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NEW YORK AREA PUBLIC SCAVENGER HUNTS

See your world with new eyes on a scavenger hunt. Teams of up to six people will tackle tricky, humorous questions about the objects and places 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. More than 120,000 hunters served since 1999. See the rave reviews.

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 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). Please note that there is a $1 surcharge for phone orders.


DESCRIPTIONS OF THE HUNTS

GREATEST HITS: MOST POPULAR HUNTS & LOCATIONS

Central Park
• The Central Park TV & Movie Locations Scavenger Hunt
• The Secrets of Central Park Scavenger Hunt
• The Secrets of Central Park Family Scavenger Hunt

Chinatown & Little Italy
• The Gangsters’ New York Scavenger Hunt
• New! The Munch Around Chinatown Scavenger Hunt

Grand Central Terminal
• The Grand Central Scramble Family Scavenger Hunt
• The Secrets of Grand Central Scavenger Hunt

Greenwich Village
• The Ghosts of Greenwich Village Scavenger Hunt, for Adults
• The Ghosts of Greenwich Village Family Scavenger Hunt
• The Greenwich Village TV & Movie Locations Scavenger Hunt
• The Munch Around the Village Scavenger Hunt
• The Secrets of Greenwich Village Scavenger Hunt
• The Sex and the Village Scavenger Hunt, featuring Sex and the City locations

Metropolitan Museum of Art
• The Art Attack Family Scavenger Hunt
• The Met Madness Scavenger Hunt, including an English as a Second Language Edition
• The Met Madness Relaxed Scavenger Hunt
• The Murder at the Met Scavenger Hunt
• The Naked at the Met Scavenger Hunt, including an English as a Second Language Edition
• New! The Wizard School Scavenger Hunt

Museum of Natural History
• The Fright at the Museum Family Scavenger Hunt
• The Murder at the Museum of Natural History Scavenger Hunt
• The Museum of Natural Hysteria Scavenger Hunt
• The Museum of Natural Hysteria Scavenger Hunt: National Parks Edition
• The Museum of Natural Hysteria Family Scavenger Hunt
• The Museum of Natural Hysteria 2: The Naked and the Damned


FROM THE REPERTORY

Bronx Zoo
• The Wild Wildlife Scavenger Family Scavenger Hunt

Brooklyn
• The Brooklyn Blitz Family Scavenger Hunt at the Brooklyn Museum
• The Naked Brooklyn Scavenger Hunt at the Brooklyn Museum
• The Skyline at Sunset Scavenger Hunt, featuring Brooklyn Heights

East Village
• The Secrets of the East Village Scavenger Hunt

Lower East Side
• The Pastrami & Wry Scavenger Hunt
• New! The Lox, Stock and Bagel Scavenger Hunt

Madame Tussauds
• The Wax Attacks Scavenger Hunt
• The Wax Attacks Family Scavenger Hunt

Meatpacking District
• The High Line at Sunset Scavenger Hunt

Midtown Manhattan
• Grand Central Terminal: See the Greatest Hits Section
• The Haunted Times Square Scavenger Hunt, for Adults
• The Midtown TV & Movie Locations Scavenger Hunt: East Side Edition
• The Midtown Holiday Movie Locations Scavenger Hunt

Museum of Modern Art
• The MoMA Mania Scavenger Hunt
• The MoMA Madness Family Scavenger Hunt

The New-York Historical Society
• The New York History Mysteries Scavenger Hunt

SoHo
• The SoHo Chocolatey Scavenger Hunt

Wall Street & Battery Park
• The Secrets of Wall Street Scavenger Hunt

New Jersey
• The Hidden Hoboken Scavenger Hunt
• The Mad Science Scramble Family Hunt at the Liberty Science Center
• The Princeton Prowl Scavenger Hunt
For additional locations for private hunts, see New Jersey Hunt Locations.

See locations in Connecticut available for private hunts


GREATEST HITS: MOST POPULAR HUNTS & LOCATIONS

CENTRAL PARK

The Central Park TV & Movie Locations Scavenger Hunt
Scout locations used in movies and TV shows, including Ghostbusters, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Die Hard 3, Madagascar, When Harry Met Sally..., Ransom, Angels in America, numerous Woody Allen movies and many more. You’ll visit the best of the park: the Sheep Meadow, where Michael Douglas meets Charlie Sheen in Wall Street and Robin Williams lies naked in The Fisher King; the statue where Will Smith gets mugged in Six Degrees of Separation; the Lake, where Grace meets Katie Couric and decides to marry Leo in Will & Grace; the Mall, where Jon Stewart gets his kid back from Adam Sandler in Big Daddy and Meryl Streep gets her kid back from Dustin Hoffman in Kramer vs. Kramer; the Carousel, where Zero Mostel dances in The Producers; the Boathouse Cafe, where both Carrie and Mr. Big in Sex and the City and a brainwashed man in The Manchurian Candidate take a plunge into the pond; and much more. Advance purchase required. No hunts currently scheduled. Sign up for the hunt newsletter to keep posted!

