By Emily Miller

REXBURG—The Museum of Rexburg had its biggest season ever, thanks in part to the extra traffic from the new Office Evacuation Escape Room. 

“We had a wonderful summer,” reported museum curator Alisha Tietjen to the Rexburg City Council. “The biggest summer we’ve ever had.”

In her end-of-season report to the Council earlier this month, Tietjen shared that the museum had attracted as many guests in one season as usually come in a whole year. 

“We had 1,586 admissions,” she said. “That’s usually what we get per year, and we got that in four months.”

Tietjen said the museum’s gift shop more than doubled average yearly sales during the four-month summer season, with popular items such as Teton Flood books selling out completely. 

The escape room opened in June and has attracted guests of all ages. 

“We were going to close it Labor Day, but it was so popular, we’re keeping it open until the end of October,” Tietjen said. “We’re hoping to have more night appointments now that the students are back.”

Tietjen said the response from the community was very positive. 

“It’s been a really fun experience,” she said. “We’ve had really good reviews. People have been really excited about it and we’ve had a lot of family groups come in. People who normally don’t come to the museum have been coming, and then they stay and they learn more about the Teton Dam and about our history.”

The Office Evacuation Escape Room is tentatively set to stay open through October 30, but may stay open longer, depending on demand. Visit the museum on Facebook or Instagram for the most up-to-date information.