Side Quest — A Crooked Cottage Experience

A Real-World Mystery Game Set in Downtown Delaware, Ohio

Side Quest is a real-world mystery game unlike anything else in Ohio. It's not an escape room. It's not a scavenger hunt. It's a story-driven investigation that takes place across real locations in downtown Delaware, Ohio — and you're the detective.

Built by Crooked Cottage Escape Rooms, Side Quest combines cryptic emails, physical evidence hidden at real locations, digital discoveries, and a mystery that unfolds over four weeks into something genuinely immersive and unlike anything else in central Ohio.

What Makes It Different

Most mystery games happen in a room or on a screen. Side Quest happens in a real town, at real places, with clues that have been physically placed for you to find. The story is fictional — but the locations are real, the puzzles require you to actually go there, and the experience is built for people who want more than passive entertainment.

This is closer to an ARG (Alternate Reality Game) than a traditional escape room — a format that's been used for major film and game launches but rarely built for a local community. Side Quest brings that experience to Delaware, Ohio, with a story rooted in the town's own history and atmosphere.

Quest 1 — The Delaware Minotaur

The first quest in Season 1: Mythical Creatures of Ohio. Something happened in Delaware decades ago. A family buried it. The evidence was never destroyed — it was hidden across downtown Delaware, waiting to be found by someone who knows where to look.

Players receive cryptic emails, follow clues to real Delaware locations, solve puzzles using physical and digital evidence, and earn Investigation Points on a live leaderboard displayed at Crooked Cottage and Raven's Cauldron. The quest unfolds over four weeks. Every clue connects. Every location matters.

Who It's For

Side Quest is built for people who liked escape rooms but wanted more. People who read mystery novels and wish they could be inside one. People who are curious about the town they live in or visit. People who want an experience that unfolds over time rather than ending in an hour.

It's also built for competitive players — the leaderboard is live and visible at two downtown Delaware locations. Points are time-sensitive. The investigators who move fastest have an edge.

Season 1 — Three Quests

Side Quest Season 1 unfolds across three separate quests, each building on the larger mythology. Complete Quest 1 to unlock Quest 2. The full truth of Season 1 won't emerge until the final quest is complete.

Side Quest is a product of Crooked Cottage Escape Rooms · 112 S. Sandusky Street · Delaware, Ohio 43015 · All quest locations are in downtown Delaware, Ohio.