Entertainment complex opens in Charlotte with 30 room challenges, food and 12 taps

A new entertainment venue is opening in west Charlotte, bringing an escape from 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic to the Year 2095.

District 57, described as a “post-apocalyptic immersive entertainment complex,” opens at 5 p.m. Thursday in a 20,000-square-foot space on Alleghany Street, off Freedom Drive.

The brainchild of escape room Exit Strategy creators Mylene Labrie and Jelani Patterson, District 57’s “The Grid” is made up of 30 rooms with competitive, challenging mental and physical tasks to complete.

“It’s a build-your-own adventure gaming experience,” according to the owners.

The entire complex is built on the District 57 story, think “Hunger Games,” and this dystopian world down to the small details like newspapers with headlines about what’s happening in districts across the country and the world in 2095.

“There’s so much to see here in the lobby itself,” Patterson said.

The complex also offers food, drinks and arcade games.

“We are in the business of helping people create memories,” Labrie said. “We are providing locals and tourists a place to grab a bite, safely socialize, and play challenging and unique games while immersing themselves in an alternate reality.”

What’s ‘The Grid’?

Off a hallway are 30 rooms for teams of up to four people to choose from. Each room holds a different challenge that takes one or five minutes to complete. Teams have one smartwatch that unlocks each room and displays game stats and a countdown timer.

The Grid is different from a typical escape room, Labrie said, because the challenges in each room are faster and there aren’t themes. There also are no hints or clues.

“You’ll really need to rely on your own brainpower and physical finesse for these challenges,” Patterson said.

Labrie said The Grid is like a blend of the television shows “Survivor” or “Amazing Race” with tasks related to skill, some physical and others logic based.

Each room is custom built by the District 57 team with some as large as a one-car garage and others smaller. And the tasks they created could be challenges with a balance beam or stacking balls on a wall.

“The challenges are very challenging so we know some people will come back to get a better score,” Labrie said. “Teams need to rely on a variety of skills in order to conquer their competition.”

The cost to play The Grid starts at $15 for 30 minutes. But it’s free to visit the venue.

Inside District 57

District 57 also is a destination, the owners say, offering food and drinks, and of course games.

The fast, casual menu includes paninis, pizza and Labrie’s Canada home favorite poutine with curds from Brown Creek Creamery in Wadesboro.

There’s also a 12-tap self-serve bar with wine, cider and beer.

Arcade games include pool, Foosball, Atari pong table, 4-person Pac Man and SEGA Genesis Classics for Nintendo.

More games coming soon

The Grid and arcade games won’t be the only features.

Bordertown, a new generation laser tag concept, will open in the new year.

But it’s not a traditional game in District 57 either.

“There will likely be different puzzles to get access to tools to move forward,” Labrie said.

The next addition also opening next year will be Unknown, a sports simulator with over 40 games accessible by secret entry.

“For us the best reward is watching people having fun,” Labrie said, “especially in these stressful times, so they can have good memories and come back.”

COVID-19 safety

Labrie and Patterson said despite the COVID-19 pandemic, it is time to open.

They said there are social distancing floor markers and hand sanitizer throughout the building. A staff member will sanitize equipment in rooms between groups. For now, about seven teams will be allowed to play at one time. When it’s safe, that number will expand to about 20.

“People are craving entertainment that is safe and this is a huge space,” Labrie said. “The space is already in small pods so easy to have their own nook and spread apart naturally.”

Patterson said the building also has eight HVAC units and rooms with 26-foot high ceilings for good air flow and circulation.

From escape room to The Grid

Labrie and Patterson’s Exit Strategy was one of the country’s first escape rooms when it opened in 2014.

Players are locked in themed-designed rooms, like a bank heist or ancient ruins in a jungle, and have to use their wits and follow clues to get out within one hour.

They sold their two escape room locations — one in north Charlotte and the other in south Charlotte — with 12 themed rooms on Oct. 1, they said, to focus on their new endeavor.

“People truly enjoy the mentally challenging and hands-on experience of escape rooms, but now they expect more,” Patterson said. “District 57 takes this concept to an entirely new and unparalleled level that transports people to a futuristic world where they can escape their reality.”

This story was originally published November 12, 2020 at 6:00 AM.