Scavenger Hunts at The Metropolitan
Museum of Art

See the best of the Met on our funniest tour!

Embark on this hilarious hunt with your team for a truly unique bonding experience. It covers almost the entire museum, so you’ll get to travel from ancient Rome to modern America, hitting Europe, China, India, South America, and more along the way. But no knowledge of art is required—in fact, it might be a hindrance!

On this art museum scavenger hunt, your team might…

• Go to the dogs in a panoramic view of the Gardens of Versailles
• Discover why Cupid could use some Pampers
• Decipher graffiti on an ancient Egyptian temple
• Spot Mick Jagger in a medieval stained-glass window
• Find out what’s on the back of Van Gogh’s mind
• Learn why Freud’s pudgy poser has Venus envy

And those are just a few of the highlights as you search for some of the museum’s most startling and surprisingly humorous works, often in galleries you never knew existed.

This hunt is the perfect way to bring people together and make memories as you bond over our entertaining challenges. It’s a great corporate team-building activity, birthday-party idea, social-group outing—you name it!

Hunts for private groups: more team-building punch  

If you 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?

What delighted players are saying

“It was AMAZING! And so was [Hunt Host] Michael! Just top notch! The team had so much fun! We have a highly competitive group! And that was my first time at the Met. It was so beautiful!” —a corporate group

A 5-star review on Yelp: “My extended family (age range from 4 – 80) had a blast zooming through the Met to get clues for the scavenger hunt. It was an amazing way to expose my jaded teenagers to the museum in a way that ensured they didn’t even think of it as a cultural outing. We all had a really great time. Super well organized and fun.”

Another 5-star Yelp review: “Whether it’s a corporate outing or a fun birthday adventure, Watson Adventures delivers. It’s an amazing team building exercise and provides its share of memorable moments. The guides are great. The tips are fascinating. And everyone, including the grumpiest critics at the outset, had a great time. We did the Met as well as Madam Tussaud’s and both offered memorable moments and interesting Amazing Race–like teamwork.”

Contact to learn more about our Metropolitan Museum of Art scavenger hunts—and find more fun in New York City?

Can your team solve this murder mystery scavenger hunt?

Fans of murder mysteries and The Da Vinci Code will enjoy this unusual adventure at 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.

Even if you’re not a murder mystery buff, you’ll have plenty of fun spotting unusual details in art, piecing together the story, and laughing at some of the surprising discoveries. No knowledge of the museum or its art is required—you just need sharp eyes, comfy shoes, and good teamwork.

What are players saying about the  at the Met Museum Murder Mystery Game?

“We had a fantastic time yesterday. Thank you for all your assistance! Our Hunt Host was a lot of fun and kept us interested in the story line—which is just juicy and scandalous enough to have kept everyone interested. We had a really great time as individual teams working together as well as competing against each other.” –Jessica Park, Office Manager, Black Mountain Systems

“Our team had a great time. Don and Shannon are wonderful hosts and I have to say that the entire group was super into the hunt—I consider this a great success for our group (lol).
Thank you so much for making the process so easy and seamless. I was super impressed from start to finish. Thanks again!!!!” —an organizer from a pharmaceutical firm

A 5-star review on TripAdvisor: “We loved our Murder at the Met Scavenger Hunt. What a great way to see a museum. The questions were tough and we loved the challenge. Our family loved it—millennials and baby boomers. Kim was a great [hunt host]. We will definitely do another/different Hunt. Highly recommended!”

Click below to see the weekend public hunt schedule or contact us to learn more about booking a private Murder at the Met Scavenger Hunt for your group—and find more fun in New York City!

A crazed killer is on the loose in the Met Museum

And it’s up to you to stop him! The clever criminal has created a scavenger hunt at the museum, and if your team can solve its puzzles, you’ll discover his name, the weapon he used, and where he hid the body in the museum. The police need your help.

By following the trail of clues and answering tricky questions, you’ll narrow down the list of suspects, weapons, and possible crime scenes. Your goal: to provide the authorities with the evidence they need to catch and convict the killer. Can you figure out whodunit?

No knowledge of the museum or art is necessary. You just need sharp eyes and comfy shoes. This hunt is an easier alternative than the more challenging Murder at the Met Scavenger Hunt.

