SAN FRANCISCO & SAN JOSE SCAVENGER HUNTS

Ready for team-building with a dash of culture? On each of our scavenger hunts, you decipher clues to answer tricky, funny questions about the places you visit and things you find. Our hunts have received rave reviews by ABC News, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Citysearch, Daily Candy and numerous other media outlets. More than 125,000 hunters have gone our scavenger hunts from more than 800 prestigious companies, not to mention trade associations, social groups, alumni groups, bachelorettes, school groups and more.


How the Scavenger Hunts Work

In museums, historic neighborhoods and other locations, hunters race to answer questions in hunts designed to:

  • get people relaxed, laughing and having fun
  • foster teamwork and togetherness in a dynamic new way
  • introduce people to fascinating—and often overlooked—places
  • lead to an exciting gathering over drinks after the hunt
  • leave you with more money to spend on that party

You’re not hunting for things (put back that Ming vase!) but for answers to tricky and humorous questions about the intriguing places and objects you discover. The team that answers the most questions correctly WINS. Typically the game lasts two hours (with about a half hour more for set-up and post-hunt scoring), but the length can be customized to meet your needs.

Whether you’re organizing a company-wide corporate outing, a department activity or a casual social gathering, a Watson Adventures scavenger hunt has something for everyone.

For additional details on how the hunts work and to discover which hunt is best for you, visit the Private Hunts page.

Ready to hunt? Let us know your goals and interests and we’ll work with you to organize a fun, memorable scavenger hunt. Contact us now!


Our San Francisco and San Jose/Silicon Valley scavenger hunt locations include...

Chinatown and North Beach
Fisherman’s Wharf
de Young Museum
California Academy of Sciences
Legion of Honor Museum
San Francisco Zoo
San Jose: The Tech Museum of Innovation
...And Points Between and Beyond


Chinatown and North Beach

Explore the historic heart of the Barbary Coast and the immigrant culture that has made it thrive. In Jackson Square, you’ll uncover the history of the city’s oldest and handsomest buildings, survivors of the 1906 earthquake. In Chinatown, you may think you’ve left America as you hunt for answers among stores, herb shops, temples and even a fortune cookie factory. And in the North Beach section you’ll find Francis Ford Coppola’s headquarters and check out cafes and bakeries that will make you think you’ve gone to Italy. Along the way, you’ll see the haunts of such writers as Jack Kerouac, Robert Louis Stevenson, Bret Harte and Amy Tan. You'll also be challenged not to overindulge on snacks ranging from Chinese moon cakes to gelato.

You and your teammates will tackle such questions as...

• On Grant, visit the Empress. Just outside the entrance, Mr. Wong wouldn’t agree that a bird in the hand is better than one in the Bush. What “insects” were also served? Answer: At the entrance to the Empress of China, a sign near a photo of George H.W. Bush says, “Wong served crispy chicken and butterfly prawns” to the president.

• At Jackson and Hotaling, what did God spare while spanking? Answer: A plaque at Hotaling’s Warehouse, built in 1866 as a liquor warehouse, explains that the building survived the 1907 earthquake while churches were destroyed, prompting this verse: “If, as one says, God spanked the town / For being overfrisky / Why did He burn the churches down / And save Hotaling’s whisky?” Indeed.

We offer 90-minute and two-hour versions of this hunt. Add our crazy, creative Team Photo Challenges for more fun and for souvenirs to take with you. The area is chockablock with great restaurants for a post-hunt gathering. For more information, contact us.

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Fisherman’s Wharf

The waterfront is a wild place for a hunt. You may think you know the Fisherman’s Wharf area, but this hunt will have you rediscover it and find hidden history and overlooked oddities. You’ll uncover secrets about old ships on Hyde Street Pier, Navy vessels on Pier 45, crab stands on Taylor Street, a cocoa grinder at Ghirardelli Square, an Atlantis-inspired mural, and the Cannery. You'll also discover a guy holding on for his life at the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park Visitor Center, learn about the country’s first Irish coffee, and check out bizarre and entertaining coin-operated antique machines at the Musee Mechanique, plus much more.

