Prepare to Grab ’n’ Go! Classic Scavenger Hunts

Fun games with humorous twists!

If you’re looking for a good, old-fashioned scavenger hunt, we have one—with very unusual challenges that will exercise your brain and tickle your funny bone. Your tasks may involve strange uses for food, new lyrics for old songs, people in any kind of uniform, strangers wearing valuable words, secrets about local landmarks, and more. If you’ve been on scavenger hunts where you’ve had to collect boring things like clothespins and obscure CDs, you’re in for a surprise and a treat.

Teams fan out to tackle such challenges as…

Take unusual team photos

Get creative and keep your eyes open as you explore your area and try to meet the requirements of diverse “photo op” challenges. Everyone has to get into the picture (except the person holding the camera, of course). We’ve designed them to allow room for creativity while also delivering dramatic visuals (not just shots of people standing around, smiling and pointing). You might be asked to demonstrate a group member’s superhuman powers. Or treat a staircase as if it’s a carnival ride. Or photobomb another team.

Participants use their smartphone cameras and our browser-based app. You’ll get to see the other players’ pictures and download them afterward.

Find or create unusual items

As in a classic scavenger hunt, you’ll have to locate or create unusual items. But in our version, you might encounter these tricky tests: Can you create and name an amazing new food by combining two unlikely foods? How about an appropriate trophy for the hunt winners? Three items that rhyme? Something improved by being broken? You’ll be surprised by the results that come from great teamwork.

Crack a code to decipher a mystery message

Your hunt materials will include a bizarrely coded message. What the heck does it say? To crack the code, you’ll need to solve crafty, fun puzzles, involving a trivia questions, pop music, and a “pigpen cipher.” Can you piece together the key that unlocks the mystery message?

Locate the Hunt Host for a surprise bonus challenge

At a designated spot in the hunt area, the Host will be waiting for you, ready to spring a tricky, humorous visual puzzle for you to ponder. It could involve unusual celebrity pairings…or musical snippets…or international maps…or strangely altered art.

Go on a scavenger hunt anywhere, with versions and themes to suit your group

Go Deluxe: Let us tailor the hunt to your needs. Tell us what you want to highlight and we’ll weave it into the game. Perhaps someone you want to celebrate? A theme or slogan for a new campaign? Hidden talents in your group? Talk to us! We like a challenge.

Care to take a bite out of crime? Check out the Murder Mystery Mayhem Scavenger Hunt.

The hunts are available in International Editions, for hunters whose first language is not English. They are also available in Spanish, as well as in other select languages.

A Grab ’n’ Go Scavenger Hunt for Kids challenges youngsters and adults to work together to tackle challenges appropriate for ages 7 and up. It’s the perfect activity for birthday parties, bar/bat mitzvahs, family reunions, school field trips, summer-camp outings—you name it.

For a snack-tastic adventure, the Grab ’n’ Go Food Edition features food-themed Collect & Create and Photo Challenges.

And young Harry Potter fans will be cheating if they use their wands and other magical powers on the Wizards & Witches Scavenger Hunt, for ages 7 and up.

Contact us to learn more about the Grab ’n’ Go Scavenger Hunts—and find more fun wherever you are!

Beware: there’s a killer in your midst

Someone playing this game with you is a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde. His or her good side knows nothing about the evil side—and the evil side has challenged you to prevent your own murder. Everyone in your group has been poisoned, and the clock is ticking down on your time left to live. To reveal the killer’s identity, you’ll have to complete a series of photo challenges, solve interlocking puzzles, decipher coded text messages, and more. If you succeed, you get the antidote. If you fail…well, you know.

If you love escape-room games, you’ll love this murder mystery scavenger hunt. But even better, you won’t be locked in a room for an hour: this game can be played almost anywhere. 

An in-person murder mystery for any location!

We have a variety of versions, depending on where you want to play. Such as…

• A city, town, or neighborhood
• A science, history, or entertainment museum
• A zoo or aquarium
• An office building
• A school or campus
• A botanical garden or park

A murder mystery scavenger hunt perfect for team building

Here’s a game that will help you solve the mystery of how to entertain a diverse group of people while boosting morale and teamwork. It’s perfect for any private party or a corporate team-building outing of any size. Our clients who have enjoyed this game include T-Mobile, TD Bank, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Michigan in Washington, and others too numerous to mention.

