St Louis Escape
Overview
Expert Summary
Detailed Insights
St Louis Escape offers a highly-rated, unique blacklight miniature golf experience with creative puzzles and stunning visuals, coupled with a retro pinball arcade. It provides a challenging yet fun activity for families with older children and teens, often preferred over competitors for its distinct atmosphere and value.
Key Highlights
- ✓Miniature golf course features creative puzzles to shoot balls through, offering a challenging and unique experience.
- ✓Black light visuals are stunning, enhancing the themed environment (e.g., nostalgic murals).
- ✓Retro mini golf is highly regarded, with one reviewer calling it the 'best mini golf we have ever been too' and another ranking it second only to a Las Vegas attraction.
- ✓Good music selection and nostalgic murals contribute to an immersive atmosphere.
- ✓Pinball machines are available, providing an additional entertainment option (kids spent $10 in 30 minutes).
- ✓Staff were friendly and accommodating once inside, even extending escape room time.
- ✓Perceived as a better price and less 'crazy' than competitor Putt Shack.
Standout Features
- ⭐Highly creative and visually stunning blacklight miniature golf course.
- ⭐Availability of multiple pinball machines for additional entertainment.
- ⭐Challenging mini golf course that takes nearly an hour to complete.
- ⭐Convenient location off the highway with nearby amenities (Soulard market, residential buildings).
- ⭐Positive atmosphere with good music and nostalgic decor.
Perfect For
Ideal For
💡Pro Tips from Reviews
- →Book your mini golf round in advance and consider opting for an early time (e.g., 12:15 PM) to avoid crowds.
- →Allow extra time for arrival, as doors may be locked initially even for bookings; be prepared for a potentially delayed entry.
- →Be prepared for many stairs (narrow and steep) to reach the mini golf area, which can be challenging, especially in wet weather.
- →Consider a 30-minute buffer between activities (e.g., escape room and mini golf) to allow time for arcade games or breaks.
- →If stairs are an issue for anyone in your party, this venue might present a significant challenge.
- →If doing an escape room, friendly staff might allow extra time if no one is booked immediately after.
Things to Consider
- ⚠Numerous stairs to access the mini golf course, described as 'a lot of stairs', 'nightmare', 'very narrow and steep', especially when wet.
- ⚠Initial arrival experience can be confusing and frustrating, with doors locked even for booked appointments and staff not acknowledging waiting guests.
- ⚠Can get crowded later in the day, potentially reducing enjoyment (reviewer recommended coming when it's slow).
- ⚠No specific mention of facilities for very young children, suggesting it may be less suitable for toddlers/preschoolers.
Price & Value
Reviews indicate a 'much better price' than competitor Putt Shack, suggesting good value for the unique experience offered. No specific pricing was mentioned, but parents found the cost reasonable for the entertainment provided (e.g., family of 4 did escape room and mini golf, plus $10 in pinball).
♿Accessibility & Special Needs
- •Significant accessibility concern due to 'a lot of stairs' which are described as 'narrow and steep' to access the mini golf.
- •No other accessibility accommodations were mentioned in the reviews.
🍎Food & Drink Policy
- •Not explicitly mentioned. Review 5 indicated children spending ~$10 in the pinball room, suggesting arcade-style snacks/drinks might be available for purchase there, but no details on outside food/drink policy.
🚗Parking Info
- •Pay parking is available nearby.
- •Conveniently located off the highway.
- •Situated next to residential buildings and the Soulard market, in an area perceived as safe.
👥Crowd Levels
- •Quiet and less crowded during early times (e.g., 12:15 PM on a Saturday).
- •Becomes significantly more crowded later in the day on weekends, which can detract from the experience.
🛡️Safety Features
- •Area felt safe according to one reviewer.
- •Initial locked doors, while frustrating for entry, suggest controlled access to the facility.
⏰When to Avoid
- • Weekend afternoons or later in the day if you prefer a less crowded experience.
- • If any family members have mobility issues or difficulty with numerous steep stairs.
- • If you have very young children (toddlers/preschoolers) who might not enjoy or be able to navigate the course/stairs.
