A Madcap Romp Through Acadia? There's a Puzzle for That

Outdoor Escape Games Return with a Twist of Acadian Adventure

Carrie Jones

Jul 19, 2025

The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Choco-Latté Café.

BAR HARBOR—Professor Puzzles is back.

And he’s not just back, he’s better than ever.

A local man wishing only to be known as Professor Puzzles started an outdoor escape room business on Mount Desert Island last year that he calls an “Acadian adventure for your brain.” Now, he’s updated it and improved it, too.

Professor Puzzles said last year that he started the company for a couple of reasons.

“I’ve always felt that people should be playing in the national parks. That’s what they’re there for. I see people recreating there, sure; they hike and they bike and they birdwatch and all that. Which is great, don’t get me wrong. But I don’t remember the last time I saw adults out playing: yelling and laughing and being silly and screwing around,” he said. “Our national parks are the best places in the world for that. Or they should be. This is my effort to get people to play.”

One game, The Rum Runner’s Rouse, happens entirely on foot and takes about an hour. Three other games are best played on E-bikes.

For the Rum Runner’s Rouse, it’s made so that you can play any time at all, day or night, even in winter.

It’s zany. It’s collaborative. It gets you out of the house. And, it might just get you a little bit closer to your friends or family.

The narrative created by Professor Puzzles is just as fun as the game.

A sneak peek of one begins, “It is 1927. The height of the Roaring 20s and prohibition. Public enemies are robbing banks with Tommy guns weekly . . . .”

“For this game, players have to solve the puzzles in time to avoid ‘arrest’ and make it to a really swell party.”

Each game takes Professor Puzzles approximately 6-8 months to design.

According to an article on WhatNerd by Joel Lee, “escape rooms present a kind of tangible test of one's mental acuity that you won't find elsewhere.”

Escape rooms—even when the room is outside—require deduction, teamwork, and creativity as players solve a puzzle.

There are clues, goofy penalties, and sleuthing involved for Professor Puzzles’ adventures.

As they journey from point to point, players are encouraged to talk and think in ways that they might not normally.

To access the game, players head to the website, download a pdf, and are encouraged to save that pdf in case they lose cellular service, which is a constant threat on some parts of Mount Desert Island.

The games are a combination of goofy and clever. There is a final cipher that the clues lead to.

Each game is a different experience for each player, but overall, there are some things that he’d like people playing them to come away with.

“I’d really like it to be something people remember forever about their trip here,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of traveling, and I’m sad to realize how quickly memory fades as the years go by. I like to believe that a madcap day of romping around the magic forest with your friends will stick with a person as the decades roll by.“

They’ll come away with memories, that’s for sure, and they’ll come away with a bit of playful, collaborative fun. It’s hard to think of anything better than that.

SOME FACTS FROM THE WEBSITE:

“Gameplay requires a cell phone, and your downloaded game file.

“Bike Games take place on the Carriage roads, and while each game has a unique route, each bike game ends in the same place it began, so you won’t get stuck somewhere at the end. I have a game near each bike rental company I know of, for your convenience. If you are renting a bike at Acadia Outdoor Center in Seal Harbor, you’ll want the Jordan Pond game. If you are renting from Hulls Cove, you’ll want the Hull’s Cove game. If you are renting a bike on cottage street in downtown bar harbor, you’ll likely want the Duck Brook game.

”Car Games have different start points than end points. Where you will end up is a mystery. I don’t even know anymore. You will be staying on Mount Desert Island, unless otherwise specified in the game description. (click on the picture associated with your game to see the full description.)

”Hiking/Walking Games start in various places, accessible by various means. Some games are entirely based around a single large location. Some games require you to walk from place to place. You may be instructed to get to a specific trailhead, or you may be given a puzzle to work out your starting location. Overall hiking distance and difficulty will be provided in each game’s description, prior to purchase. (click on the picture associated with your game to see the full description.)”