The hunt’s afoot! Contact us to learn more—and find more team-building fun anywhere!

And show what makes your state so great…

…on a scavenger hunt that sends teams complete challenges that give you a chance to flaunt your hometown pride. You’ll go in search of unusual objects, take inventive team photos, decode a mystery message, and meet the Hunt Host for a surprise challenge.

How is the game tailored to your favorite city and state? Consider some examples:

If you’re from New York City, you might need to locate an actual big apple, or know the best subway route to get from Yankee Stadium to Citifield.

If you’re from Texas, the Lone Star Showdown might challenge you to come up with one of the six flags that have flown over the state, or get a photo with a Longhorn signing “Hook ’em Horns” or with an Aggie signing “Gig ’em.”

Celebrate Milwaukee and the great state of Wisconsin on games that send you in search of such local delights as frozen custard, cheese curds, brats, and booyah stew. Or dramatize the phrase “Fear the deer!”

If you have a case of Minnesota Mania, we might prescribe that you collect some cough drops or lozenges, in honor of Minnesota homeboy Bob Dylan.

In Wilmington, Delaware, you can help a stranger in honor of Joan of Arcadia (the TV series in which Wilmington poses as the fictional Arcadia), or collect a used Amtrak ticket in a salute to hometown hero and rail enthusiast Joe Biden.

In Atlanta, brace yourself for a photo in which you seem to be “gone with the wind” (you know why), or strike a pose with one of the more than a thousand works of street art. Or find a takeout menu with the word peach on it. Peachy!

Or are you visiting the Magnificent Mile in Chicago? Get in the spirit of the Windy City by taking a Team Photo as if you’re being blown away by a gust, or get historical by remembering the Great Fire and finding something toasted (not yourself, please).

In Washington, DC, you can “filibuster” another team for points, or get caught by a “spy camera” with just your heads showing. Or present a stranger with DC’s official flower, an American Beauty red rose.

What people are saying about the Celebrate Your City Scavenger Hunts

A 5-star review on Google: “Our team of 100 had a wonderfully fun time and the coordination with Watson Adventures was super smooth and easy. Laura L. was a wonderful event consultant…she was exceptionally knowledgeable and answered every question I had when planning our team’s Grab n Go option from our hotel conference in San Francisco, which for any event planner is a gold standard….[Watson Adventues] was highly recommend to me by colleagues and now I know why, if you need a fun team building event you will not be disappointed by Watson Adventures!”

“Everyone, even the cynics who weren’t planning on having fun, really enjoyed themselves. We were having so much fun that a complete stranger tried to join our group photo at the finish line!” —a director of sales

Let us know what city or state you love, and we’ll provide a madcap team-building scavenger hunt for your group!

Explore your favorite college campus with a scavenger hunt

You don’t need a college degree to know that campuses are often great to explore. Unusual sculptures! Striking buildings! Beautiful lawns and trees! And other stuff!

The game is designed to be played on any college campus with any group, small or large. It’s a great activity for introducing freshmen (freshpeople?) to their new campus, for alumni to reconnect with their alma mater, or for high school students to get a taste of what college life will be like… or even for corporate groups to enjoy a team-building outing in a setting that seems far from the office.

What to expect on a Watson Adventures university scavenger hunt

1. Take unusual team photos

Get your creative juices flowing and your haunted side showing as you come up with clever ways to complete fun “photo op” challenges. They’re designed to give you room to have fun while also delivering dramatic visuals (not just shots of people standing around like a bunch of stiffs). You might have interact with a mascot, salute someone in a uniform, react to cafeteria food, get decked out in the school’s colors, and more.

2. Find or create unusual items

You’ll also have to procure or concoct unusual items, often with a tricky twist. Put your professor’s cap on to ponder such challenges as: Can you find an object that is improved by being broken? Can you use raised letters on signs to create a “rubbing” of the school motto? Can you procure a piece of paper that proves you visited the library?

3. Crack a code to decipher a mystery message

To crack the code, you’ll need to solve crafty, fun puzzles, possibly involving a few twisted trivia questions, an intriguing message from beyond the grave, a musical phone call, and other surprises. Can you piece together the key that unlocks the mystery message?

4. Complete a bonus challenge with the Hunt Host

See if you can complete a college-themed visual challenge.

Contact us to learn more about this college campus scavenger hunt—and find more fun!

Is someone on your team a double agent?

