A new small business joined the ranks of Wayne’s entertainment scene, this August. Wayne Escapes is the first escape room in the city, and its recent opening promises a new avenue for Wayne State College students to escape from hectic college life. 

Ryan Zoucha, owner and manager of Wayne Escapes, opened his business on Main Street, just before the start of the fall semester. The escape room marks 21-year-old Zoucha’s first venture into the world of business, a step which he credits to “a supportive family and a lot of internet research.” 

Escape rooms have become increasingly popular in larger Nebraska cities like Omaha and Lincoln, but are much more of a rare occurrence in more rural towns- a trait that Zoucha hopes will work in his favor. “Aside from a few exceptions, there’s not a whole lot for college students to do in Wayne. I figured this would be a great place to start a business,” Zoucha said. 

Currently, Wayne Escapes offers a single room, titled “Stolen Knowledge,” in which players have one hour to solve puzzles in order to escape from a professor’s study.  

“The room I have up now has a 40% success rate, and does require some skills that children might not learn until high school,” Zoucha said. “In the future, I plan to do more rooms that bring higher success rates, but still provide a fun challenge that people of all ages can do.” 

Zoucha is already searching for ways to improve Wayne Escapes. “Right now, the room I offer is very basic in terms of the technology used,” Zoucha said. “As time goes on, I hope to utilize more and more technology to create new and unique rooms.” 

Since the installation of his first room, Zoucha has also been working to expand his room offerings. “I’m in the process of adding a second room, but [I’m] not sure on the details yet,” Zoucha said. “My goal is for this one to provide a whole new experience from the first room.”  

Wayne Escapes is open on Thursdays and Fridays from 7-11:45 p.m., and on Saturdays from noon to 11 p.m. Walk-ins are accepted, but to ensure availability, reservations are also available on the Wayne Escapes’ website. The “Stolen Knowledge” escape room is recommended for a party of four for $60.