The Secrets of Central Park Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by the New York Times, Time Out New York and Newsday
See the best of the park and discover places you might never otherwise visit. This classic hunt has been updated for 2008, featuring more great stops in the park below 72nd Street and including more unusual and surprising trivia. Highlights include a bird sanctuary (find out why birds won’t go near it), the Carousel (featured in Catcher in the Rye) , the Dairy (yes, kids could once get fresh milk there from farms outside the city), Strawberry Fields (almost named for Bing Crosby!), the Sheep Meadow (and, nearby, the former nightspot for the sheep, now Tavern on the Green), the Mall (intended to be the only straight path in the park), Bethesda Fountain and the Lake (made from a swamp). Along the way, you’ll uncover hidden messages, secret symbols, writing in the sky, movie and TV locations, hidden history and Balto the wonder dog. Advance purchase required.


The Secrets of Central Park Family Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by Time Out New York and the New York Times
Kids and adults work together to explore the park below 72nd Street. To score points, you’ll have to find Stuart Little, stick your tongue out at a rude animal, learn the motto of a hidden eagle, decipher a secret code by the pond seen in Home Alone 2, spot Cupid at the Carousel, unscramble a message in the sky, and find a witch turned to stone. For ages 7 and up. Kids must be accompanied by an adult, and vice versa. Advance purchase required.


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CHINATOWN & LITTLE ITALY

The Gangsters’ New York Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by Time Out New York, the New York Times and the New York Post
Discover the bygone haunts and battlegrounds of gangs and gangsters in Little Italy and Chinatown. You’ll also discover cafes, bakeries, teahouses, stores, markets, historic buildings, TV and movie locations and more. Along the way, you’ll discover the answers to such questions as: What word got rubbed out where Joey Gallo ordered clams and got slugs? What place associated with Lucky Luciano and Jimmy Hoffa has traded mobsters for lobsters? What beasts stand guard where Don Corleone got shot? And at the Bloody Angle, what can you do with a “fun goon”? Advance purchase required.


New! The Munch Around Chinatown Scavenger Hunt
Treat your taste buds to an exotic adventure in a culinary wonderland. Discover the most unusual and enticing restaurants, cafes, markets and even food carts in Chinatown and neighboring Little Italy. You’ll not only answer our usual array of tricky questions, you’ll also be challenged to acquire and taste such foods as dumplings, roti canai (Malaysian fried bread), popcorn chicken, mini cakes hot off the grill, bubble teas, “Zen butter” ice cream, pizza, cannoli cupcakes, egg custards, banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches), rice balls, “stone chocolate” and “yummy bread.” Be sure to bring one digital camera per team. Advance purchase required.


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GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL

The Grand Central Scramble Family Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by GoCityKids.com, New York Magazine, the New York Times,
Time Out New York Kids and MommyPoppins.com
Kids and adults work together to uncover the secrets of this amazing train station. To win, you’ll have to go nuts in the Whispering Gallery, learn a secret about the stars, find TV celebs in the food court, stand on fish under an upside-down tree in the Grand Central Market, learn the arrival time of a “ghost” train and think like Willy Wonka in the Transit Museum Gallery. For ages 7 and up. Kids must be accompanied by an adult, and vice versa. Please bring one digital camera per team for the Team Photo Challenges. Advance purchase required.


Other family hunts: The Fright at the Museum Hunt, The Museum of Natural Hysteria Hunt, The Art Attack Hunt, The Wizard School Hunt for Harry Potter fans, The Grand Central Scramble and The Wax Attacks Hunt at Madame Tussauds

The Secrets of Grand Central Scavenger Hunt
Discover little-known passageways, the latest exhibit at the Transit Museum Gallery, the gourmet foods of the Grand Central Market, the stunning Art Deco lobby of the Chrysler Building, the fate of the famed Biltmore Hotel clock, a hidden waiting room, the eclectic food court, mysterious marks on the main hall’s constellation ceiling, the secret symbol of the Vanderbilts, the uncanny Whispering Gallery and more. The hunt is all indoors, so no need to worry about the weather. Advance purchase required.


