If you were to envision a day trip to the Pie Capital of Texas, you might picture homey cafés, cozy cups of coffee and buttery crusts filled with sugary happiness. And you can certainly find those things in Kyle, south of Austin. But you can also smash pie plates into tiny bits and shatter coffee cups into smithereens—legally (and safely)—at Unchartered Adventures, a unique indoor entertainment center.
I stepped into what looked like an inconspicuous warehouse on the outskirts of town and met owner Damon Fogley. He started a junk removal business after serving in the Army and soon learned about a phenomenon called rage rooms, where folks can pay to break stuff.
Fogley had more than enough junk for the job, and the concept was born in Kyle. But to create a full-on destination, he added two escape rooms, a zombie shooting range, splatter-paint lounge and plenty of Instagram-worthy backdrops. It’s unconventional family fun at its finest.
Before letting out my inner Hulk on inanimate objects, I tried the zombie shooting range. Armed with a gun that shot tiny gel balls, I took aim at zombie robots jumping out from an apocalyptic set. I don’t think I killed any of them (they are undead, after all), but it felt great.
Finally, it was time to rage. And so, donning full-body coveralls and a face shield, I stepped into a room full of bottles, vases, TVs and printers. I picked up a sledgehammer and, with a Neanderthal’s scream, I swung it straight into a coffee maker. It flew across the room, hit the wall and broke into pieces.
It was awesome. I’m not angry by nature, but this was a strange kind of therapy that I think everyone could use.