Shocking news: we have information that someone in your group is a spy for some enemy country. Your mission: to reveal who the traitor is. How can you do it? Someone seems to have embedded secret codes in a scavenger hunt, and there’s reason to believe that if you solve all of its puzzles and other challenges, the name of the spy will be revealed. Are you up to the task?

Along the way, teams must take unusual photos, answer trivia questions, find hidden words, and crack a mystery message. Our Hunt Host will set you up at the start with the game in any phone’s browser (no app to install), meet you for a bonus challenge, and if you’re lucky, drop hints along the way.

Chase a spy almost anywhere

This spy scavenger hunt can be played in a number of places, such as…

• a science, history, or pop culture museum
• a neighborhood
• a zoo
• a park or botanical garden
• an aquarium

The game brings out the various skills of everyone on the team, with each person getting a chance to shine. The game typically takes 75 to 90 minutes, depending on the location.

Ready to track down a spy? Contact us to learn more or explore all our scavenger hunt locations—and find more fun on your next company outing or private event!

Turn your outdoor birthday party into an adventure!

Celebrate someone’s BIG DAY by bringing together friends and family on a fast-paced, fun outdoor birthday scavenger hunt. On teams, you’ll tackle a series of challenges that stretch your creativity, foster connections, and tickle the humerus (that’s the funny bone, right?).

Challenges that honor the Birthday Celebrant

• Take team photos, many of which pay tribute to the Birthday Celebrant—providing keepsakes to share after the game
• Find or create objects that test how well you know the Birthday Celebrant
• Answer trivia and decode a mystery message honoring the Birthday Celebrant
• Connect with our Hunt Host for a surprise bonus challenge

Our live Hunt Host keeps the game going and everyone laughing and sharing. Depending on your location and your preference, our Hunt Host can conduct the game in person, or can the Host can meet the teams on Zoom at the start and finish of the game, as text the teams during the game.

Players use our custom, browser-based app for all parts of the game.

Customize the outdoor birthday party to suit your celebrant

For an additional fee we can customize the game to the particular interests, enthusiasms, and even humorous dislikes of the Birthday Celebrant. We’ll send you questions about the celebrant and then incorporate them in creative ways into the challenges.

In addition to the version for adults, a Kids Edition is available for ages 12 and up.

What clients are saying about our outdoor birthday party scavenger hunt

“I planned a surprise customs scavenger hunt for my fiancé’s birthday last year, and it was so much fun! Watson Adventures was a pleasure to work with and incredibly accommodating with all of my requests. The event host was equally wonderful. We all had a blast. I wish I had more reasons to plan scavenger hunts!” —a reviewer on Yelp

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Saturday was a huge success. The kids had a blast and Eric, the host, was fun and in total control. I could not have come close to giving [our son] as awesome a birthday without your help. You’re the best party coordinators ever!” —a survey response from a parent

Contact us to learn more—and let us make your birthday celebration one of the most memorable you’ll ever enjoy!

The international language of…scavenger hunts!

Do you have a group where English isn’t the primary language of many or all of the members? We have a hunt for you! Most of our scavenger hunts, in both museums and great neighborhoods, are available in International Editions, where the English is easier. We avoid slang and difficult, unusual words in the clues—but we keep in all of the fun. There are also fewer questions, to allow hunters more time, if necessary, to figure out the answers.

Or perhaps you’d like a hunt in a language other than English? We can provide that, too! Give us sufficient notice and we can have the hunt of your choice translated, for an additional fee. Our popular Grab ’n’ Go Scavenger Hunt is the easiest (and least expensive) to translate and customize to your group.

Office bound…for adventure!

When you want a fun, engaging team building activity but you also want to stay in the office, this office scavenger hunt is the game you’re looking for. You’ll rely on wits, imagination, and teamwork to sculpt, write, leap, eat, and act your way to victory.

Teams scour the office to complete entertaining tasks. You’ll be challenged to…

Take unusual Team Photos

Put your creativity and sense of fun to work as you fulfill the requirements of different Team Photo challenges. The whole team has to get into each picture (except the person taking the photo), and you won’t just be standing around looking dull and bored. You might be asked to show off a team member’s hidden talent, treat a staircase like it’s a carnival ride, eat food in a surprising way, and more.

Players use their own smartphone cameras on our app, which runs on any browser. After the scavenger hunt, you’ll get to see the other teams’ photos and download them.