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GREENWICH VILLAGE

The Ghosts of Greenwich Village Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by Time Out New York, the New York Times, the New York Post, the Daily News, About.com, NewYorkology, NY1 and Going.com
Armed with a flashlight, you’ll visit ghost-plagued buildings and secret cemeteries while learning the stories of the restless souls you might disturb. Starring the spirits of Mark Twain, Aaron Burr, Edgar Allen Poe, Washington Irving, Thomas Paine, artist John LaFarge, The Shadow, Clement Clarke Moore, Mayor Jimmy Walker, Lee Chumley, Patrolman Schwartz, a few skeletons and various other apparitions, sudden chills, rustlings and knockings. Advance purchase required.


The Ghosts of Greenwich Village Family Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by Time Out New York Kids, the New York Times, the Daily News and About.com
Kids and adults work together to uncover the stories of creepy places and the ghosts that have haunted them. Starring secret cemeteries, looming skeletons, the haunted homes of Edgar Allen Poe and Mark Twain, bats on a building, Dickensian door knockers, Harry Potter’s nemesis and a gorilla in a window. Not recommended for children under the age of 7. Kids must be accompanied by an adult, and vice versa—teams with only adults are not permitted on this hunt. Advance purchase required.


The Greenwich Village TV & Movie Locations Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by Time Out New York
Discover places used as locations in TV shows such as Friends and Sex and the City and movies including Manhattan, Raging Bull, As Good As It Gets, Spider-Man 2, The Hours, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Big, In Good Company, Big Daddy, Serpico, Desperately Seeking Susan and many more. But you don’t need to have seen any of the movies to have fun or even to win. Advance purchase required. No hunts currently scheduled. Sign up for the hunt newsletter to keep posted!

The Munch Around the Village Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by Time Out New York, the New York Times, NFT (Not for Tourists)
At last, a hunt for people who literally hunger for adventure. Discover the gourmet delights of Greenwich Village while collecting treats and answers along the way. Starring some of the best pizza, kebab, cheese, cannolis, paratha, gelato and peanut butter you’ve ever had. Bring $10 cash for food purchases. (We ask you to bring cash so that you can have a wide range of food options to suit your taste and diet. We’ll point you toward our favorites, but the ultimate choice is between you and your tummy.) Advance purchase required.


The Secrets of Greenwich Village Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by Time Out New York
Become reacquainted (or acquainted) with one of the city’s most fascinating neighborhoods on one of our most popular hunts. You’ll search twisty streets packed with history, including the hangouts of rockers, writers, poets and painters, from cafes and clubs near NYU to quiet West Village coves with some of the city’s oldest houses. Highlights include the homes of Mark Twain, O. Henry, Thomas Paine, Detroit Tiger Hank Greenberg and TV’s Friends gang; the city’s narrowest house; the club where Jimi Hendrix was “discovered”; the site of a Weather Underground bomb factory; and a gorilla in our midst. Advance purchase required.


The Sex and the Village Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by the New York Times, the New York Post, Time Out New York and SocialDiva.com
Follow the Sex and the City gals as you visit stores, restaurants and other places that served as locations on the show. Highlights include Magnolia Bakery, the restaurant where Samantha threw a drink in Richard’s face, the garden where Miranda got married, the pet shop where Charlotte discovered that Elizabeth Taylor was pregnant, the park bench where Steve revealed he’d soon have one instead of two, the West Village nook that doubled as Paris in the finale and the brownstone that posed as Carrie’s Upper East Side home. Advance purchase required.


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METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

The Art Attack Family Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by the New York Times, GoCityKids.com and Time Out New York Kids
Here’s an adventure designed for kids and adults to do together—leaving you both exhilarated. You’ll travel through time at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as you search for answers to tricky, humorous questions about mummies, knights in armor, palace rooms, hidden gardens and much more. For ages 7 and up. 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!

Other family hunts: The Fright at the Museum Hunt, The Museum of Natural Hysteria Hunt, The Wizard School Hunt for Harry Potter fans, The Grand Central Scramble and The Wax Attacks Hunt at Madame Tussauds

The Met Madness Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by Time Out New York, New York Magazine and many other publications
Here’s our original, classic hunt. On this unforgettable tour of the best of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, you’ll discover some of the most startling and humorous works in galleries you never knew existed. Highlights include the Egyptian Temple of Dendur, a tranquil Chinese garden, ancient animal mummies, a saint’s tooth, an incontinent Cupid and a medieval Mick Jagger. No knowledge of art is required, but you’ll finish the hunt eager to return. Advance purchase required. Which Met hunt is right for you?