Pricing/Package/Events
Pricing & Packages
Haunted Mansion Escape
Duration: 60 minutes
Type: haunted mansion, Fear Factor: high, Difficulty: medium, Escape rate: 65%, Number of rooms: 4, Square footage: 650 sq ft
Adventure Escape (Created 2019)
Duration: 60 minutes
Type: adventure, Fear Factor: low (adventure), Difficulty: medium, Escape Rate: 69%, Number of rooms: 3, Square footage: 500 sq ft
Horror Escape (Created 2017)
Duration: 60 minutes
Type: horror, Fear Factor: medium/high, Difficulty: medium, Escape Rate: 68%, Number of rooms: 6, Square footage: 1000 sq ft
Horror Escape (Created 2020)
Duration: 60 minutes
Type: horror, Fear Factor: medium, Difficulty: medium/hard, Escape Rate: 59%, Number of rooms: 5, Square footage: 1000 sq ft
Horror Escape (Created 2021)
Duration: 60 minutes
Type: horror, Fear Factor: medium, Difficulty: hard, Escape Rate: 41%, Number of rooms: 2, Square footage: 500 sq ft
Adventure Escape (Created 2023)
Duration: 60 minutes
Type: adventure, Fear Factor: low/medium, Difficulty: medium, Escape Rate: 81%, Number of rooms: 3, Square footage: 550 sq ft
Family Adventure Escape (Created 2020)
Duration: 60 minutes
Type: family adventure, Fear Factor: low/medium, Difficulty: medium, Escape Rate: 83%, Number of rooms: 3, Square footage: 650 sq ft
Science Fiction Escape (Created 2025)
Duration: 60 minutes
Type: science fiction, Fear Factor: MEDIUM, Difficulty: HARD, Escape Rate: 40%, Number of rooms: 3, Square footage: 400 sq ft
Blacklight Mini Golf
Type: blacklight mini golf, Theme: retro 1980s, Difficulty: medium
Includes:
- •18 holes
Events & Schedule
Special Events(Last 2 months - Next 6 months)
Private/Corporate Events
🛡️Safety Policy
- • Players are warned that you play at your own risk. We are not responsible for injuries. Do not climb on anything or force anything open.
📅Booking Policy
- • All rooms are now private.
- • Guests can add additional players on the day of game with a credit card at our reception desk.
- • We accept walk-ins but prefer advanced bookings.
- • Escape room players please show up for your booking 15 minutes prior to your scheduled time.
- • Golfers shouldn’t show up until the exact time of their booking.
What People Say
What's Great
- Fun and entertaining activities (mentioned in 2 reviews)
- Great for birthday parties (mentioned in 2 reviews)
- Spacious play areas (mentioned in 5 reviews)
Areas for Improvement
- Parking can be challenging (mentioned in 2 reviews)
Recent Reviews
Dan Blakeslee
3 months agoWe came here for a birthday celebration and it was awesome. In my opinion, this was maybe the second best miniature golf course I've been on, with the first being Twilight Zone in Las Vegas. It has a wonderful assortment of creative puzzles for you to shoot your ball through and the black light visuals are stunning. I didn't do the escape rooms, so I can't speak to those, but this place is awesome for a chill night of recreation.
Kimberly Rupert
4 months agoWe (2 adults & 2 teens) had a great time today at the retro mini golf course. One thing to know, is there is a lot of stairs to get to the mini golf. Best mini golf we have ever been too. We will definitely be back.
Leigh Mills
3 months agoOn a cold Saturday, we decided to check this place out. There is pay parking nearby and it is conveniently off the highway. It's next to residential buildings and the Soulard market. I felt safe in this area. We booked a round of mini golf the day before and opted for an early time - 12:15. We were only the second group playing, at the time and it was nice. There's a ton of pinball machines where which we will need to check out on a different visit. The course overall is challenging and very unique. We had a blast and took nearly an hour. By the time we left, there were a ton of people coming in, which wouldn't have been as enjoyable, so I recommend coming when it's slow!
kellie Keller
5 months agoLoved it so unique, old school fun. We went to the putt shack and was very disappointed but this place made up for it big time. Lots of room lots of courses. It isn't fancy but that's what makes it even more fun. Only gave it 4 because the stairs are a nightmare. Especially when it's raining they're very narrow and steep.
Libby Brown
4 months agoOur family of 4 had a good time doing an escape room and then a round of mini golf. We gave ourselves a buffer of 30 minutes in between, which was the perfect amount of time for our kids to go thru about $10 in the pinball room. The golf has great music and nostalgic murals that look cool in the black lights. I enjoyed golfing here more than Putt Shack - way less crazy and a much better price. My reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is because of our experience upon arrival. We got there 15 minutes early for our 2:05 start time to allow time to get inside, registered, and lock our stuff up. The doors to the facility were locked and the sign on the door said they were closed on Mondays unless they had a booking. Five minutes or so went by and another family walked up. We tried calling the number and no one answered. My youngest started to get upset (this was a gift for him) and my husband and I started to think we had gotten scammed. Then, two people walked by and unlocked the door and went inside, without acknowledging any of us standing outside. A simple, "Sorry folks, come on up and we'll get you going" would have gone a long way in smoothing the initial impression we had. Once things got up and running, we had a good time. The workers were really friendly and even let us go beyond our hour time limit since there was no one booked right after us in the escape room. We will probably be back.