currently has one themed room, Immunity Quest, open for reservations. Participants find themselves on a deserted island and must work together to find the Token of Immunity and escape.

A pawn shop-themed room is in the works and is expected to be open by December. Visitors to this room have to solve puzzles in order to find a hawked laptop containing $2 million in stolen diamonds. More rooms are planned but no specifics are known.

The escape rooms provide alternative entertainment for birthdays or dates, according to Breakpoint manager Alex Tews.

“It’s new. It’s not the same-old, same-old,” he said. “It’s not dinner and a movie. It’s not going mini-golfing.”

The rooms also provide for good team-building exercises as well and Breakpoint is reaching out to businesses for retreat options.

“It has a really practical aspect but it’s also fun,” said manager Ashley Andrews. “You learn a lot about how people process things which can be translated into an everyday setting.”

Tickets for Breakpoint are $20 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under. Escape room reservations can be made online at pointescaperooms.com and by calling 715-204-1600.

Breakpoint Escape Rooms is located at 3256 Church St. above Antique Up.