The Met Madness R e l a x e d Scavenger Hunt
Our classic hunt at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but at a more relaxed pace, for those who want to take their time and see more of the art. We’ll show you some of the most startling and humorous works in galleries you never knew existed. Highlights include the Egyptian Temple of Dendur, a Chinese garden, animal mummies, a secret drinking game, a saint’s tooth, a shark attack, randy revelers, and a medieval Mick Jagger. Advance purchase required. Which Met hunt is right for you? No hunts currently scheduled. Sign up for the hunt newsletter to keep posted!

The Murder at the Met Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by the New York Times, Time Out New York, New York Magazine, New York Post, Newsday, AM New York and About.com
Fans of murder mysteries and The Da Vinci Code will enjoy this scavenger hunt throughout the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 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 art, you begin to piece together a sordid tale about greed, lust, pride, revenge and treachery, all revolving around the museum’s planned multi-million dollar purchase of a rare painting by Leonardo Da Vinci. The murder victim knew too much—and now it’s your turn 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? Be prepared for our most challenging hunt. The darkened and less crowded galleries in the evening make a setting perfect for...murder. (Cue sinister laugh.) Advance purchase required. Which Met hunt is right for you?


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

The Naked at the Met Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by the New York Times, Time Out New York, Daily Candy,
Metromix and the Star-Ledger
Search for nudity in art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. You’ll scrutinize paintings, sculptures, period rooms, sultry sirens, a literally bronzed Adonis, a medieval codpiece, an incontinent Cupid and a randy reveler who’ll make you exclaim, “I never sausage behavior!” No previous experience with art, or nudity, is required. If you’ve done our Murder at the Met Hunt, prepare yourself for something completely different—a lighthearted romp featuring new questions, new exhibits and lots of humor. Advance purchase required. Which Met hunt is right for you?


NEW! The Wizard School Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by the New York Times, GoCityKids.com, Time Out New York Kids and MommyPoppins.com
Follow in the footsteps of young wizards on a field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in search of art that echoes characters, places and enchanted objects in the famed Harry Potter books and movies. Keep your trusty wand handy as you track down a powerful sorceress, a Snape-like potions master, flying owls and dragons, Hagrid-like giants, centaurs and unicorns like those you’d see in the Forbidden Forest, strange mermaids and sharks that seem straight out of the Triwizard Tournament, fierce knights in armor, and cloaked and masked figures as scary as any Death Eater or Dementor. Wizards and muggles (i.e., people who aren’t Potter experts) can play and enjoy this game. 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 Met. 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. For ages 7 and up.


Have you done the Wizard School Hunt before? We have a second edition you can do! There are two version of this hunt, the Owl Edition and the Unicorn edition. They are the same game but with two completely different sets of questions about completely different works of art. If you’ve already done one and would like to do another, e-mail us so we can make sure you get the right set of questions.

Other family hunts: The Fright at the Museum Hunt, The Museum of Natural Hysteria Hunt, The Art Attack Hunt, The Grand Central Scramble and The Wax Attacks Hunt at Madame Tussauds

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MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

The Fright at the Museum Family Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by the New York Times, GoCityKids.com and NY1
If you enjoyed Night at the Museum, you’ll love this adventure, which features exhibits in the Museum of Natural History that inspired scenes in the hit movie. Kids and adults work together to take on a Dexter’s capuchin monkey cousin, a not-so-woolly mammoth with tooth trouble, personal items that belonged to Teddy Roosevelt, a dance that Sacagawea would have done, a scary Easter Island statue, an attack by a monster whale, a slice of a giant tree, humongous warring mooses, Aztec and Incan warriors, dangerous dinosaurs and more. Please note that if you would not take your kids to see Night at the Museum, then you should not take them on this hunt. Kids must be accompanied by an adult, and vice versa—teams with only adults are not permitted on this hunt. Advance purchase required. If you plan on checking coats or hats, arrive at least 15 minutes early—the coat check lines are staggeringly slow.


