Neighborhood Scavenger Hunts in The San Francisco Bay Area

Explore the historic heart of San Francisco…

…and the immigrant culture that has made it thrive when you embark on a fun, funny scavenger hunt that’s like a walking tour spiked with caffeine. You’ll follow a trail of clues and answer tricky, entertaining questions about what you find, from the hidden time capsule in Washington Square to the “school of rock” in Portsmouth Square.

In Jackson Square, you’ll uncover the history of the city’s oldest and handsomest buildings, survivors of the 1906 earthquake. In Chinatown, you might think you’ve left America as you hunt for answers among stores, herb shops, temples, hidden alleys, and even a fortune-cookie factory.

And in the North Beach section, you’ll find Francis Ford Coppola’s headquarters, the legendary City Lights Bookstore, and cafés and bakeries that will make you feel like you’re in Italy.

Other highlights on this San Francisco scavenger hunt include…

• Columbus Avenue, the main street that connects Chinatown and North Beach and features legendary restaurants and cafes
• The Comstock Saloon, a historic Barbary Coast saloon in a building that has been home to a variety of bars since 1907
• The former Chinese American Telephone Exchange Building, a historic building in the style of classic Chinese architecture
• Portsmouth Square, the first park in San Francisco, originally known as Plaza de Yerba Buena; it includes a monument to the city’s first public school, which stood nearby
• Waverly Place, home of many Chinese family associations or tongs
• Ross Alley, formerly a scene for gambling and other illegal activities but now famous as the home of the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory (grab a free sample!)
• City Lights Bookstore, since 1953 a mecca for writers—particularly the Beat poets
• Jack Kerouac Alley, decorated with quotes from, and named for, writer Jack Kerouac (author of the classic On the Road)
• Caffe Trieste, a hangout for Beat writers, and supposedly where Francis Ford Coppola wrote parts of The Godfather

Along the way, you might tackle such questions as…

• “Go fly a kite!” you could tell a man in Washington Square Park. Near him, find a stash for time travelers. How many more years will you have to live to meet them? Answer: Near a statue of Ben Franklin (famed kite flyer) there’s an inscription about a time capsule. The original one was opened in 1979. Do the math…
• On Columbus Ave., where lightning always strikes, what is being hatched? Answer: Ideas, according to a sign at the landmark Sentinel Building, headquarters for director Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope production company. There are stylized lightning bolts in the pavement outside.

This group game is a great option for everything from corporate team building and alumni outings to birthday parties and social-group gatherings.

A Kids Edition, in which kids and adults collaborate and explore together, is also available, suitable for ages 7 and up. (The sample questions above are from the adult edition, of course.)

Contact us to learn more about our Chinatown and North Beach scavenger hunts—and find more team-building fun in San Francisco!

A creative romp through the park

Of all the Golden Gate Park activities your team can do, on this one, you’ll complete a series of entertaining challenges on a whirlwind of a scavenger hunt. You’ll take memorable group photos, find or create unusual items, decode a mysterious message, and meet your Hunt Host for a special challenge. Your tasks might involve a sculpture made of food, hints of nature, people in uniform, strangers who root for the home team, local landmarks, and more.

Along the way, you might also…

• Act out in the Shakespeare Garden
• Portray intrepid explorers in the Oak Woodlands
• Enjoy a musical interlude at the Music Concourse
• Freeze-frame in midair with Stow Lake as a backdrop

And those are just a highlight or two from these Golden Gate Park activities in San Francisco, which will have your friends or colleagues laughing and reminiscing for days. It’s the ideal activity for corporate outings, social-group meetups, and birthday parties. The Kids Edition, suitable for ages 7 and up, provides a great way for youngsters and adults to play together on a school field trip.

Contact us to learn more about these Golden Gate Park activities—and find more fun on San Francisco scavenger hunts!

A Palo Alto team-building game that will have you laughing from start to finish

Celebrate all things Palo as well as Alto by completing a variety of surprising challenges on a scavenger hunt you can play anywhere. On teams, you’ll take creative team photos, find or create unusual items, crack a mystery message, and meet with the Hunt Host for a bonus challenge. And many of the tasks will prompt you to celebrate the people, places, food, and history of Palo Alto.

Your team might be challenged to…

• Find an object that’s made better by being broken (hey, it’s not a bug, it’s a feature).
• Take a photo of the team with a tree that exaggerates its size, since Palo Alto means “tall tree.”
• Posing for a “Eureka!” moment in front of a garage, in honor of the “Birthplace of Silicon Valley,” the garage where Hewlett and Packard started in 1938.

You might also search for Stanford alum Herbert Hoover, track down an energy drink for those all-nighters on the computer, munch on a cookie in honor of the Lou Henry Hoover Girl Scout House, and generally flaunt your ingenuity and teamwork.

You pick your favorite area in Palo Alto, we’ll bring the fun. We’ve been creating and staging amazing scavenger hunts and other team building games in the San Francisco Bay Area since 2005.

A 5-star review on Google: “Our group had a blast scavenging around Palo Alto. I would highly recommend Watson Adventures for your team fun event!”

Contact us to learn more about the Palo Alto scavenger hunt—and find more team-building fun in the Bay Area!

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 happy clients are saying

“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!”

Contact us to learn more about the Grab ’n’ Go Scavenger Hunts—and find more fun wherever you are!

Happy Halloween!

Whether you want festive fun or a chance to show off your costume before you go party, a spooky Halloween scavenger hunt is a mummy-rable—sorry, memorable—adventure for all. You might have to discover weird new uses for food, dig up a skeleton, ward off a vampire, use your bodies to spell “BOO!,” do your best zombie impression, and more.

