Organized Scavenger Hunts?

Spot In The Sky

Hey team,

I live in the DC area and was thinking how cool it would be to start an organized scavenger hunt that happens regularly, like once or twice a month. For one- I think it would be fun for people of all ages, and two, there would be prize money based on a small entry fee from each party participating, like $5 or $10 bucks.

You think there is any interest or demand for this out there, even in any city where anyone might live?

The Juggler

what?

Drowned Out

I’d totally be down if I were in the area. They seem like a lot of fun. My parents took part in them regularly when I was a kid….large groups of drunk people driving around town looking for random items. Fun fun. I’m thinking the drinking would be somewhat curtailed nowadays

Funny story: I stopped at a liquor store while with my ex’s stepdad – he waited in the car….this girl comes running in the store and tells the clerk that she’s in a scavenger hunt and needs to get a picture of some type of liquor or other….As he’s helping her out, a second girl comes running in and yells, ‘I GOT THE MULLET, LET'S GO!!!” Knowing that my stepdad-in-law had a mullet, I’m laughing as I leave the store….I get outside and he’s sitting in my car with an ear to ear grin….he says to me excitedly, ‘did you see those two honeys? They were chatting me up and asked if they could get a picture with me!” I never had the heart to tell him why, but was lmao inside.

jimed14

Spot In The Sky wrote:

Hey team,

I live in the DC area and was thinking how cool it would be to start an organized scavenger hunt that happens regularly, like once or twice a month. For one- I think it would be fun for people of all ages, and two, there would be prize money based on a small entry fee from each party participating, like $5 or $10 bucks.

You think there is any interest or demand for this out there, even in any city where anyone might live?

I think many of these exist ... as corporate / group events.

I've been on one or two for company events.

xavier mcdaniel

A lot of them exist through various social networking, I went on one this year at the Museum of Natural History that drew somewhere between 90-100 people.

dcfaithful

Isn't this the same idea as geo-caching? A buddies mom and her toy are into that...always sounded like fun, but I am partial to nerdy stuff...

dcfaithful

Drowned Out wrote:

I’d totally be down if I were in the area. They seem like a lot of fun. My parents took part in them regularly when I was a kid….large groups of drunk people driving around town looking for random items. Fun fun. I’m thinking the drinking would be somewhat curtailed nowadays

Funny story: I stopped at a liquor store while with my ex’s stepdad – he waited in the car….this girl comes running in the store and tells the clerk that she’s in a scavenger hunt and needs to get a picture of some type of liquor or other….As he’s helping her out, a second girl comes running in and yells, ‘I GOT THE MULLET, LET'S GO!!!” Knowing that my stepdad-in-law had a mullet, I’m laughing as I leave the store….I get outside and he’s sitting in my car with an ear to ear grin….he says to me excitedly, ‘did you see those two honeys? They were chatting me up and asked if they could get a picture with me!” I never had the heart to tell him why, but was lmao inside.

I think the mullet has a disillusioned affect on it's owners, haha. It obviously must if they began wearing it in the first place, right?

Drowned Out

I'd never heard of geo caching....There are almost a million geo-caches on the first link I clicked....that is kinda cool....and kinda dorky. I guess scavenger hunts are too....
It's basically just a team race to compile everything on a list made by the organizers. I'm sure there are a lot of variations to it...
And yes, mullet wearing people are a different breed. There is def some kind of denial there.
aaaahhhh...I started goin off about mullet psychology, but deleted it....I'll try not to derail.

Spot In The Sky

Im not sure what geo-caching is...

I was thinking about making this for money so that people have more incentive to participate.
Would you pay money to do it in your area? $5, $10, $20? If you get 20 teams, each at $20, that $400 entered, say winner gets $300? Thats gotta be worth it for a couple of hours of entertainment, right?

covered in bliss

You could ask more per team and possibly give some to charity (to draw even more people).

Once a month is too much. Once a year would be more like it. As someone else said, stuff like this is being done... mini marathon runs with beer stops in between is a hoot! Chicago has all sorts of tours with games and stuff along the way. Scavenger Hunt birthday parties for kids aren't unheard of.

dcfaithful

Spot In The Sky wrote:

Im not sure what geo-caching is...