Other family hunts: The Museum of Natural Hysteria Hunt, The Art Attack Hunt, The Wizard School Hunt for Harry Potter fans, The Grand Central Scramble and The Wax Attacks Hunt at Madame Tussauds

The Murder at the Museum of Natural History Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by the New York Times, Newsday and Time Out New York
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 and uncover the museum’s secrets to stop the killings. Advance purchase required. If you plan on checking coats or hats, arrive at least 15 minutes early —the coat check lines are staggeringly slow.


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

The Museum of Natural Hysteria Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by the New York Times, Time Out New York and Newsday
Go on our most surreal hunt—a whirlwind tour of almost the entire American Museum of Natural History, from dinosaurs to diamonds, planets to penguins. Highlights include your prehistoric ancestors and talking apes in the new Hall of Human Origins, plus an angry otter, a dinosaur with a drinking problem, a mummified mammoth, a hidden cannibal, a shy model and a president’s sloth dung. Please note that this hunt is for adults only. Advance purchase required.


The Museum of Natural Hysteria Family Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by the New York Times, Time Out New York and New York Magazine
Kids and adults work together in the American Museum of Natural History to take on a monster squid, rampaging dinosaurs, a whale with a new bellybutton, a hidden gorilla, a crouching cannibal, and more. Not recommended for children under the age of seven. Kids must be accompanied by adults, and vice versa—teams with only adults are not permitted on this hunt. Advance purchase required. If you plan on checking coats or hats, arrive at least 15 minutes early —the coat check lines are staggeringly slow.


Other family hunts: The Fright at the Museum Hunt, The Art Attack Hunt, The Wizard School Hunt for Harry Potter fans, The Grand Central Scramble and The Wax Attacks Hunt at Madame Tussauds

The Museum of Natural Hysteria 2: The Naked and the Damned
Recommended by Time Out New York and the New York Times
You’ll see nature and humans in a way that would make PBS blush, including exotic tribes and well-armed beasts in battles of tooth and claw—and to the victors go the eyebrow-raising spoils. Highlights include venomous liquor, a saucy “cigarette girl,” real shrunken heads, flying volcanic debris, a headhunter’s ax, X-rated Aztecs and history’s largest dinosaur (it’s not the T-Rex). Please note that this hunt is for adults only. Advance purchase required. If you plan on checking coats or hats, arrive at least 15 minutes early —the coat check lines are staggeringly slow.


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FROM THE REPERTORY

BRONX ZOO

The Wild Wildlife Family Scavenger Hunt
See the best of the zoo as you discover creatures you never suspected were there—or anywhere! Find out why it’s hard to grab a degu, why your neck is like a giraffe’s, what the Good Humor man might deliver to a tiger and how to look right through a grizzly bear. Starring baboons, bats, rats, reptiles and many more critters. Bring a digital camera for our crazy Team Photo Challenges (and see if you can get a monkey to smile at you). For ages 7 and up, and kids must be accompanied by an adult (and vice versa). (We let you get your own admission on this hunt so you can choose the entrance that works best for you and, if you like, arrive early and have lunch at the zoo. But don’t arrive too early and tire yourself out walking around!) Advance purchase required. No hunts currently scheduled. Sign up for the hunt newsletter to keep posted!

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BROOKLYN

The Brooklyn Blitz Family Scavenger Hunt
Kids and adults work together on humorous questions throughout the five floors of the Brooklyn Museum, taking in Egypt and other parts of Africa, plus Europe, Asia and America. Starring a mummy, Garfield’s ancient ancestor, a pitcher full of Niagara Falls, a woman dancing with a lion, a monster palace and a dragon-headed turtle. This is absolutely our most underrated hunt at New York’s most underrated museum. It's easy to get there by subway: the 2 train stops right in front of the museum, with an easy connection from the Long Island Railroad. Ample parking is available in the museum lot. Advance purchase required. No hunts currently scheduled. Sign up for the hunt newsletter to keep posted!

The Naked Brooklyn Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by Time Out New York, the New York Times and the Brooklyn Paper
Go in pursuit of nudes at the amazing Brooklyn Museum, starring Nefertiti, Venus, Rodin, Balzac and molasses. Along the way, you’ll explore Ancient Egypt (and musicians playing an unusual instrument), African fertility objects, voluptuous Hindu goddesses, impish Impressionists and a naked dog whisperer in a Jazz Age den. Advance purchase required.


