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CHICAGO SCAVENGER HUNTS

Rediscover your favorite places on an acclaimed Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunt. Teams of up to six people will tackle tricky, humorous questions about the objects and locations discovered. Don’t have a team? We’ll help you find kindred spirits at the start of the hunt. No knowledge of any hunt location is required—you just need a sharp mind and a good pair of shoes. As seen in the Chicago Tribune and numerous other media outlets. More than 150,000 hunters served since 1999.

Advance purchase is required for all hunts. To purchase tickets, go to the Calendar or Descriptions of the Hunts, or call our ticketing service, OvationTix, at 866-811-4111 (Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Please note that there is a $1 surcharge for phone orders.


DESCRIPTIONS OF THE HUNTS

The Art Institute of Chicago
• The Art Attack Scavenger Hunt
• New! The Fright at the Museum Scavenger Hunt
• The Murder at the Museum Scavenger Hunt
• The Naked at the Art Museum Scavenger Hunt
• The Wizard School Scavenger Hunt

The Field Museum
•The Field of Screams Murder Mystery Scavenger Hunt
•The Museum of Natural Hysteria Family Scavenger Hunt

Lincoln Park
• New! The Munch Around Lincoln Park Scavenger Hunt

Lincoln Park Zoo
• The Animal Magnetism Scavenger Hunt
• The Wild Wildlife Scavenger Hunt

The Loop
• The Loop Movie Locations Scavenger Hunt

Museum of Science and Industry
• The Mad Science Scavenger Hunt

Navy Pier
• The Navy Pier Pressure Scavenger Hunt

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
• New! The Nature Museum Mania Family Scavenger Hunt


THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO:

The Art Attack Scavenger Hunt
If you crave a feast for the eyes, take on the amazing Art Institute of Chicago on this eclectic hunt. Highlights include a garland of skulls, a “resurrected” Parisian party girl, “deer impostors,” amazing miniature rooms, a Congo man who should sue his acupuncturist, a dragon’s gilt complex, exotic paperweights crawling with snakes, a magician’s clock, Quasimodo’s smashed neighbor and much more. No knowledge of the museum or its contents is necessary. Advance purchase required. No hunts currently scheduled. Sign up for the hunt newsletter to keep posted!

New! The Fright at the Museum Scavenger Hunt
Celebrate Halloween by exploring the creepy side of art at the Art Institute of Chicago. Artists definitely have a dark side, and you’ll discover it at your peril while searching for skulls and skeletons, hideous monsters, severed heads, horrifying devices, mortifying martyrs, cold-blooded killers, freaky beasts, and other assorted ghouls in the galleries. You might wind up asking yourself, “Sick...or treat?”


The Murder at the Art Museum Scavenger Hunt
A murdered curator has left behind a cryptic trail of clues connected with secrets in works of art. As your team gathers answers about the artwork, you begin to piece together a sordid tale about greed, lust, pride, revenge and treachery, all revolving around the museum’s planned multimillion-dollar purchase of a painting by Leonardo da Vinci. The murder victim knew too much—and now it’s up to you to learn what he knew and discover what drove one of four suspects to commit murder. To find out, you’ll have to crack a secret code left in the victim’s appointment calendar. Can you figure out who dunnit? Warning: this is one of our most challenging hunts. We strongly recommend hunting with a team of three or more. If you sign up with fewer than three people, we suggest pairing up with others at the start of the hunt to form a larger team. Advance purchase required.


Learn about murder mystery hunts in other cities on our Murder Mystery Scavenger Hunts page

The Naked at the Art Museum Scavenger Hunt
Featured in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Time Out Chicago, Daily Candy, Metromix, NBC Chicago, Chicagoist, Going.com and Flavorpill
Search for nudity at the Art Institute of Chicago. You’ll scrutinize bathing beauties, peeping Toms, sultry sirens, a muscle man who’ll ruin his birthday suit while wrestling a lion, a woman enjoying a golden shower from Zeus, cads and cuckolds, provocative Picassos, dangerous natives, a mystic who has gone too far with the Slimfast, and much more. No previous experience with art, or nudity, is required. Advance purchase required.


New! The Wizard School Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by Going.com
Follow in the footsteps of young wizards on a field trip to the Art Institute of Chicago, in search of art that echoes characters, places and enchanted objects in the famed Harry Potter books and movies. Be prepared to track down flying owls, Hagrid-like giants, centaurs and unicorns like those you’d see in the Forbidden Forest, dragons that seem straight out of the Triwizard Tournament, and eerie figures as scary as any Death Eater or Dementor. Wizards and muggles alike can play and enjoy this hunt. The hunt is not an addition to or variation on Harry’s adventures, but instead references to the books will provide a surprising bridge to many strange and wonderful works of art. It’s a great way to discover—or rediscover—the museum. This hunt is designed for kids and adults to do together, but all-adult teams will be allowed to compete separately. Kids must be accompanied by adults. Recommended for ages 10 and up.


