In our 10th year, Great Escape Adventures is a family owned Friendly Local Game Store with 4 Community Locations, and an annual Board Game Convention and Geek Adventure Camp in Upstate, NY!
Thousands of items to choose from! Tabletop Board Games, Roleplaying Games, Collectible Card Games, Games Workshop, Dice, Paints, Gaming Accessories, Puzzles, Melissa & Doug, and so much more to be found at Great Escape Adventures! Comics & Escape Rooms *Arnot Only Currently* If we don't have it, we'll do our best to get it for you!
We are an annual fun-for-the-whole-family tabletop board game convention and geek adventure camp located in the very heart of the Finger Lakes in Upstate NY. In addition to tabletop games, LARP, and RPG’s, other activities include primitive woodcraft, axe throwing, climbing wall, finger lakes nature trails, wading creek, archery, miniature painting, crafts such as leatherworking, ceramics, and tie dye, disc golf, pickleball, corn hole, GaGa ball, table tennis, giant lego construction zone, basketball, volleyball, and more.
The Y at Watson Woods is a 400-acre family event and retreat center in New York’s stunning Southern Finger Lakes region. Corning, Watkins Glen, and Hammondsport are just minutes away, serving as the perfect places to enjoy Seneca Lake, Keuka Lake, Wineries & Cider Houses, Watkins Glen International Speedway, Watkins Glenn State Park, the Corning Museum of Glass, Corning’s Gaffer District world famous for glass blowing, and the natural beauty and rolling hills of the Southern Tier.
Join our Discord & Facebook Communities!
4 Community Locations in Upstate & Western, NY
Each GEA community location has its own Facebook. Please click below, and like and follow to stay connected:
Discord – Connect and chat with other players! Be sure to self assign roles for the store location and channels you wish to see.
Our tables are provided free of charge 7 days a week for all to come and enjoy their favorite game, or play one from our gaming library. Feel free to bring your lunch. Tables are first come, first serve.
Events – Join others for casual and “casually competitive” organized play in games catered to play with a community. Since each store varies, you can find a calendar for each location on the drop down above.
Escape Rooms
We have an ESCAPE ROOM at our Arnot Mall, Horseheads, NY, location.
Currently this is our only location, and the Mark Twain Escape Room is our most current escape room adventure. We are always working on something behind the scenes and have future dreams for more!
An ESCAPE ROOM is a fully immersive adventure game where groups of up to 8 people work together to interact with objects and clues to solve ciphers, riddles, and puzzles within a full size room or series of rooms.
The objective of the game is to attempt to solve the mystery and escape the room in under 60 minutes.
Have you ESCAPED lately?
Our Story
Great Escape Adventures is a family owned tabletop board game store with a passion for adventure and a heart for community. Today GEA has grown to 4 community locations across the Finger Lakes Region of Upstate and Western, NY, and has thousands of board games and accessories available.
Jen and I grew up in Horseheads and Corning, NY, and have 3 children. We went on a family “out west” vacation many years ago where we happened upon an escape room. At the time escape rooms were popular in Europe, but we had never heard of them. So we traveled an hour out of our way to play…having no idea of what to expect. We failed miserably that first time, but we had such a great experience that we couldn’t stop talking about it for the hour drive back to our hotel! Jen suggested we build one for our community, and a year after returning home we designed our first immersive escape room at the Arnot Mall!
Our whole family loves board games, so we added a board game “gift shop”, procured some tables for community play, and began to build a board game library.
We are so excited to be a part of offering something healthy and fun for the communities we grew up in. Many across the country have also shared with us that they do not have an FLGS near them, and they are thankful for GEA being their “local” game store. We are thankful for your support. Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of such a wonderful community of people.
We look forward to catching a game with you! ~ Ken, Jen, and family
WHAT IS THE COMMUNITY BOARD GAME NETWORK?
The Community Board Game Network is a not-for-profit humanitarian organization that utilizes board gaming, adventure, and creativity to add value to local communities. Check us out on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CommunityBoardgameNetwork
Community,
Geek Life,
Board Games,
and Adventure!
Our focus is to enable community connection in creative ways such as Board Game Conventions and meet-ups, Community Organized Play, “Live” Real-World Escape Hunts, and Escape Games of all types; including Adventure-themed Leadership, Team Building, and Educational Workshops.
Community Board Game Network events are intentional about nurturing a family-friendly environment that is mutually considerate of all people. Our desire is to add life-giving events to people and communities.
Community Board Game Network derives its funding from event admission fees, donations from “rounding up to the next dollar” at your participating FLGS (Friendly Local Game Store), raffles, and corporate sponsors.
Funds are primarily used to add value to local communities by creating and sponsoring local community events, keeping ticket costs affordable to attendees, and providing a reward system for GM’s volunteering to lead at community events.
THANK YOU for Partnering with us!
Life is beautiful. Let’s adventure together!
Ken & Jen Yentzer and family, Founders, Community Board Game Network
Visit Great Escape Adventures at any of 4 community locations in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate & Western, NY
Arnot Mall – Horseheads, NY
The Shops at Ithaca Mall – Ithaca, NY
Parkway Plaza – Vestal, NY
Walden Galleria – Buffalo, NY
Please e-mail us for online order inquiries, and other correspondence:
GEA@GreatEscapeAdventures.net
As a family business, we endeavor to personally respond to each email within 24-48 hours. Please feel free to reach out. We would love to hear from you!
Our friendly staff can also be reached by phone:
Arnot Mall (607) 873-7108
Ithaca Mall (607) 319-4520
Parkway Plaza (607) 296-4387
Walden Galleria (716) 800-7389