The Skyline at Sunset Scavenger Hunt
For the best views of Manhattan and the harbor, you have to go to Brooklyn Heights. You’ll also see movie locations, famous writers’ homes, baseball landmarks, Underground Railroad stops, a Revolutionary battleground—all in the city’s most beautiful neighborhood. Starring Truman Capote, Cher, Thomas Wolfe, Henry Miller, Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Norman Mailer, Jack Nicholson, Jackie Robinson, Washington Roebling, George Washington, Carson McCullers, W.H. Auden, Walt Whitman and the man who invented the curveball. Curious about what you’ll see on the skyline? As a sneak preview, you can look at or download our free Skyline Guide! Advance purchase required.


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EAST VILLAGE

The Secrets of the East Village Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by Time Out New York
Uncover the radical roots of this racy neighborhood as you visit the haunts of Charlie Parker, Washington Irving, Andy Warhol, the Velvet Underground, the Who, Led Zeppelin, Abraham Lincoln, Lenny Bruce, Peter Stuyvesant, Carrie Bradshaw, Iggy Pop, W.H. Auden, Joey Ramone, Madonna and even Leon Trotsky and Dom DeLuise. Along the way, you’ll learn the answers to such questions as: What revolutionary ingredient did Peter Cooper’s wife add to his dessert? What’s left of the Filmore East? What eerie detail at a church foreshadowed the General Slocum disaster? What startling sight stirred the sawdust at McSorley’s in 1970? And what “cubist” wants you to remember the Alamo on Astor Place? Highlights include TV and movie locations, St. Mark’s Church, Tompkins Square Park, Indian restaurant row, hurly-burly St. Mark’s Place, the last remnant of the Fillmore East, the remains of the city’s most aristocratic neighborhoods, the scene of a notorious riot over Macbeth, and a mini Ukraine. Advance purchase required. No hunts currently scheduled. Sign up for the hunt newsletter to keep posted!

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LOWER EAST SIDE

The Pastrami & Wry Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by the New York Times and Time Out New York
Discover trendy new cafes, bars, and stores that are side-by-side with traditional eateries associated with the neighborhood’s Jewish heyday, such as Katz’s Deli, Russ & Daughters, Yonah Schimmel’s Knishery and Guss’ Pickles, with cameos by Moby, Talking Heads and the Beastie Boys. You better catch this neighborhood while you can—before your eyes, you’ll see history vanishing as the neighborhood is gentrified. Right now is an amazing time to catch the transition. You’ll see old synagogues that have become artists’ studios and galleries, a sleek new luxury hotel across the street from the legendary Economy Candy store, old tenements with splashy new murals by rising artists, and a spinoff of a trendy bakery that has taken over the former home of Schapiro’s Kosher Wines. Advance purchase required. No hunts currently scheduled. Sign up for the hunt newsletter to keep posted!

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NEW! The Lox, Stock and Bagel Scavenger Hunt
The heart of this Lower East side scavenger hunt explores the area between Delancey and Canal Streets and features the former headquarters of the Forward newspaper, the site of the Garden Cafeteria (hangout for the Jewish intelligentsia), Jarmulowsky’s Bank, Seward Park (scene of the daily Chazir Mark), the birthplace of the B’Nai B’rith, Ira Gershwin’s onetime home, treat retreat Economy Candy, the startling Eldridge Street Synagogue and lots of places to nab great snacks. Advance purchase required. No hunts currently scheduled. Sign up for the hunt newsletter to keep posted!

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MADAME TUSSAUDS

The Wax Attacks Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by Time Out New York
Go on our campiest, most pop-culture-filled hunt for adults as you tackle questions at Madame Tussauds’ wax museum. Starring Gandhi, Madonna, Napoleon, Joe DiMaggio, Bob Dylan, Usher, George Washington, Elle MacPherson and many more. Bring a digital or Polaroid camera for the Team Paparazzi Challenges—with bonus points awarded to the most creative photo ops with the stars. Space is limited! Advance purchase required.


The Wax Attacks Family Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by Time Out New York Kids
At Madame Tussauds, you’ll mingle with celebs at a Hollywood party, brush elbows with presidents in a hall of fame and pose for pictures with Britney Spears, Usher, the Spice Girls, George Washington, President Bush, Albert Einstein, Mick Jagger, Madonna, Evander Holyfield and many more. Kids and adults work together to uncover answers to tricky questions and pose for wacky team photos—bring a digital or Polaroid camera. For ages 7 and up. 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!

