Amateur Sleuths Gather in Windsor for a Real-Life Game of Clue
Two weeks prior to your Murder Mystery Dinner (or weekend, see details below) you are emailed details of not only your character and the other characters taking place in this mystery but also a brief outline of the events leading up to the murder. This night, 23 guests have gathered for what seems to be an innocence three-course meal at a local inn turned floating casino.
You arrive, give the secret password, and meet the other players over cocktails and light hors d’oeuvre. You can introduce yourself or your character or both. Your fellow guests may even be in costume (costumes are suggested but not required). This evening the women were dressed to the “nines” in 1920’s styles. They were truly “the cat’s meow.” After a half hour of mingling, Mr. Bailey gathers everyone for a brief overview of the evening; a group photo is taken; then name tags and cash are given out (for bribes) and the game begins.
At most Murder Mystery Dinners, you watch as professional actors perform the murder and as the evening unfolds you work with your teammates to discover the murderer. In Bailey’s events you and the other guests ARE the actors in the “moiderous mayhem” to quote Bailey.
Your character is armed with a list of the guests and some basic background about all the characters and some “confidential information” that will prove handy in solving the mystery (and possibly clearing your “good” name if you are accused of being the murderer!) You make your way from character to character, using the confidential information you have, to piece together who might get murdered, who the murderer might be and what is the possible motive.
For tonight’s adventure, our floating casino boat is traveling from St. Louis to New Orleans during the time of prohibition in the United States and lots of nefarious gangsters and shady individuals are onboard. You mingle among the guests to dig up dirt, blackmail them, or otherwise extract information from the other characters. At some point in the evening, someone has been murdered. It might be you...or maybe you are the one who did it.
A scrumptious meal is provided by the chef and staff at Windsor Mansion Inn (salad, soup, buffet main course). Once the players are properly fed, the evening continues and with lots of finger pointing. Secrets are revealed. Accusations fly. Protest are made as people are being framed. Where is Hercule Poirot when you need him?
Slowly each character is scrutinized for means and motive. As characters are eliminated, only a few suspects remain. Secret ballots are cast on who did it and why and then murderer is revealed. This evening 14 of the 23 players correctly guessed the murderer but the motives were not all correct and some were extremely colorful.
Deadly Fun Events was created by John Bailey, who owned and operated the Austin Hill Inn in West Dover, Vermont for almost 15 years and hosted murder mystery weekends for 14 of those years averaging about 20 weekends per year. The mystery weekends soon became the focus of the inn. “They (the murder mystery weekends) are a blast,” Bailey said excitedly about the events. “Just so much fun. It got to the point where we didn’t want to deal with regular guests; we wanted the abnormal, goofy ones.” John left the innkeeper business and now runs Murder Mystery Weekends and Dinners; he thinks he’s hosted at about 100 inns in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont.
The Windsor Mansion Inn was purchased in 2015 and underwent a million-dollar restoration to return the historic property back to its original glory. The venue specializes in destination weddings and receptions on their 14 acres high above the Connecticut River in Windsor. Three Murder Mystery Weekends are planned for this year: March 1-3, June 14-16 and Oct. 25-27. The weekend includes two nights at the Inn, dessert reception on Friday, dinner Saturday, full breakfast each morning with awards and prizes on Sunday. The next Murder Mystery Dinner at the Inn is Feb.11, call (802) 674-4112 to get in on this “moiderous mayhem.” But don’t wait too long once word gets out, this event will sell-out fast.