Museum Scavenger Hunts in Boston

It’s more like the Museum of Fun Arts…

…when you go on this eye-popping, jaw-dropping tour across the centuries at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. With your team, you’ll discover startling aspects of objects and art from ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, Japan, China, India, Paris, and all periods of American history. Your challenge: answer tricky questions about what you find. To triumph, you just need sharp eyes, comfy shoes, and great teamwork.

An unusual art museum scavenger hunt

Don’t know much about art? No worries! Instead, your team will be challenged to find out such things as…

• Why King Kong would take up smoking
• What ghoulish ingredient a lady keeps in a flowerpot
• Why a naked goddess isn’t actually naked
• And much more

You’ll search for answers to such questions as…

• Why does a guy deliberately get heart burn on his wedding night? Answer: In the painting ‘Wedding night of Tobias and Sarah,’ the groom burns a heart and a liver to ward off demons. It was a different time…
• What does a wiry artist turn a spiral into? Answer: Cow dung, near Alexander Calder’s “Cow.”
• Why would a boy’s mummy suggest that he put on gold lipstick? Answer: To ensure speech in the afterlife, as explained near a portrait of a mummy youth.

The museum is open until 10 p.m. on Wednesday through Friday, which allows for a great after-work team-building activity for corporate groups. But you don’t have to work at a company to join the fun: this game is great for birthday parties, social groups, college groups, you name it.

Delighted clients who have tackled this team-building extravaganza include Dunkin’ Brands, Procter & Gamble, Oracle, Converse, Liberty Mutual, Novartis, and LinkedIn, to name just a few.

Add more team-building fun

Want your group to interact more? Try the Mixed Alliances Edition, in which each team must meet and collaborate with three other teams as the game unfolds. Each individual will interact with at least 11 other game participants. What will you do when your opponent must become your ally?

Contact us to learn more about the team-building scavenger hunt at the Museum of Fine Arts—and find more fun in Boston!

A curator has been murdered…

…and he left behind a trail of clues that reveal secrets embedded in works of art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. As your team finds answers to tricky questions about the art, you begin to piece together the details of the museum’s planned purchase of a newly discovered painting by Leonardo da Vinci. The dead man knew too much, and now it’s up to you to learn what drove one of four suspects to commit murder. Can you figure out whodunit?

What kinds of groups have cracked this case? All kinds, from corporate groups looking for a team-building activity to social groups searching for an unusual game to bring people together. And you don’t need to know anything about art to win: you just need quick wits and good teamwork.

What are players saying about the MFA murder mystery game?

A 5-star review on Yelp: “This was incredibly fun! My boyfriend and I did the Murder Mystery in the Museum of Fine Art. We followed directions to different rooms in the museum and used clues to find a specific pieces of art. The answer was usually obvious in the art or in the description. No prior art history knowledge needed! Each team was staggered so we weren’t all rushing to the same room at the same time….This scavenger hunt was easy and fun and made me read about the art much more than I would have normally….I had a great time and will look this company up next time I am in Boston.”

Contact us to learn more about this murder mystery scavenger hunt at the MFA—and find more fun in Boston!

Team building is a dangerous game

Or at least it was for the Watson Adventures staffer who created the scavenger hunt for your group at the Museum of Science. He was found dead at the foot of the T. rex, and the only evidence that remains is the game he created for your group—and some mysterious documents we received when we tried to contact his sister.

The police need your help. They think that the scavenger hunt might contain clues that reveal the victim’s secret life. On teams, you’ll need to follow clues to visit exhibits in the museum and answer tricky questions about what you find. You must figure out how they relate to a mysterious list of code words that seem to indicate that our hunt host was in danger—and perhaps you are too.

You’ll need good teamwork and a bit of cunning to save yourselves—and maybe even the world. Are you up for the challenge? The game’s afoot!

What hunters are saying about the murder mystery scavenger hunt

“I wanted to commend you guys on an awesome event yesterday. As an HR Leader, it’s always scary to decide what my group will respond to—they loved it!  In fact, someone just told me that it was the best event this company has ever had.  YAY. Thanks again for making it so easy and enjoyable.  And please let Elizabeth [the hunt host] know that she did a terrific job.”—a senior HR manager at a biotech company

Join us for a weekend scavenger hunt for the general public, or contact us to learn about a private murder mystery scavenger hunt for your group—and find more fun in Boston!

See the surreal side of a science museum

…on a whirlwind tour of the Museum of Science that reveals eye-popping interactive exhibits, ingenious beasts, delightful dioramas, eccentric inventors, and marvelous machines. On this team-building adventure, you’ll follow clues and answer slightly crazy questions about what you discover. Highlights include a life-size T. rex, a pharaoh with a fan club, a clanging kinetic tower, optical illusions, a mad scientist’s lab, a fascinating/horrifying trophy room, and a nightmare chair.