Other family hunts: The Fright at the Museum Hunt, The Museum of Natural Hysteria Hunt, The Art Attack Hunt, The Wizard School Hunt for Harry Potter fans, The Grand Central Scramble and The Wax Attacks Hunt at Madame Tussauds

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MEATPACKING DISTRICT

The High Line at Sunset Scavenger Hunt
Sunset is the most dramatic time to enjoy the views atop New York’s newest, utterly unique park, the High Line, built atop an old elevated railway. This becomes the spine of your quest to explore the Meatpacking District, the trendy “new” neighborhood that has sprung from an area of warehouses and historic buildings. You’ll experience assorted chic sights, buzzing sounds, rough-and-tumble textures, savory tastes and enticing aromas. Aside from a stroll along the High Lines wild-flower gardens amidst old rails, highlights include the gourmet extravaganza that is Chelsea Market (birthplace of the Oreo), glitzy new restaurants boutiques, a hotel that took in survivors from the Titanic, movie locations, the blocks where Herman Melville once worked and Alexander Hamilton died, and John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s home before they moved to the Dakota. Advance purchase required.


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MIDTOWN MANHATTAN

The Haunted Times Square Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by About.com, NY1 (click here to see clip), NewYorkology and Going.com
There’s a crisis at WAPS (the Watson Adventures Paranormal Society): our esteemed leader, Dr. R. Isaac (“Izzy”) Paulson has disappeared while investigating ghosts in the Times Square area. We need you to help answer the question: Izzy dead? To find out, you’ll visit places said to be haunted, learn the legends and, we hope, make contact with spirits using EVPs (electronic voice phenomena) and Paulson’s version of a Ouija board. The Great White Way will turn into the Great Fright Way as you uncover the creepy stories connected with theaters, old hotels, vanished buildings and other eerie locales. You’ll find out who’s been haunting such places as the Belasco Theater, Radio City Music Hall, the New Amsterdam Theater, the Harvard Club and the Algonquin Hotel, plus cursed locations where gangsters and other fiends met their fates. Advance purchase required.


The Midtown Holiday Movie Locations Scavenger Hunt
Selected as an Editor’s Pick on Going.com
See the best of midtown’s holiday displays by visiting places associated with holiday movies, including Home Alone 2, Scrooged, Miracle on 34th Street, and Elf. Stops include Grand Central Terminal, the model train display in the Transit Museum Annex, window displays at Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman, and the Rockefeller Center tree. By the way, this hunt is for adults. Advance purchase required. No hunts currently scheduled. Sign up for the hunt newsletter to keep posted!

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MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

The MoMA Mania Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by the New York Times
See the best of the Museum of Modern Art on a tour featuring Picasso’s poison, Pollock’s secret ingredients, Warhol’s soup, Dalí’s wilting watches, Chaplin’s antics and other oddities. The hunt includes paintings, sculptures, household items in the design galleries, photographs, a motley assortment of contemporary works, plus the sculpture garden (weather permitting). Space is limited. Advance purchase required.


The MoMA Madness Family Scavenger Hunt
Kids and adults work together to explore the eclectic collection at the Museum of Modern Art. Teams will discover a secret ingredients in a painting, an artist’s lunch menu, melting watches, a baby astronaut’s drink and other oddities. The hunt includes paintings, sculptures, household items in the design galleries, photographs, a motley assortment of contemporary works, plus the sculpture garden (weather permitting). Space is limited. Not recommended for children under the age of seven. Kids must be accompanied by adults, and vice versa—teams with only adults are not permitted on this hunt. Advance purchase required. No hunts currently scheduled. Sign up for the hunt newsletter to keep posted!

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THE NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY

The New York History Mysteries Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by the New York Times
Uncover the most unusual and eccentric aspects of New York City history on this madcap adventure in the galleries of the New-York Historical Society. You’ll rummage through the Luce Center, a veritable artifact-stuffed attic with such remarkable items as Washington’s Valley Forge cot, a piece of a statue pulled down in a riot after the Declaration of Independence was first read in the city, rioting bears and bulls, antique toys, the portrait of a cross-dressing governor and Aaron Burr’s death mask. Plus the hunt includes special, limited-time exhibitions on Lincoln, John Brown and F.D.R.’s Brain Trust. Advance purchase required.


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SOHO

New! The SoHo Chocolatey Scavenger Hunt
Debuts Saturday, February 13, 2 to 4:30 p.m.
The perfect hunt for those adventurers with a sweet tooth!  While finding answers to tricky questions, you’ll be visiting a variety of chocolate shops, bakeries and specialty shops throughout SoHo. Treats spotted along the way will include tropical fruit caramels, bacon candy bars, lavender macaroons, spiced hot chocolate, cupcakes and rice pudding in more than 31 flavors. Bring $10 cash for food purchases. (We ask you to bring cash so that you can have a wide range of food options to suit your taste and diet. We’ll point you toward our favorites, but the ultimate choice is between you and your tummy.)


