Getting an opportunity to visit Buckingham Palace is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most folks. This summer, some lucky visitors will get the chance to participate in a special escape room there. The escape room has been set up in the Queen's very own art gallery. That means while Queen Elizabeth gets some R&R in Balmoral and the rest of the royals enjoy their summer vacation, Buckingham Palace will host a Leonardo da Vinci-themed escape room in the Queen's gallery.
An exhibit has been set up in Buckingham Palace to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Leonardo's death. The exhibit, called "Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in Drawing," features over 200 original hand-drawn works of art that tell the story of his life, death, and legacy. The escape room is a tie-in to the exhibit. It's called "Escape Room: Leonardo Artmergency." You don't need to be an art history buff to figure out the clues in this room. The room allows groups of four to eight players to find clues in the drawings.
July is upon us. Across the pond, Queen Elizabeth is finishing up her final few obligations before heading to Scotland for the summer. She vacations at Balmoral Castle in Scotland from July through October.
While the Queen is away, the public is granted increased access to certain areas of Buckingham Palace. This year, visitors will have some special opportunities available to them.
Buckingham Palace is hosting an art exhibit to celebrate Leonardo da Vinci on the 500th anniversary of his death. The exhibit is called "Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in Drawing." It previously traveled around different locations in the UK before arriving at Buckingham Palace.
The exhibit features 200 hand-drawn works that will tell the story of the artist's life and legacy. That's the largest exhibition of Leonardo's work in 65 years and features two never-before-seen pieces of his work.
The pieces featured in the exhibit touch on the multitude of areas that the artist worked on throughout his life, "including painting, sculpture, architecture, anatomy, engineering, cartography, geology and botany," according to the Royal Collection Trust.
The exhibition arrived at Buckingham Palace in late May. It will call the Queen's Gallery home through mid-October. From there, it will head to Holyrood House in Edinburgh, where it will be from November through March.
A special activity will also be featured at the Queen's Gallery as a tie-in to the exhibit. It's called "Escape Room: Leonardo Artmergency!" It's an escape room for groups of four to eight participants.
The pop-up escape room was created as a collaboration with History Mystery. The company creates immersive escape room experiences in historically rich locations throughout the UK, such as the Blickling Parish Church in Norfolk.
If you're not exactly an art history buff, don't worry. Everything you need to escape the room is right there in front of you. All you need is a sharp eye and some critical thinking skills to help you crack the case and get out before the hour is through.
As a participant, you'll be solving the mystery of the missing curator. The Queen's Gallery is transformed into four rooms full of clues, puzzles, and riddles that can be found in Leonardo's exhibited works.
Participants in the escape room must be at least 14 years of age. An adult must be present with groups that contain players under the age of 16 because of "the complexity of the puzzles and the immersive setting," according to the Royal Collection Trust website.
The one-of-a-kind escape room experience costs £150 (about $189) per team. That cost is in addition to the cost of entry for the exhibit, which ranges from £6.70 to £13.50 (about $8.40 to $17) depending on the makeup of your group.
The escape room is available every Friday and Saturday, but spots fill up fast. You'll want to make a reservation in advance since there are only four or five available times each day. Because reservations are made for full teams only, it'll be you and your group alone enjoying the experience.
We have a feeling it's going to be a tough time reserving those spots. Still, it's certainly worth it to try for such an exclusive and intimate experience in one of the most iconic and historic buildings that exist today.
