Museum Scavenger Hunts in Detroit & Dearborn

The hunt with something for everyone!

Uncover the most surprising secrets and the most unusual details of the vast collection of Americana inside Dearborn’s Henry Ford Museum of Innovation. On teams, you’ll explore the museum’s treasures by following a trail of clues and collaborating to answer fun and funny questions.

Your quest might include…

• President Lincoln’s seat from Ford’s Theatre—yes, that one!
• The actual bus on which Rosa Parks made a stand by sitting
• An unearthed treasure trove for gamers that Atari didn’t want you to see
• A surprising news flash from Sesame Street
• Amusing views of the future provided by comic books, toy robots, lunch boxes, and more pop-culture relics from the recent past

Plus, Thomas Jefferson’s writing desk, limousines presidents rode in, and actual full-size historic planes, trains, and automobiles. You don’t need any prior knowledge to do well on this hunt: you just need to keep your eyes open and work well with your team. 

A Murder Mystery Edition is also available, in which your group of sleuths will have to catch a killer in order to ward off a potentially catastrophic international incident. 

We offer Kids Editions, too, for ages 7 and up.

If you’re looking for a great activity that will entertain a diverse group, you’re welcome! Groups of all kinds have enjoyed our hunts on corporate outings, birthday parties, social-group get-togethers, school trips—you name it.

Can your team of sleuths catch a killer?

You didn’t expect an ordinary old museum tour, did you? Good, because you won’t get one here. Instead, you’ll be challenged to solve the murder of a Watson Adventures staffer who’s been found dead in the Detroit Institute of Arts.

It turns out that the dead man created a hunt for your group that is full of secret codes and an “emergency message.” We need your team to do the hunt and see if it provides clues about who wanted him killed and why. You’ll start to uncover the secrets of his treacherous double life—and possibly head off an international incident with far-reaching consequences.

Along the way, you’ll also uncover secrets about amazing works of art, where many a surprising detail turns out to be part of a cryptic code. No previous knowledge of art, or the museum, is required: you just need sharp eyes and good teamwork. The fate of the free world just may hinge on your group’s ability to work together.

Contact us to learn more—and find more fun in Detroit!

Find the humor hidden in great art

See the best of the amazing Detroit Institute of Arts museum on a whirlwind scavenger hunt. Your adventure will span time and continents as your team follows a trail of clues through the museum to explore ancient Roman stones, dazzling Impressionist scenes of Paris, biblical disasters by Old Masters, upstart American moguls and muggles, contemporary art so new you’ll swear the paint isn’t dry, and much more. But that’s not all: to win, you’ll have to answer tricky, humorous questions about what you find.

Along the way, you might discover…

• The saint who might have contributed a little too much to a kegger
• A naughty cupid
• The worst nudist camp ever
• A woman who’d better watch her step
• A guy who looks like he should sue his acupuncturist

Plus, paintings that survived Pompeii, mini mummies, an unfortunate skinny-dipper, and the dish that’s served steamed and stuffed in red-pepper sauce at 4 o’clock. But no knowledge of art or the museum is necessary to earn a first-place finish: you just need sharp eyes, comfy shoes, and good teamwork.

The hunt is a fantastic way to entertain a diverse group of people, whether it’s an outing with colleagues, a birthday party, an alumni gathering—you name it!