What players are saying about this murder mystery at the Met

A 5-star review on Google: “Our team truly enjoyed our scavenger hunt at The Met! We did it as a team building activity as part of our staff retreat. Folks had a lot of fun. Our host was fantastic!…Thanks for a great time!”

“The team had a brilliant time, thank you so much! ‘One of the best team outings’ we’ve done 🙂 ”—the organizer of a corporate group outing

Another 5-star Google review: “We booked a murder mystery scavenger hunt for my husband’s birthday and it was INCREDIBLE. Mia was a fantastic host, and we got to explore parts of the museum I’ve never been in (and we’ve been members for over a decade). I can’t recommend them more highly.”

“It was AWESOME! The team absolutely loved it and we are already trying to figure out a date where we can sign up for another. Also Andy was a great host. Thank you again for all of your help in organizing, was absolutely perfect.” —from a hospital group

The hunt’s afoot! Click on a button below to contact us about a Met museum scavenger hunt for a private group or to buy tickets to weekend hunts for the public—and find more fun in NYC!

Follow in the footsteps of young wizards…

…on a magical 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. On teams, you’ll collaborate to 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.

Not just a Harry Potter fans scavenger hunt

Both wizards and muggles (i.e., people who aren’t Potter experts) can play and enjoy this game. Everyone will discover unusual images that will surprise and delight. The hunt is not an addition to or variation on Harry’s adventures; instead, references to the books will provide a bridge to many surprising and spectacular works of art. It’s a great birthday-party activity for your favorite Harry Potter fan. 

Join us for a hunt for the general public on weekends (all-adult teams compete separately) or contact us about a private hunt for your group—and find more wizarding fun!

A fun way for kids to fall in love with art

Kids and adults go on an art adventure together on this child-friendly edition of our popular Met Madness Scavenger Hunt. On teams, you’ll travel through time as you search for answers to tricky, humorous questions about mummies, knights in armor, palace rooms, hidden gardens, and much more. No knowledge of the museum or art is required, but you’ll come away amazed at what you’ve seen and eager to learn more.

For ages 7 and up. Kids must be accompanied by an adult, and vice versa. This is a perfect activity for school field trips and summer-camp outings, and we can’t count how many birthday parties have enjoyed this hunt.

A special edition for younger kids

Children ages 6 to 8 can also get in on the action with the Met Detectives Scavenger Hunt. They’ll use close-up photos of the weirdest, wackiest works of art to answer kooky questions about what they find. Every team requires at least one adult to help with walking directions while the kids keep their eyes wide open looking at the art.

What are players saying about this art museum scavenger hunt for kids and students?

A 5-star review on Yelp: “My extended family (age range from 4 – 80) had a blast zooming through the Met to get clues for the scavenger hunt. It was an amazing way to expose my jaded teenagers to the museum in a way that ensured they didn’t even think of it as a cultural outing. We all had a really great time. Super well organized and fun.”

Another 5-star Yelp review: “Our Girl Scout troop celebrated the end of the year with a terrific scavenger hunt at the Metropolitan Museum. The girls (4th grade) had a wonderful time and talk about it often. They really had such fun we might do it again! And why not, it is educational and fun.  Watson Adventures was great to work with and the event came together seamlessly.”

Contact us to learn more about this popular art museum scavenger hunt for kids—and find more fun at the Met Museum!

Solve a murder at the Met? Get a clue!

In this mischievous mystery, kids and adults team up to search great works of art to expose a killer. The villain has created a scavenger hunt at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and if you can solve it, you’ll reveal his name, the weapon he used, and where he hid the body.

You’ll get images of suspects, weapons, and possible crime scenes that are all on display in the museum. By following the trail of clues and answering tricky questions, you’ll get closer and closer to solving this deadly puzzle, helping the police—and earning bragging rights for your team.

Discover one of our most popular Met Museum activities for kids

No knowledge of the museum or art is necessary: just bring your love of mystery and your teamwork skills. This hunt is for ages 10 and up. Each team must include at least one kid and one adult, with a maximum of six participants per team.

Contact us to learn more—and find more fun for kids in NYC!

