Escape to Neverland is an overnight experience that guides 2 people through a series of typical "house guest" experiences, but through the lens of being swept away to the island of Neverland and all the adventure that ensues.
The house has been turned into a playful and whimsical space where guests are encouraged to forget the stress and responsibility of being an adult in the 21st-century world.
(This experience was retrofitted into a fully-furnished house as a temporary installation.)
Handwritten map given to guests
This is no ordinary overnight Airbnb either— it's a magical journey of playful collaboration, delight, surprise, adventure, innocence, and discovery.
Welcome & World Transition
You arrive and hand over your phone. In exchange: a disposable camera, a blindfold for one person, and noise-cancelling headphones for the other. The rules have already changed.
“I enjoyed how the expectations settings (the tour and no phones) did make what are simple things to do together really special. Doing them all at once made it better!”
— Neverland Guest
Sensory-Deprivation Tour
You tour the house together, but each experiencing it completely differently. You'll both have to work with each other later to put the pieces together.
"It was neat afterwards hearing [my partner's] experience, especially learning that I had him reach out to touch a plant that he'd been told had thorns on it."
— Neverland Guest
Neverland Notes
Throughout your stay you intermittently hear the chime of a bell, accompanied by the mysterious delivery of cryptic notes left for you by the Lost Boys. They let you know what to do, where to go, and what happens next.
Cooks Galley - Stolen Cheese!
It's not all smooth sailing though—you soon discover that Captain Hook has stolen one of your ingredients for dinner and you must go out on a quest to retrieve it.
“While cooking dinner we both sort of realized we should definitely cook meals together more often. It was very enjoyable.”
— Neverland Guest
Room when guests first arrived
Lost Boys Hideout
The thing about Neverland is that it is what you make of it, and here you get to make it your own. This isn't just your "bedroom," this is a material manifestation of your inner child.
“I could see having more of a story plot might be fun, but I also really liked how Neverland was used as a setting and we were just sort of doing things you'd do if you lived there all time.”
— Neverland Guest
Pirate’s Bay - S’mores
Once the coast is clear of pirates, enjoy a nice relaxing end to the night outdoors with a nostalgic sweet treat.
“So of course you can't go to pirate bay when pirates are there, but you could sneak out by a campfire and enjoy some s’mores -those sort of things were really nice touches.”
— Neverland Guest
3AM Scavenger Hunt
An alarm in the middle of the night. A treasure map. A hunt. The fairies learned about you before you arrived and have left a trail of questions now that the two of you must answer before you can return to sleep.
"I enjoyed the input [from the questionnaire] being produced as output.”
— Neverland Guest
"I could see being upset at being woken up at 3am in the morning but it worked out really well for us."
— Neverland Guest
Morning Memories
In the morning your final task from the Lost Boys is a moment of reflection. Write each other a letter and exchange your disposable cameras again as you leave Neverland. In a few weeks time the Lost Boys will delivery your letters and a collection of printed memories to last forever.
“It was really fun and I enjoyed myself more than I expected. I already recommended it to a few friends that were interested when I described it to them after I had done it.”
— Neverland Guest
“I sent it to some couple friends who would really like this sort of thing. Please do it again! [My partner] asked me for the links and description, so the fun part is that he became a fan too.”
— Neverland Guest
