The Conquer the Carnegie Museums Scavenger Hunt
- private
- adults
- kids
- indoor
One hunt, two museums—double the fun!
Whoever said less is more didn’t go on this scavenger hunt, which shows you the best of two great museums under one roof: the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. From triceratops to Seurat, from dioramas to Degas, and from mummified pharaohs to colorful van Goghs, you’ll explore it all on this team-building trek by following clues through the exhibits in search of answers to tricky, humorous questions.
You might tackle challenges like these…
- Enter the Hall of Architecture and pass someone who makes you say “D’oh!” Continue toward icy doors. Who or what is unlucky enough to have “snake eyes”? Answer: Past a bust of Homer and near doors from Iceland, a sheep or ram skull has a snake wriggling through its eye sockets.
- Visit Dinosaurs in Their Time, a room of old bones. What “shady lady” first sold seashells by the seashore? Answer: Mary Awning, the fossil hunter who inspired the famous tongue twister. (Awning, shady…get it?)
The questions are designed so that you can figure out the answer only when you’re standing in the right spot. No knowledge of the museum or its contents is necessary to play or to win: you just need to pay attention to the details, use your wits, and work well with your team.
For ages 7 and up, the Kids Edition is great for school field trips.
Care to make it a mystery? A Murder Mystery Edition is also available.
What delighted clients are saying
A 5-star review on Google: “We’ve hosted multiple company scavenger hunts across multiple offices and all feedback from attendees was great! Watson Adventures was super accommodating to our groups and super friendly—not only are you learning new things about the city that you would have never known otherwise, you are having fun while doing so! We will definitely be using them again in the future!”
“We had a FANTASTIC time. We have a lot of people on our staff with an appreciation for art and history, so this was right up our alley. Staff who don’t typically work together got a chance to team up and it was just an all-around great experience.” —Shannon Deely, Community Events Coordinator, DVSSP
Contact us to learn more about our Carnegie Museums scavenger hunts—and find more fun in Pittsburgh!
The Pittsburgh Pursuit Scavenger Hunt
- private
- adults
- kids
- outdoor
Lead your team to victory in the City of Champions
The neighborhood surrounding the Carnegie Museums and the University of Pittsburgh contains many surprises and cool sights, and you’ll see the best of them on scavenger hunts that test your wits and your ability to work with your team.
So, how do you play—and win? By following a trail of clues through the city in search of answers to tricky, humorous questions about the site of the 1960 World Series, the Nationality Rooms at the Cathedral of Learning, the Heinz Chapel, and a Carnegie-built architectural wonder, to name a few. Along the way, you’ll also meet a movie hoofer, Babe Ruth, a legendary songwriter, Michelangelo, and Dippy the Dinosaur.
You might tackle such questions as…
- Take the path of muscle resistance. What year does Calvin share with da Bear? Answer: Former Chicago Bears head coach Mike Ditka and Calvin Smith are named on a plaque for the Class of 1961.
- Go to a famous place where you might worship a condiment. On the building, what tropical sight seems out of place? Answer: Oddly enough, palm trees are on the facade of Heinz Chapel.
- Go around the Frick Fine Arts Building toward a small baseball field, then find a remnant of a big baseball field, where the Pirates won the World Series in 1960. How deep was center field? Answer: 457 feet, according to a plaque at the site of Forbes Field.
Keep in mind that we haven’t given you all of the clues, which would help guide you to the spots where the answers can be found. You don’t need to know this neighborhood to triumph: you just need sharp eyes and comfy shoes.
Various options to suit your group
Care to add an extra—and deadly—challenge to your Pittsburgh adventure? We can customize this hunt to include an interactive murder-mystery plot.
Kids Editions are also available for ages 7 and up. On these adventures for younger audiences, adults and children join forces to come up with the correct answers. It’s a fantastic activity for a birthday party or school field trip.
The Grab ’n’ Go Anywhere Scavenger Hunts
- Most Popular
- private
- adults
- kids
- outdoor
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.
What are people saying about the Anywhere Scavenger Hunts?
“The Grab ’n’ Go Scavenger Hunt was so much fun! All of the teams were engaged and working together. We couldn’t have asked for a better team-building and celebration event.” –Brittney Gallardo, Office Manager/Executive Assistant, Texture by Next Issue Media
A 5-star review on Google: “We hired Watson Adventures to host the Grab ‘n’ Go scavenger hunt for a teambuilding event in our local downtown area. We chose to pay for an on-site host and it was well worth it. Kim, the host, was fantastic, well organized, very helpful with the game app, and added even more fun to the game with opportunities to earn extra points. Our team had a blast!! We thoroughly enjoyed getting out from in front of our computers to spend time together in this fun and creative environment!”
A 5-star review on Yelp: “I planned a surprise custom scavenger hunt for my fiancé’s birthday last year and it was so much fun! Tara 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!”
Another 5-star review on Google: “Watson Adventures was so incredibly fun for our company offsite! Correy was a fantastic host that guided the experience and Tara made planning a customized hunt a breeze. 10/10 recommend!”
Contact us to learn more about the Grab ’n’ Go Scavenger Hunts—and find more fun wherever you are!
Escape to the Museum Virtual Scavenger Hunt for Kids
- private
- kids
- teens
- indoor
Explore Museums All over the Country—at Home!
Round up your teammates for an online adventure that challenges you to explore museum websites in search of the craziest, zaniest, secret-and-surprise-stuffed-fulliest (is that a word?) exhibits you’ve ever seen outside of your dreams. You’ll follow tricky clues on different museum websites and answer humorous question about what you uncover.
No knowledge of any particular museum is required: you just need sharp eyes, sharp wits, sharp teammates, and sharp pencils. Wait: sharp pencils not required, because you’ll be reading the clues and answering the questions in our spiffy app, bursting with links and hints and sound effects and other fun stuff.
Virtual scavenger hunt highlights include…
- Sue the T. rex at the Field Museum in Chicago
- A tour of the Texas State Aquarium with a sloth
- A bison stampede at the Milwaukee Public Museum
- The Space Shuttle Discovery at the Air & Space Museum
- Vintage arcade games at San Francisco’s Musée Méchanique
The game is suitable for ages 10 and up, and we recommend at least one adult per team. This virtual scavenger hunt is a great way to connect with family, friends or classmates. Contact us to learn more about a private game for your group!