Based on a Sherlock Holmes story

It’s your job to solve a mind-boggling mystery on this scavenger hunt with a deadly twist. Wealthy businessman William Cates has been found shot dead in his Park Avenue home. Next to his body lay his wife, Janet, unconscious and seriously wounded. Police plan to charge Janet with murder and currently see her shooting as a failed suicide attempt.

A week earlier, Cates sought the help of the Watson Adventures code-breaking experts. Janet had received e-mails containing images of dancing stick figures. They seemed to cause her great distress, but she insisted that they were meaningless.

The crime scene included a crumpled copy of a scavenger hunt involving nudes at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where Janet works. We believe that the scavenger hunt is somehow linked with the dancing-figure e-mails. Will these messages prove that Janet is innocent?

Who murdered William Cates? What is the secret of the dancing nudes? We need your help! See if your team of sleuths can figure out who dunnit by following a trail of clues through works of art at the museum and answering devilishly tricky questions about them. A woman’s life hangs in the balance—and you may be her only hope.

Click on a button below to find out more or to get in the game—and find more fun at the Met!

The love child of a pub quiz and a scavenger hunt

You’ll need to show off your knowledge to prevail at this unusual game at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Each question challenges your team to answer a trivia question, and that answer becomes a crucial clue to answering a question about an object on display. The trivia comes from movies, music, history, sports, science, books—you name it.

Trivia answers provide clues to adventure

• Knowing one of Lady Gaga’s hit songs could help you find out what’s going on in a painting of a sneaky card game.
• Remembering how many stars make up a famous dipper can help you track down a goddess getting a constellation prize.
• And can your team figure out what previous profession was shared by Stephen King, Sting, John Adams, Lyndon Johnson, and J.K. Rowling? That answer can help you spot French figures revealing a shocking schoolmaster tactic. 

Don’t know those trivia tidbits? If your team gets stuck, you can consult a smartphone—but keep in mind that the teams that get the answers faster will answer more questions and score more points.

This might be one of our most challenging hunts, so you’ll probably want to pack your team with up to six brainiacs. Contact us to learn more—and find more trivia fun in NYC!

Women rule the art world…

…on this whirlwind tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art that reveals the many ways famous and formidable females have made history—and herstory. Your team will follow a trail of tricky clues and answer intriguing questions about paintings, sculptures, and surprising objects.

Along the way, you’ll get to know the likes of Georgia O’Keeffe, Harriet Whitney Frishmuth’s divine sculpture, a Nigerian Queen, a cross-dressing rodeo hand, and more.

No previous knowledge of art or women’s history is required. You just need sharp wits, keen eyes, and comfy shoes.

The cat’s meow for art lovers and animal lovers

Kids and adults team up as they chase down furry friends hidden in works of art throughout the Metropolitan Museum of Art. You’ll search for misbehaving hounds, a silver wildcat from the ancient Middle East, a poor pooch serving as a seat, a ferocious feline from Peru, a disturbed dog witnessing a prank, an African dog acting like a horse, hungry cats eyeing birds, and a cranky kitty being teased by terrible tots. And those are just a few of the highlights. Whoever said curiosity killed the cat never went on this scavenger hunt!

Your pack will find their enthusiasm unleashed and their tails wagging. You’d be barking mad not to enjoy it.

This hunt is for ages 7 and up. Each team must have at least one adult.

The Met is filled with dragons!

And we need your help to track them down. Kids and adults will go dragon-hunting together in search of Speckled Forktails, Black Grangles, Large-Mouthed Undertoads, sinuous Silvery Snarches, Long-Tailed Knight Terrors, Bearded Sticklebacks, Seven-Headed Reapers, and dreaded Hissing Halitosins. They are hiding in paintings, in statues, in armor, in jewelry, even in musical instruments—seemingly everywhere you look!

Fans of the How to Train Your Dragon movies will be surprised at the variety of winged wonders. That said, no knowledge of the movies, or of the museum’s art, is required to answer our tricky, amusing questions about the fiery friends you’ll find.

For ages 7 and up. Each team must have at least one adult.

Contact us to learn more about this unusual scavenger hunt for kids at the Met—and find more fun in NYC!