Teams fan out to tackle such challenges as…

Take unusual team photos

Get your creative juices flowing and your haunted side showing as you come up with clever ways to complete fun “photo op” challenges. Everyone has to get into the picture (except the ghoul holding the camera, of corpse).

They’re designed to give you room to have fun while also delivering dramatic visuals (not just shots of people standing around like a bunch of stiffs). You might have to do the Monster Mash in a crowded place. Or rise from the dead in a funny way. Or pretend to go trick-or-treating.

Participants use their own smartphone cameras and send the images to our photo-sharing site. You’ll get to see the other players’ pictures and download them afterward.

Find or create unusual items

You’ll also have to procure or concoct unusual items, often with a tricky twist. Can you find or draw a creature that represents your team spirit? How about a food menu featuring blood and bone? A haunting Halloween mask? Something inflatable with a terrifying message written on it? You’ll be shocked—and occasionally horrified—by the results that come from devilishly good teamwork.

Crack a code to decipher a mystery message

Your hunt materials will include a bizarrely coded message. What the H-E Double Hockey Sticks does it say? To crack the creepy code, you’ll need to solve crafty, fun puzzles, possibly involving a few twisted trivia questions, an intriguing message from beyond the grave, a musical phone call, and other surprises. Can you piece together the key that unlocks the mystery message?

Locate the Hunt Host for a bone-tingling bonus challenge

At a dead-signated spot in the hunt area, the Host will be waiting to treat you to a tricky, icky visual puzzle. It’s a monstrous good time, and you’ll want to do your best if you hope to stay alive…to win the game, that is!

’Tis the season for a team-building game

Gather your friends and colleagues for a holly, jolly holiday scavenger hunt in your favorite neighborhood. Your challenge: take creative team photos and collect items that relate to the holiday season. If you’re looking for a different way to kick off your year-end celebrations, you don’t have to ask Santa: just go on this holiday scavenger hunt!

Players use our browser-based app on their phones to check off challenges, take photos, and at the end, share them with other teams. The emphasis is on teamwork and appreciation. By the finish line, even a Scrooge will be acting like it’s Christmas morning.

Your team will tackle holiday-themed challenges…

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). You might need to pose while blending in with a holiday window display. Or act as if you are caroling. Or spell a season’s greeting with your bodies. Or re-create a sleigh ride, dashing through the snow.

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 holiday treat by combining two unlikely foods? How about something that could create a “snow storm” for one of your photo challenges? Something you’d put in a colleagues stocking? A holiday gift that is 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 strangely coded holiday message. What the heck does it say? To crack the code, you’ll need to solve crafty, fun puzzles, involving a trivia questions and festive holiday season music. 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 holiday-themed puzzle for you to ponder. It might involve celebrities who have played Santa or the Grinch or Scrooge…

This game can be played in almost any outdoor location. A Kids Edition is also available. Contact us to learn more about this holiday scavenger hunt—and find more fun!

And show what makes your state so great…

…on special versions of the Grab ’n’ Go Scavenger Hunts featuring activities that give you a chance to flaunt your hometown pride. The fun tasks involve collecting unusual objects, taking creative Team Photos, and meeting the Hunt Host for a surprise challenge.

If you’re from New York City, you might need to locate an actual big apple, or know the best subway route to get from Yankee Stadium to Citifield.

If you’re from Texas, the Lone Star Showdown might challenge you to come up with one of the six flags that have flown over the state, or get a photo with a Longhorn signing “Hook ’em Horns” or with an Aggie signing “Gig ’em.”

Celebrate Milwaukee and the great state of Wisconsin on games that send you in search of such local delights as frozen custard, cheese curds, brats, and booyah stew. Or dramatize the phrase “Fear the deer!”

If you have a case of Minnesota Mania, we might prescribe that you collect some cough drops or lozenges, in honor of Minnesota homeboy Bob Dylan.

In Wilmington, Delaware, you can help a stranger in honor of Joan of Arcadia (the TV series in which Wilmington poses as the fictional Arcadia), or collect a used Amtrak ticket in a salute to hometown hero and rail enthusiast Joe Biden.

In Atlanta, brace yourself for a photo in which you seem to be “gone with the wind” (you know why), or strike a pose with one of the more than a thousand works of street art. Or find a takeout menu with the word peach on it. Peachy!

Or are you visiting the Magnificent Mile in Chicago? Get in the spirit of the Windy City by taking a Team Photo as if you’re being blown away by a gust, or get historical by remembering the Great Fire and finding something toasted (not yourself, please).

In Washington, DC, you can “filibuster” another team for points, or get caught by a “spy camera” with just your heads showing. Or present a stranger with DC’s official flower, an American Beauty red rose.

What people are saying about the Celebrate Your City Scavenger Hunts

A 5-star review on Google: “Our team of 100 had a wonderfully fun time and the coordination with Watson Adventures was super smooth and easy. Laura L. was a wonderful event consultant…she was exceptionally knowledgeable and answered every question I had when planning our team’s Grab n Go option from our hotel conference in San Francisco, which for any event planner is a gold standard. The event hosts Alexis & Eric too were communicative and instructed our teams with great succession and they bought the energy and fun to our team which was fantastic. Overall this [company] was highly recommend to me by colleagues and now I know why, if you need a fun team building event you will not be disappointed by Watson Adventures!”

“Everyone, even the cynics who weren’t planning on having fun, really enjoyed themselves. We were having so much fun that a complete stranger tried to join our group photo at the finish line!” —a director of sales

Let us know what city or state you love, and we’ll provide a madcap team-building scavenger hunt for your group!