You’ll tackle such questions as...

• What’s the name of the “mechanique” Drinking Man’s favorite booze? Answer: Nut Brown Ale, as seen in a mechanical Drinking Man who chugs when you pay him a quarter, at the Musee Mechanique.

• On Pier 45, you might think that the top of the sub here is giving the clouds the brush off. What does that incongruous object represent? Answer: The bristles-up broom represents a “clean sweep.”

We offer 90-minute and two-hour versions of this hunt. Add our crazy, creative Team Photo Challenges for more fun and for souvenirs to take with you. Contact us to learn more.

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The de Young Museum

Go on a whirlwind tour of the best of the de Young, a stunning jewel in San Francisco’s crown. You’ll search for answers to quirky, funny questions about intriguing objects you must find in the collections of American paintings and sculpture, African art, art of the Americas and more. Highlights include a blown-up church, an atomic owl, snaggle-fingered pianist, a Nigerian crying game, a cocoa coffin, a headhunter’s home furnishings, a barbarous barber, a view from the tower and a room overrun with dogs. You’ll search for answers to such questions as...

• Enter a room that could be from an ancient South American Pottery Barn. Find a Moon that must be full—certainly its influence seems to turn legs to rubber. What sticks out that also suggests a heavy burden? Answer: A rather hefty Moon Goddess rides a deer that sticks its tongue out.

• In the Africa gallery, find a Kongo man who looks like he should sue his acupuncturist. When you contemplate his navel, what do you see? Yourself, or a mirror, on the belly of the ‘Nail and blade oath-taking figure,’ which is studded with nails and blades.

• In the Oceania galleries, find a standing woman giving birth. If you’re the lucky father, and it’s not a boy or girl, the doctor will tell you, “Congratulations, it’s a …” what? The wooden figure might be a deity giving birth to a yam.

Mind you, we’ve left out additional clues in these sample questions that help you zero in on the spot where you can find the answers. You don’t need to know anything about art to succeed: you just need excellent teamwork and comfortable shoes.

The de Young makes a great location for a two-hour or a 90-minute hunt. To learn more about the hunt, contact us.

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California Academy of Sciences

From planets to penguins, from Africa to Amazonia, from the rainforest to the Living Roof, this hunt is an adventure that takes you far from San Francisco. Your quest for natural wonders reveals the best of the remarkably revamped museum in Golden State Park. Highlights include creatures that put the mad in Madagascar, an albino alligator, giant tanks with seemingly everything that swims short of whales, jaw-dropping dioramas bursting with African animals, and piranhas in a subterranean rainforest, to name a few.

You’ll search for answers to such questions as...

•  In Wild California, find a red-legged insect. If he shaved his legs, what fate would he risk? Answer: Drowning, because his leg hairs capture air that save him from drowning.

 • In the African Hall, why does a tall host giraffe tolerate a hitchhiker? Answer: The red-billed oxpecker on the giraffe warns its host of danger. 

• If you were a male “galloping fish,” how many eggs might your wife ask you to carry? (Perhaps you’d be galloping to get away.) Answer: Males carry up to 800 eggs.

Mind you, we’ve left out additional clues in these sample questions that help you zero in on the spot where you can find the answers. You don’t need to know anything about science to succeed: you just need excellent teamwork and comfortable shoes.

The hunt is available in 90-minute and two-hour editions. To spur team creativity and camaraderie you can opt to add Team Photo Questions, in which we give each team a digital camera and a list of photo challenges. Contact us for more information.


The Legion of Honor

Sure, it may take a bit longer to get there, but we’ll make it well worth the trip. You’ll experience an art museum in a way you’ve never experienced before, as you search for answers to creative, humorous questions about the more surprising and unusual works on display. But no knowledge of the museum or its contents is necessary. You’ll tackle such questions as...