No MIT degree is required—in fact, it could be a hindrance. You just need inquiring minds, good teamwork, and a sense of humor.

Your team will tackle such questions as…

• What two dinosaurs could pose for an extreme diet plan’s “before” and “after” photos? Answer: Campsognathus and triceratops, seen in models both as they looked alive and as skeletons.
• In the Natural Mysteries gallery, Wilson’s ironic lesson might be that you’re always hurt by the ones you love. Why would he think that? Answer: Wilson A. Bentley, a photographer of snowflakes, died from walking in the snow.
• In the Transportation exhibit, find a red machine that a dolt might think can help de-wrinkle clothes or make a cappuccino. Thanks to this, at what speed did Marriott almost check out? Answer: Astonishingly, Fred Marriott survived a 190 mph crash in a Stanley Steamer.

Please note that we haven’t included here the directions and other clues that lead you to the answers.

ADD MORE TEAM-BUILDING FUN

Want your group to interact more? Try the Mixed Alliances Edition, in which each team must meet and collaborate with three other teams as the game unfolds. Each individual will interact with at least 11 other game participants. What will you do when your opponent must become your ally?

Look at art, solve puzzles—and save yourself!

This hunt is currently unavailable. Please consider one of our outdoor hunts in the Boston Seaport area: the Celebrate Boston Scavenger Hunt and the Murder Mystery Mayhem Scavenger Hunt.

You’ve been poisoned at the start of this scavenger hunt (er, sorry), and it’s up to you to find the cure. How? By going on a whirlwind tour of the Institute of Contemporary Art and solving a series of art-related puzzles created by a diabolical villain. He wants to see if you can decipher a coded message that will reveal how to get the antidote. Sure, you can escape a room, but can you escape the ICA?

The puzzles will test your teamwork. You might need to tease out hidden words. Or translate the rebus HIJKLMNO into a familiar term. Or solve a riddle. Or find what this means: Arrow shooter —> not fast. The variety of puzzles is designed to call upon the talents of everyone on your team—while delighting you with eye-popping art.

No knowledge of contemporary art or the museum is required: you just need sharp eyes, comfy shoes, and excellent teamwork.

Contact us to learn more about private games for groups—and find more puzzle-loving fun with Boston team-building activities like these!

Steel your nerves…

…for an ominous Halloween adventure as you explore the creepy, the eerie, and the ghostly side of art on this spooky tour of the Museum of Fine Arts. You’ll collaborate with your team to follow strange clues and answer tricky, entertaining questions about morbid masterpieces and the artists who created them.

Relax: you don’t need to know anything about the art or the museum. This is not a game of trivia, it’s a game of teamwork. All you need are sharp eyes and comfy shoes.

On this Halloween scavenger hunt, you might encounter…

• A multitude of mummies
• A Mayan jar that’s half human head, half skull
• The disturbing contents of a basil pot (someone call CSI: MFA)
• A fancy container for a human arm bone
• A hook from which hung the bounty of head hunts

This spooky scavenger hunt is a fun way to celebrate the season with a company outing, private Halloween party, and more!

This game makes for a great Halloween team building activity for friends and fiends alike. Click below to see the public hunt schedule, or contact us about a private hunt for your group—and find more devilish fun in Boston!

Time travel on this whirlwind scavenger hunt

…at the Plimoth Patuxet Museums near Plymouth, Massachusetts. The museums are an outdoor re-creation of a village from the time of the Pilgrims. Teams will be challenged to explore the buildings and gardens and workshops while completing unusual photo challenges. You’ll need to pool your creativity and sharpen your eyes.

This hunt is perfect for group activities and team building, and even features a Kids Edition, that gets kids and adults working together in a laugh-filled adventure that’s great for a school field trip.

Along the way you might need to…

• Get directions from one of the museum’s re-enactors, as if you are lost time-travelers.
• Pose outside a colonial home as if you are a 17th-century family.
• Play an old-time game, such as hitting a hoop with a stick to keep it rolling.
• Engage in a bygone chore in a creative new way.

You’ll also need to complete a Bonus Challenge with the Hunt Host, and crack a musical Mystery Message.

This game provides a great way to see the grounds and exhibits while getting to know your teammates better, through cooperation and laughter.

If you need more of a challenge, try the Murder Mystery Mayhem Scavenger Hunt, where your sleuthing skills will be tested as you track down a killer in the colonial village…if you dare.