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THE FIELD MUSEUM

The Field of Screams Murder Mystery Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by Chicago Traveler
Someone, or some thing, has been bumping off museum staffers involved in acquiring a sacred Egyptian relic. Is it the dreaded Curse of Ahtchu? Or is a serial killer on the loose? Your team of sleuths will have to crack a hieroglyphic code, question a suspect and uncover the museum’s secrets to stop the killings. No previous knowledge of the museum or its contents is necessary. Warning: this is one of our most challenging hunts. We strongly recommend hunting with a team of three or more. If you sign up with fewer than three people, we suggest pairing up with others at the start of the hunt to form a larger team. Advance purchase required.


Learn about murder mystery hunts in other cities on our Murder Mystery Scavenger Hunts page

The Museum of Natural Hysteria Family Scavenger Hunt
Kids and adults work together on a whirlwind tour of the Field Museum, taking you around the world and back in time. Starring mighty mites, man-eating lions, amazing mummies, awesome antlers, shocking sharks, giant hogs and Dr. Funkenstein. And watch out for dinosaurs! No knowledge of the museum is required—you just need good shoes and a good sense of humor. For ages 7 and up. Kids must be accompanied by an adult, and vice versa. No hunts currently scheduled. Sign up for the hunt newsletter to keep posted!

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LINCOLN PARK

New! The Munch Around Lincoln Park Scavenger Hunt
Treat your taste buds to an adventure while exploring this eclectic, sometimes eccentric neighborhood. Highlights include Dorothy and friends in Oz Park, micro mansions, misplaced Parisians, Founding Fathers loitering outside a pub, hidden oases, one of the city’s oldest houses, Dillinger's death spot, a sculpture that invites you to play, and a creepy sunbather. Along the way you'll be stopping to sample a variety of gourmet delights, such as cow tippin’ ice cream, surprising pretzel sandwiches, seductive cupcakes, hot dogs that starred on the Food Network, and drinks that made Rachael Ray squeal with delight. Be sure to bring one digital camera per team. The price does not include food purchases, because we want you to have a wide range of options to suit your taste, your budget and your diet. Advance purchase required.


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LINCOLN PARK ZOO

The Animal Magnetism Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by Time Out Chicago
Discover the oddest animals and strangest facts at the Lincoln Park Zoo. You’ll cross climates on an African safari, learn how your neck is like a twiga’s, get hissed at by cockroaches, endure howling gibbons, go nose to snout with black bears, ponder puffins and learn whether or not you should punch someone who calls you a bufflehead. Advance purchase required.


The Wild Wildlife Scavenger Hunt
Discover the oddest animals and strangest facts at the Lincoln Park Zoo. You’ll cross climates on an African safari, learn how your neck is like a twiga’s, get hissed at by cockroaches, endure howling gibbons, go nose to snout with black bears, ponder puffins and learn whether or not you should punch someone who calls you a bufflehead. This family scavenger hunt is for ages 7 and up, and kids must be accompanied by an adult (and vice versa). Advance purchase required. No hunts currently scheduled. Sign up for the hunt newsletter to keep posted!

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THE LOOP

The Loop Movie Locations Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by Time Out Chicago
Downtown Chicago has been one of Hollywood’s favorite backlots, a cinematic chameleon that has even doubled for New York. This tour takes you to numerous places where TV or movie scenes have been shot, including the Willis Tower (hello, Ferris Bueller!), Daley Plaza (good-bye, Harrison Ford in The Fugitive!), Chicago City Hall–Cook County Building (watch out, Blues Brothers!), the El (yikes, Spider-Man and the Incredibles!), Marshall Field’s (aka Macy’s), the Chicago Cultural Center and lesser-known places made memorable on film. Advance purchase required.


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MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY

The Mad Science Scavenger Hunt
Crack the secret code planted by a mad scientist as you explore a World War II German submarine, a vintage 1930s train, a Boeing 727, the Whispering Gallery, the world’s largest “flapper” machine, a surreal circus with strange sideshow acts, a wheelbarrow full of cow dung, Ronald McDonald’s “Speedee” ancestor, ridiculous antique robots, America’s most amazing train set and some hot chicks (in a hatchery, of course). You’d never suspect that science could be so...bizarre. Advance purchase required. No hunts currently scheduled. Sign up for the hunt newsletter to keep posted!

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NAVY PIER

The Navy Pier Pressure Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by the Chicago Sun Times
Discover the many places and personalities of this lakeside carnival. Highlights include Navy Pier Park, with its famed Ferris wheel; the domed botanical garden of Crystal Gardens; quirky art in Gateway Park, including a salute to Chicago’s favorite shrink; and historic Festival Hall with its unusual collection of stained glass. Bring one digital camera per team for the team photo challenges. Advance purchase required. No hunts currently scheduled. Sign up for the hunt newsletter to keep posted!

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PEGGY NOTEBAERT NATURE MUSEUM

New! The Nature Museum Mania Family Scavenger Hunt (Ages 7 & up)
To uncover the secrets of the great outdoors, you have to head indoors at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. Go for a natural walk on the wild side as you hunt among a profusion of live butterflies, take a twisted tour of a cartoon-world home, solve the Mysteries of the Marsh by tracking black widow spiders, water scorpions and snakes to their lairs, and much more. Plus, weather permitting, you’ll go up on the roof to have it out with the birds.


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