Find or create unusual items

This part is like a classic scavenger hunt, where you have to locate or come up with various items. But in this version of the game, teams will be tasked with tracking down specific objects often found in office settings—and creating original stuff from scratch. Put your heads together to devise something that’s actually made better when it’s broken, an edible(ish) state quarter, an inflatable object with your own team slogan on it, and more.

Crack a code to decipher a mystery message

In your office scavenger hunt materials, you’ll stumble upon a strange, coded message. What in the world does it say? To find out, you’ll need to solve fun puzzles involving a few trivia questions, intriguing texts or e-mails, a musical phone call, and more surprises. Work together to decipher the key that unlocks the mystery message.

Contact us to learn more—and find more fun with you colleagues, right in your office!

A school group game you can play almost anywhere!

Gadzooks! The very rare Maltese Pigeon, an object of spectacular value, has been STOLEN! Worse, the police think the thief is someone in your group.

The anonymous thief is daring your students to figure out who they are: they’ve created a scavenger hunt for you to play on your next field trip. The game is filled with puzzles and tricky questions and photo challenges. If your team of super sleuths complete all of the challenges, and use your powers of observation and teamwork, you can reveal the name of the thief in your group—and recover the priceless Maltese Pigeon!

A field trip activity suitable for many locations

This scavenger hunt is great for field trips to just about any location, delighting kids and chaperones alike. Among the places you can play the game are…

• Almost any outdoor location
• A science museum
• A history museum
• A zoo
• An aquarium
• A botanical garden or park
• A museum of music and other pop culture
• In your own school
• On a college campus

You pick the place, we’ll bring the game! All you need to do is form your group into teams, with at least one adult per team. The game is suitable for ages 12 and up.

Contact us to learn more about this popular field trip activity—and find more fun wherever you go!

An adventure Harry Potter fans will love

Journey to an enchanted world without ever leaving your hometown, on a scavenger hunt that features a variety of challenges that might remind you of Harry and friends. On teams of six, kids search for objects that young witches and wizards would use at a school such as Hogwarts. They’ll also take Team Photos that let them demonstrate their magic skills or show off the effects of spells.

Though the challenges may call to mind aspects of the Harry Potter books and movies, no knowledge of them is required whatsoever. So if, say, you’re throwing a birthday party for the world’s biggest Potter fan, he or she will be thrilled, while friends who know little or nothing about the boy wizard will still have a blast.

This hunt is recommended for ages 7 and up. The minimum rate is $700 for up to 20 people.

Contact us to learn more about this scavenger hunt for kids who wish they could go to Hogwarts—and find more wizarding fun right in your hometown!

Turn your trip to the zoo into a game

Go wild for the wild kingdom on this zoo photo scavenger hunt, perfect for corporate groups, families, and parties alike. On this game, teams go in search of photo ops with animals that meet unusual requirements. You’ll have to be resourceful, and bonus points go to the most creative team. Along the way, you’ll also have to unravel the secrets of a Mystery Message in our browser-based app. Plus you’ll tackle a bonus challenge with our Hunt Host.

If you really want to do some sleuthing, you can opt for the Murder Mystery Mayhem at the Zoo edition, where the elements of the game help you discover the person in your group who might be the henchmen of a diabolical villain.

Editions are also available for school field trips and birthday parties for kids. For adult groups with players whose first language isn’t English, we offer an International edition.

This is not just a great way to explore a zoo and bond with your teammates. It’s also a way to support the mission of zoos—modern-day Noah’s arks—to protect and conserve wildlife. Your appreciation for the “animal ambassadors” on display can ripple to help wildlife around the world.

Inquire about booking our zoo photo scavenger hunt today!

Show Off Your Heroic Side

Calling all caped crusaders, mighty mutants, and strange visitors from other planets! Gather your super friends for an imaginative, empowered adventure. Whether you live in a mighty metropolis or a small town, team up for a super hero scavenger hunt—and take on challenges that bring out the superpowers and secret talents in everyone.

Your Super Teams Will Have To…

• Take Unusual Team Photos: Complete hero- and villain-themed photo prompts. Perfect your heroic poses, hold up tall buildings with a single hand, defeat your arch-enemies, and more.

• Collect & Create Interesting Items: As in a traditional scavenger hunt, this game tasks your league of extraordinary players with finding or cobbling together certain things. You might need your own super logo, an object you smashed with your super strength, or a key to the city!

