For more than a decade, Escape Maze in Peterborough County has been offering an ever-expanding list of indoor and outdoor fun activities for groups of all kinds — families, friends, co-workers, and more — on the Preddy family farm in the Township of Otonabee-South Monaghan, while also supporting local businesses.
In 2014, inspired by the growing popularity of escape rooms (physical adventure games where a team of players solves a series of puzzles and riddles to get out of a room before the clock runs out), Jake Walling, Fred Preddy, Mike Preddy, Wilma Preddy, and Mike Walling opened Escape Maze on the 129-acre farm beside the Otonabee River, which has provided the family with plenty of space to continue to find new ways to bring fun to locals and visitors alike.
Today, Escape Maze offers six escape rooms, four escape trails, seasonal outdoor escape haunts, cabin and tent camping on the shoreline, outdoor laser tag, and — new for 2025 — disc golf. The fun amenities can be booked for family reunions, team-building events, parties, weddings, and other private functions.
During the pandemic, Escape Maze offered “escape drives” as a way to keep the business running despite lockdowns. Since then, Escape Maze has hosted similar events that encourage participants to explore the area and support other local businesses.
One event required participants to visit up to 10 local businesses in Otonabee-South Monaghan — including Rolling Grape Vineyard, Doo Doo’s Bakery, and Elmhirst’s Resort — to collect clues that would help them solve a mystery. In 2024, a game took place across downtown Peterborough and involved various businesses including Boardwalk Board Game Lounge, The Avant-Garden Shop, and Peterborough Axe Club.
“Customers tell us that one of the most fun parts was going into different businesses they would never go into normally and seeing how they participated in the game,” Jake says.
Escape Maze also uses their expertise to craft creative and adventurous mazes for other local businesses, including an outdoor maze at Pine Vista Resort in Douro-Dummer, an outdoor alpaca-themed escape maze for Wanderlight Alpaca Experience in Lakefield in Douro-Dummer, and an outdoor maze at Elmhirst’s Resort in Keene inspired by local history.
As for their own escape rooms, Escape Maze often shops at the ReStores operated by Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region for new furniture and props which, in turn, gives back to the community as sales at ReStores support affordable homeownership projects.
With so many offerings and activities available on site, Escape Maze not only employs six members of the Walling and Preddy families, but has an additional full-time employee, five part-time employees, and, during the fall, 25 seasonal employees.
Given the many options for team-building games at Escape Maze, many local businesses and organizations have participated in events and activities on the farm, including Showplace Performance Centre, Weed Man Peterborough & Kawartha Lakes, Century 21 United Realty Inc., Peterborough and Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce, Lang Pioneer Village, Bennett’s Furniture and Mattresses, and many more.
Escape Maze is located at 156 Cedar Bank Road, off County Road 21 just five kilometres south of the City of Peterborough. To book an activity, visit escapemaze.com or call 705-740-3657.
The Local Advantage in Peterborough County is a branded editorial feature series about locally owned independent businesses in Peterborough County, created in partnership with Peterborough County’s Economic Development & Tourism Division.
As part of its response to the impact of U.S. tariffs, Peterborough County is showcasing the many unique businesses located in the county, both by sharing their stories of success and how they support both residents and other businesses in their communities.
Whether by shopping at local businesses, dining at local restaurants, staying at local accommodation, or enjoying local experiences, residents and visitors can enhance the economic resilience of Peterborough County during these challenging times and help establish a sustainable foundation for the future.
For more information about economic development and tourism in Peterborough County, visit www.ptbocounty.ca/ecdev and The Kawarthas Tourism at thekawarthas.ca.