• Who painted someone who was dying to be cover model, but didn’t make it? Answer: Maxfield Parrish’s painting of a dwarf at Snow White’s bier was supposed to be a Good Housekeeping cover.

• Although his first name isn’t O-S-C-A-R, what should you gaze at after cold cuts, according to a naked guy? Answer: The stars: the statue Astronomy is “after a model by …Bologna.”

• Why do pooped Rockettes-wannabes remind you of RayBans? Answer: Rodin’s statue of drooping figures, lined up as in a kickline, are called Shades.

Keep in mind, we’ve left out some of the clues that guide you to the answer—the questions are easier when you are standing in the right place, and you have a team of several brains all pondering the problem. You’ll definite need, and discover, the power of teamwork on the hunt. We offer 90-minute and two-hour versions of this hunt. To learn more about the museum, visit www.famsf.org. To learn more about the hunt, contact us.

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San Francisco Zoo: The Wild, Wild Life Scavenger Hunt

If you can talk to the animals, you’ll definitely have an advantage on this unusual adventure at the San Francisco Zoo. One minute your hunting for bears in a grotto, the next your exploring a South American rainforest, then it’s time to chill at Penguin Island. Other highlights include the African Savanna, the Gorilla Preserve, the Lion House, the Australian WalkAbout, the Lemur Forest, and Grizzly Gulch, to name a few. Our tricky questions will lead you to uncover the most entertaining and unusual aspects of the animals while drawing on the skills of each team member. You’ll become as proficient at hunting as any pack of predators. For additional team bonding and creativity, you can add our Team Photo Challenges, in which you and your teammates must get creative and resourceful to fulfill a series of assignments and document them with a digital camera. If you really want an adventure that takes you far from your everyday routine, it’s time you joined us at the zoo. For more information about the hunt, contact us.

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San Jose: The Tech Museum of Innovation

Find out why Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft and Amazon.com, among many other tech companies, have turned to Watson Adventures for the ultimate experience in clever, sophisticated museum scavenger hunts. As Amazon.com CEO and founder Jeff Bezos told the New York Times about Watson Adventures, “I love games of all kinds, and those hunts are pretty intense. They take you into corners of the museum most people never find.” That’s certainly true of our new hunt at the Tech Museum, which combines fascinating science with the latest innovations in museum craft.

But you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to win this hunt—you just need great teamwork and a good sense of humor. You’ll tackle such challenges as build a robot to blow up suspicious packages, find out what Woody Allen, Yul Brenner and R2D2 have in common, try brain surgery on a dummy, take an infrared team portrait, dissect a cell phone, learn the cause of Brain Freeze, consult over an x-ray of a bullet lodged in a throat, use a dragon to measure an earthquake, doing some real-time spying on cities around the world, get the puck outta here like a hockey goalie, create the program that reveals Mr. Potato Head’s love of dogs playing poker, and find out who said, “The future ain’t what it used to be.”

The Tech Museum is a great location for a 90-minute hunt, and there are lots of restaurants nearby for post-hunt celebrating. You can add Team Photo Challenges to spur additional creativity and have a record of the adventure. For more information, contact us.

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...And Points Between and Beyond

Possible hunt locations are as limitless as San Francisco itself. Are you interested in Golden Gate Park? Something custom in the Museum of Modern Art? Do you want to explore Berkeley or Oakland? You can suggest a new location for a classic Watson Adventures hunt or you can try our popular Anywhere Hunt that we’ve staged for companies at parks, resorts, neighborhoods and shopping centers. Contact us to find out what we can create for you!

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ON YOUR MARK, GET SET...

If you’re ready to book a hunt, or would like more information, use our handy e-mail Contact Form. Or call us at 877-9-GO HUNT, extension 11 (877-946-4868). The hunt’s afoot!

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© 2006, 2007, 2009 Watson Adventures LLC
Last updated: 27-Jul-2010 11:56 AM