Chicago Scavenger Hunts

Chicago Scavenger Hunts

Posted on by Bret Watson

Outdoor, Museum & Virtual Team-Building Games for Chicago Groups

Top 5 Chicago Scavenger Hunts

Get blown away by the best of the Windy City on tricky, humor-filled scavenger hunts! From outdoor games in the Loop and Lincoln Park to indoors at Chicago's acclaimed museums, our Chicago team-building activities are like walking tours spiked with caffeine. Available to private groups anytime and to the public on select weekends.

Chicago Scavenger Hunts
Weekend Public Hunt Calendar
Inquire about a private hunt
Private hunts available any time!

Great for Groups!

Looking for an activity to make your next event unforgettable? Watson Adventures scavenger hunts combine adventure, mystery, puzzles, and teamwork to bring fun and laughter (and maybe even some learning!) to groups large and small.

Corporate groups & team building

This isn’t your average team building activity! Our scavenger hunts use humor and amazing real-world discoveries to help your team laugh, collaborate, and bond like never before. Learn about corporate hunts

Private parties & events for adults

From fundraisers and alumni events to birthday parties and bachelorettes, our private scavenger hunts bring groups together for an unforgettable, laugh-filled adventure. Learn about private hunts

Field trips & kids groups

Trips to historic sites, museums, and your local zoo have never been more fun! Our Kid scavenger hunts take the stress of planning off the adults and keep kids learning without even realizing it. Explore Kid hunts

Public scavenger hunts

In select cities around the U.S., public scavenger hunts provide an opportunity for smaller groups and individuals to experience the best of Watson Adventures games and explore the coolest spots around town. Get Tickets

Inquire about a Private Hunt

Why Chicagoans Love Our Scavenger Hunts

Don't just take our word for it. Since 1999, numerous media outlets have recommended our team-building games, including USA Today, Travel + Leisure, the Chicago Sun-Times, Businessweek, Chicagoist, and Crain’s Chicago Business.

What a fun experience! Everything was great from booking to the actual hunt. My team participated in the Art Attack at the Art Institute of Chicago. Lots of follow-up from Watson before the hunt and afterwards to make sure everything went smoothly.

– Dawn G.

Our group hosted a team retreat with Watson Adventures in Chicago and it was so much fun! Our staff not only enjoyed the experience, but were able to work with people across teams to discover each other's leadership qualities and talents. Our host was very knowledgeable and made sure everyone had an enjoyable time.

– Tony D.

Watson Adventures did a great job organizing our hunt in Chicago as part of a team building event. Everyone loved the idea and the clues and phone app interface was very intuitive. Would repeat.

– Scott W.

Chicago scavenger hunt FAQs

Below are some questions we frequently receive regarding our scavenger hunts in Chicago. For more information, visit our complete list of FAQs.

On most of our scavenger hunts, you and your teammates will search for answers to tricky and humorous questions to explore your venue of choice, almost like a gamified walking tour of some of Chicago’s coolest places. No previous knowledge of the venue is required!

All scavenger hunts are organized and led by our acclaimed Hunt Hosts. Depending on the size of your group, the Host might be accompanied by assistants.

From Chicago museums and neighborhoods to zoos and aquariums, we have crafted dozens of scavenger hunts for the windy city’s most popular spots. Don’t see the location you’re looking for in the list above? Our Hunt Hosts can help tailor our Anywhere scavenger hunts to your location of choice! 

Our specialty is staging scavenger hunts for groups, such as corporate teams, nonprofits, student groups, and more. We’ve organized outdoor scavenger hunts for as many as 500 people, but any scavenger hunt listed on our site—whether a location-specific scavenger hunt or an “Anywhere” hunt—can be booked by private groups of any size. 

For smaller parties and events (4-12 people), we offer discounted small group scavenger hunts in select locations. In Chicago, these venues include The Loop, the Field Museum, and the Art Institute. These games are popular for birthday parties, bachelor/bachelorette parties, and family reunions.

We offer public hunts in a handful of cities around the U.S, including Chicago! We typically offer 1-2 public games each month here in the Windy City, so check out our public hunt calendar to find an upcoming hunt near you. Best played in teams of 2-6.

Our corporate scavenger hunts aren’t your typical team building activity. In fact, they’re not even your typical team building scavenger hunt! Each hunt is written by professional writers (with wicked senses of humor, if we do say so ourselves) to deliver laughs and fun while testing your teamwork, with each question designed to bring out team members’ diverse talents. With the help of our fantastic customer service team and Hunt Hosts, we have been organizing scavenger hunts for companies of all sizes for more than 25 years. Inquire about a hunt today and find out why 80 of the top 100 largest companies in the U.S. have turned to Watson Adventures for our in-person and virtual team building scavenger hunts.

We offer Kids Editions of some of our most popular hunts. Suitable for ages 7 and up, these scavenger hunts are popular for kids’ birthday parties and Chicago field trips.

Inquire About a Private Scavenger Hunt!

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