Our Story
After experiencing one of the first escape rooms in the U.S., owners Arwen and Jason Pond, who both came from careers in technology, became excited about this new genre of entertainment. Going from enthusiasts to entrepreneurs, they opened the first Golden Puzzle Room location in 2016 with The Nightingale, Rocky Mountain Zephyr, and First Mission. The Ponds built the rooms from scratch and developed all of the puzzles themselves. By 2018, business was booming. The Gambit Room was acquired and added to the company, The Lighthouse and Strike It Rich opened, and the business expanded to two locations: Lakewood and historic downtown Golden.
2020 was not a great year. In March, the COVID-19 pandemic forced both locations into lockdown for several months. The Ponds quickly adapted and released two play-at-home games, Venom and Aliens, which were hugely successful. By January 2021, a decline in business forced the closure of the Lakewood location, and the rooms were put into storage. In July, a new 7,000-square-foot facility in Lakewood was secured, and by October, Golden Puzzle Room had sadly left its namesake city to focus all its efforts on the new location.
Every cloud has a silver lining. The new facility offered many amenities: its own parking lot, restrooms, workshop, kitchen, control room, party room, lobby, and enough space for all the escape rooms—with room to expand. In 2022, Puzzle Pirates opened as the new kids' room. In 2023, Get Out Escapes was acquired and added to the company. In 2025, Back to the Diner opened and quickly became one of our most popular rooms. Today, work continues as new escape rooms are developed and added.
For more than a decade, the mission of Golden Puzzle Room has been to create unforgettable memories through immersive storytelling and interactive gameplay. What started as a passion for puzzles has grown into a beloved destination for those seeking excitement and adventure in the Denver area.