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WALL STREET & BATTERY PARK

The Secrets of Wall Street Scavenger Hunt
Recommended by Going.com
Uncover the layers of history and mystery in Lower Manhattan, along twisty streets laid out by the Dutch, through the canyons of finance with majestic Jazz Age skyscrapers, down the ticker-tape parade route’s Canyon of Heroes and out to the expansive harbor views of Battery Park. You’ll walk in the footsteps of Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton, Burr, Peter Stuyvesant, John D. Rockefeller, J.P. Morgan, anarchists, aviators, modern artists and rioting slaves and patriots. Highlights include the early 19th-century fortress called Castle Clinton; Fraunces Tavern, where Washington bid farewell to his fellow soldiers; Federal Hall, where Washington was sworn in as president; the tower that lost a race to the Chrysler Building; Trinity Church and its graveyard, with tombs bearing the marks of the great fire of 1776; the Federal Reserve, where America’s gold is stored; kooky sculptures by contemporary artists; Bowling Green, where you can literally touch the effects of an anti-British frenzy; locations from such movies as Ghostbusters, Men in Black, Working Girl, National Treasure and The Day After Tomorrow; and the stunning Custom House, home to the Museum of the American Indian. Come find out why this is one of our staff’s favorite hunts. Advance purchase required.


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NEW JERSEY

The Hidden Hoboken Scavenger Hunt
One moment you’ll be on a street of 19th-century homes, the next you’ll be on a bucolic campus with sculptures on green swards, and the moment after that you’ll gasp at a spectacular view of the Hudson and the New York skyline. Highlights include native son Frank Sinatra’s homes and places where he sang; the location of Elysian Fields, where the first baseball game was played; old-time German and Italian restaurants, bars and bakeries; locations from the movie On the Waterfront; plus cobblestone streets and a literal yellow-brick road. Advance purchase required. No hunts currently scheduled. Sign up for the hunt newsletter to keep posted!

The Mad Science Scramble Family Hunt at the Liberty Science Center
Explore the renovated and updated Liberty Science Center in New Jersey on this wild and wacky hunt for adults and kids to do together. Highlights include such exhibits as Eat or Be Eaten, Energy Quest, a cool new display about skyscrapers, six tanks of live fish and a wall where you can leave your own digital graffiti. Advance purchase required. No hunts currently scheduled. Sign up for the hunt newsletter to keep posted!

The Princeton Prowl Scavenger Hunt
A whirlwind tour of the best of Princeton, New Jersey, and the delightful Princeton University campus. See for yourself why this is one of our staff’s favorite hunts. The historic town—where George Washington defeated the British—and the stunning campus combine to provide a hunt landscape that is filled with history, outdoor sculptures, dramatic Gothic and ivy-clad buildings, goofy gargoyles, famous Americans and amazing views. Guest stars include Russell Crowe (from locations for A Beautiful Mind), F. Scott Fitzgerald, John F. Kennedy, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Henry Moore, Aaron Burr, Woodrow Wilson, Albert Einstein, William Hurt (from locations for One True Thing), David Duchovny of The X-Files, Meg Ryan (in the movie I.Q.) and an enemy bulldog. We highly recommend making a day of it—there are great places in Princeton to dine before or after the hunt. Advance purchase required.


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GET THE SCHEDULE BY E-MAIL

It’s part of our free monthly Culture Vulture e-mail newsletter, chock-full of special discount offers, jokes, trivia and more. Sign up here, and on the next page you see, be sure to check off “New York Area”.

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GO DELUXE: INFORMATION ABOUT PRIVATE HUNTS

Get up, get out, get on the move and discover how Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts bring people together and forges bonds in surprising ways. And when it’s a private hunt, you have the hunt all to yourself—you get to choose the hunt, the date and the time. Plus you can add custom elements, such as Team Photo Challenges and trivia questions about the participants. But please note that private hunts do cost significantly more: Prices start at $600.

To learn more about private hunts, see Private Hunts, or see possible locations in New York, New Jersey or Connecticut, or Contact Us.

Click here to contact us about Public Hunts



Recommended as Visitor Friendly by the Guides Association of New York City

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Last updated: 04-Feb-2010 4:54 PM