• Decode a Mysterious Message: Is a bald professor recruiting you to join his fancy school? Is a galactic menace coming to devour the earth? You’ll never know unless you crack the code and reveal the message.

• Join the Hunt Host for a Surprise Challenge: Not even a supreme sorcerer or cosmically powered telepath can predict the fun puzzle in store for your avenging heroes.

Contact us to learn more about this awesome super hero scavenger hunt. Your super-powered adventure awaits!

Happy Halloween!

Whether you want festive fun or a chance to show off your costume before you go party, a spooky Halloween scavenger hunt is a mummy-rable—sorry, memorable—adventure for all. You might have to discover weird new uses for food, dig up a skeleton, ward off a vampire, use your bodies to spell “BOO!,” do your best zombie impression, and more.

Teams fan out to tackle such challenges as…

Take unusual team photos

Get your creative juices flowing and your haunted side showing as you come up with clever ways to complete fun “photo op” challenges. Everyone has to get into the picture (except the ghoul holding the camera, of corpse).

They’re designed to give you room to have fun while also delivering dramatic visuals (not just shots of people standing around like a bunch of stiffs). You might have to do the Monster Mash in a crowded place. Or rise from the dead in a funny way. Or pretend to go trick-or-treating.

Participants use their own smartphone cameras and send the images to our photo-sharing site. You’ll get to see the other players’ pictures and download them afterward.

Find or create unusual items

You’ll also have to procure or concoct unusual items, often with a tricky twist. Can you find or draw a creature that represents your team spirit? How about a food menu featuring blood and bone? A haunting Halloween mask? Something inflatable with a terrifying message written on it? You’ll be shocked—and occasionally horrified—by the results that come from devilishly good teamwork.

Crack a code to decipher a mystery message

Your hunt materials will include a bizarrely coded message. What the H-E Double Hockey Sticks does it say? To crack the creepy code, you’ll need to solve crafty, fun puzzles, possibly involving a few twisted trivia questions, an intriguing message from beyond the grave, a musical phone call, and other surprises. Can you piece together the key that unlocks the mystery message?

Locate the Hunt Host for a bone-tingling bonus challenge

At a dead-signated spot in the hunt area, the Host will be waiting to treat you to a tricky, icky visual puzzle. It’s a monstrous good time, and you’ll want to do your best if you hope to stay alive…to win the game, that is!

’Tis the season for a team-building game

Gather your friends and colleagues for a holly, jolly holiday scavenger hunt in your favorite neighborhood. Your challenge: take creative team photos and collect items that relate to the holiday season. If you’re looking for a different way to kick off your year-end celebrations, you don’t have to ask Santa: just go on this holiday scavenger hunt!

Players use our browser-based app on their phones to check off challenges, take photos, and at the end, share them with other teams. The emphasis is on teamwork and appreciation. By the finish line, even a Scrooge will be acting like it’s Christmas morning.

Your team will tackle holiday-themed challenges…

Take unusual team photos

Get creative and keep your eyes open as you explore your area and try to meet the requirements of diverse “photo op” challenges. Everyone has to get into the picture (except the person holding the camera, of course). You might need to pose while blending in with a holiday window display. Or act as if you are caroling. Or spell a season’s greeting with your bodies. Or re-create a sleigh ride, dashing through the snow.

Find or create unusual items

As in a classic scavenger hunt, you’ll have to locate or create unusual items. But in our version, you might encounter these tricky tests: Can you create and name an amazing new holiday treat by combining two unlikely foods? How about something that could create a “snow storm” for one of your photo challenges? Something you’d put in a colleagues stocking? A holiday gift that is improved by being broken? You’ll be surprised by the results that come from great teamwork.

Crack a code to decipher a mystery message

Your hunt materials will include a strangely coded holiday message. What the heck does it say? To crack the code, you’ll need to solve crafty, fun puzzles, involving a trivia questions and festive holiday season music. Can you piece together the key that unlocks the mystery message?

Locate the Hunt Host for a surprise bonus challenge

At a designated spot in the hunt area, the Host will be waiting for you, ready to spring a tricky, humorous holiday-themed puzzle for you to ponder. It might involve celebrities who have played Santa or the Grinch or Scrooge…

This game can be played in almost any outdoor location. A Kids Edition is also available. Contact us to learn more about this holiday scavenger hunt—and find more fun!