Grand Rapids: Mi Oz Escape- Pre-game Apple Barrel Donut Run
Every Saturday Adventure must be started out right! Today we ran to grab donuts before we headed off to GR! And my cup was filled with Crio Bru, and yes pumpkin spice obvi, and zero sugar pumpkin spice creamer. Because it might be 80 plus degrees out, but this girl is ready for PUMPKIN SPICE SEASON! Yes, I said it folks, its not fall in this house, it is PUMPKIN SPICE SEASON! Practically a holiday in my eyes…lol!
Grand Rapids Mi: Oz Escape– We are off to see the Wizard, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Grand Rapids Mi: Oz Escape provides you with virtual entertainment as you walk through the downtown area of GR. The game provides for 2-6 players, and you log into one phone as it gives you clues, puzzles to solve, fun facts. The goal is to help Dorothy return to Kansas, and all the characters get back to the Wizard of OZ. The wicked witch is playing games and keeping them from escaping the real world. It is the job of the players to help them.
This is a fun way to spend a couple of hours on a Saturday. There were 4 of us, all ranging in our 50’s that took off to play the game. The weather was perfect, at time a little too hot. But overall, the weather was wonderful. We had a good time solving the puzzles and seeing the sights of downtown GR.
Grand Rapids Mi: Oz Escape– Fun in the downtown
From the beginning we were excited to see people in costumes and were hopeful that it would be a fun day. The downtown area is always exciting, there is always something going on at the Van Andel arena. On this particular day families were out and about seeing the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks. Needless to say, the downtown area was very busy. But that did not stop us from having fun! We started off down by the Van Andel arena, where we started the app, and it took us on our adventure!
Grand Rapids Mi: Oz Escape– People in Costumes and downtown businesses
Along our way, there were groups of people dressed in character and really getting into the cos play of it all. Everyone was friendly and helpful.
I am sure that the downtown businesses enjoyed the extra traffic, and we definitely need to give a huge thanks to Insomnia Cookies for allowing us to use their restroom.
Grand Rapids Mi: Oz Escape– Final thoughts
If I were to say that this was an “awesome” I would be exaggerating. This was slightly disappointing as we thought the clues and puzzles would have been based on the wizard of oz, and not just random puzzles. We were not able to take the phone we were using into downtown shops, so that was disappointing as we felt had they enlisted the businesses in the game, the businesses could have had more interaction with the players and even made some sales. However, it was a lovely day with friends, and of course the fun did not stop after we left the downtown area, we worked up a good appetite and decided to go grab dinner at the Cantina.
The downtown area of GR has some great shops, vintage stores, restaurants. It just needed to be more human interactive in our opinion. But then again, our group was slightly older than some of the other groups, so that could have been a factor. For young people that do not want a lot of human interaction, this could be a good way to spend a Saturday. Stay tuned as we show the Cantina next…it is one of our favorite places to visit in GR.
Grand Rapids Mi: Oz Escape– Dinner at Cantina
After a couple of hours out in the heat, we headed over to Cantina off of Paris, not too far from 28th street. This is one of our favorite Mexican restaurants to go to. The food is amazing, the decor is fun, and it feels like a real experience. Which when we travel, we aren’t just looking for great food, we want a great dining experience too!
Grand Rapids Mi: Oz Escape– Dinner at Cantina– The Food!
If you love the atmosphere, you will adore the friendly staff, the bean dip station, and the wonderful menu! Overall, we had a great day with friends!
[…] Grand Rapids Mi: Oz Escape […]