Contact us to learn more about our group and team-building activities at Plimoth Patuxet—and find more fun in Massachusetts!

Set off on Boston’s most surreal hunt…

…a whirlwind tour of two museums: the Harvard Museum of Natural History and the Peabody Museum. On teams, you’ll follow intriguing clues through the exhibits in these next-door neighbors and answer tricky, humorous questions about what you find. On your quest, you’ll discover exotic stuffed animals, sparkling jewels, odd artifacts, thousands of glass flowers, meteorites, and more.

You might tackle such questions as…

• In Meteorites, find a big rock / That gave one cow a fatal clock / These aren’t little bits of stardust / Indeed, how heavy is Harvard’s largest? Answer: Near a meteorite that struck a cow, the largest is more than 400 pounds.
• Among Asian mammals, you could get crushed by a snake or shredded by a tiger—or even worse, get an embarrassing nickname. Which crazy quadruped is often the butt of jokes? Answer: The Kiang’s nickname is “wild ass.”
• Insurance agents, take note! Which frequently airborne African animal comes equipped with an “anti-skid” device? Answer: The scale-tailed squirrel. The scales help it stop after a leap.

You don’t need to know anything about the museum or science to do well on this hunt—or even to win. You just need to pay attention to the details, use your wits, and work well with your group. The game is great for corporate team building, social-club meetups, and any other kind of gathering where you want people to have fun while getting to know one another better.

Also available: the Kids Edition, suitable for ages 7 and up. Kids and adults work together to answer fun questions that leave everyone engaged and amazed. It’s the perfect activity for school field trips, youth-group outings, and birthday parties.

Contact us to learn more about our Harvard scavenger hunts—and find more fun in Cambridge!

An unblushing look at nudity in art…

…though we can’t guarantee that you won’t blush on this naughty tour of the MFA.

On teams, you’ll scrutinize paintings and sculptures to answer tricky, humorous questions. Along the way, you’ll get a whirlwind tour of the best of the MFA, from ancient Egypt and Rome, through the  Americas galleries, and right up to the latest contemporary art. 

Along the way, you might find…

• randy Romans
• a “stag” party drinking game
• sultry sylphs from Southeast Asia
• Father Time’s hot time
• a god with Venus envy

No knowledge of art—or nudity—is required. You just need sharp eyes and comfy shoes.

This hunt is offered to the general public every February as a Valentine’s Day activity, suitable for teams of up to six people. The rest of the year, groups can book a private hunt any time.

Contact us to learn more about our MFA scavenger hunts—and find more fun in Boston!

Get your wands at the ready…

…for this magical journey through the Museum of Fine Arts, in search of art that echoes characters, places, and enchanted objects in the Harry Potter books and movies. Kids and adults team up to find giants that will remind you of Hagrid, centaurs and unicorns that would be at home in the Forbidden Forest, dragons that would strike fear in the hearts of Triwizard Tournament participants, and freaky figures as frightening as Death Eaters and Dementors.

Wizards and muggles alike can play

You don’t have to be a Potter buff to prevail: we have a cheat sheet for muggles, so they can enjoy the hunt and contribute just as much. The hunt is not an addition to or variation on Harry’s adventures; instead, references to the books and movies will provide a surprising bridge to many strange and wonderful works of art.

Visit museums across the country—virtually!

Discover odd and unusual art and artifacts on this unique museum virtual tour. Tricky, fun trivia questions provide clues that lead you on a quest to explore 16 online museums of all kinds, all over America. You’ll pick your way through virtual galleries and historic locations, in search of amazing masterpieces, startling artifacts, dinosaurs, famous people, and more, earning points for uncovering humorous details, all without leaving your comfy chair.

No previous knowledge is required. You just need sharp eyes and great teamwork on this adventure. Thanks to video conferencing technology and our custom game app, people at home can play along with a Watson Adventures host, work with teammates, and have fun together. This game sends you searching for the strangest and funniest details in art hidden on museum websites.

Special editions for private groups

• Want your colleagues to mix more during the game? The Mix & Mingle edition rearranges the teams at “halftime” to increase the number of people players interact with during the game.
• The International Edition is great for groups seeking online ESL games.
• If your group is up for a challenge, try the Brain Squeeze Edition, which adds devilish trivia questions to the clues.
• Or if you’re an educator looking for online classroom games, consider the Kids Edition.

Want to see more of a particular city’s best museums and landmarks? Escape games for New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay Area, Texas, and Washington, D.C., are also available. If your group includes people from a variety of countries, whose first language might not be English, check out the Around the World Scavenger Hunt.

Contact us to learn more—and find more fun working at home!