I was thinking about making this for money so that people have more incentive to participate.
Would you pay money to do it in your area? $5, $10, $20? If you get 20 teams, each at $20, that $400 entered, say winner gets $300? Thats gotta be worth it for a couple of hours of entertainment, right?

I'd participate. Should be an interesting experiement to see the turnout.

dcfaithful

covered in bliss wrote:

You could ask more per team and possibly give some to charity (to draw even more people).

Once a month is too much. Once a year would be more like it. As someone else said, stuff like this is being done... mini marathon runs with beer stops in between is a hoot! Chicago has all sorts of tours with games and stuff along the way. Scavenger Hunt birthday parties for kids aren't unheard of.

This is a great idea. Link a cause/charity to your organized event and I think a lot more people will be inclined to participate.

weekapaug19

Geocaching is amazing, it has taken me to some incredible places in the middle of nowhere you would never stuble across. I've been doing it for about 2 years and love it

dcfaithful

weekapaug19 wrote:

Geocaching is amazing, it has taken me to some incredible places in the middle of nowhere you would never stuble across. I've been doing it for about 2 years and love it

I'd really like to get involved with this...the girlfriend and I have been looking for fun things to do...do you need anything in particular to get started?

weekapaug19

dcfaithful wrote:

weekapaug19 wrote:

Geocaching is amazing, it has taken me to some incredible places in the middle of nowhere you would never stuble across. I've been doing it for about 2 years and love it

I'd really like to get involved with this...the girlfriend and I have been looking for fun things to do...do you need anything in particular to get started?

you can pick up a cheap gps unit for $100 or so bucks (handheld, not a car unit). If you don't want to spend the money, you can try finding a letterbox where instead of getting coordinates, they give you directions to follow using a compass. If you like it you can then upgrade if wanted, but mine is a cheap model and works fine. Go to geocaching.com and look around. If you like the outdoors/hiking, this is the best thing you could ever find. It gives you a place to find /hike, and motivates you to get outdoors more. Some people like city caches better where finding the cache can be a difficult task, but I like finding crazy waterfalls or mt. overlooks better. PM me if you want any more details or tips on getting started.

dcfaithful

weekapaug19 wrote:

dcfaithful wrote:

weekapaug19 wrote:

Geocaching is amazing, it has taken me to some incredible places in the middle of nowhere you would never stuble across. I've been doing it for about 2 years and love it

I'd really like to get involved with this...the girlfriend and I have been looking for fun things to do...do you need anything in particular to get started?

you can pick up a cheap gps unit for $100 or so bucks (handheld, not a car unit). If you don't want to spend the money, you can try finding a letterbox where instead of getting coordinates, they give you directions to follow using a compass. If you like it you can then upgrade if wanted, but mine is a cheap model and works fine. Go to geocaching.com and look around. If you like the outdoors/hiking, this is the best thing you could ever find. It gives you a place to find /hike, and motivates you to get outdoors more. Some people like city caches better where finding the cache can be a difficult task, but I like finding crazy waterfalls or mt. overlooks better. PM me if you want any more details or tips on getting started.

I do have a handheld unit...I've just never used it for entering in coordinates...so that may take some playing around.

How does it work, you find the cache and just put it back and leave?

weekapaug19

you got it. For me, it's more about making the find and getting there than what is in the cache (many have small things you can exchange), although some have been known to have money, cds, flash drives, etc...one that I heard of and am going to copy is loading up mp3 players with the music from a particular band, say several PJ or phish shows on the mp3 player for somebody to discover new music. there are also trackables that people put out to see where they go (many make it around the world or to a particular goal that is put in place).

entering coords into the gps is simple once you get it, you can even download them straight to the unit, but i've never done that.

dcfaithful

weekapaug19 wrote:

you got it. For me, it's more about making the find and getting there than what is in the cache (many have small things you can exchange), although some have been known to have money, cds, flash drives, etc...one that I heard of and am going to copy is loading up mp3 players with the music from a particular band, say several PJ or phish shows on the mp3 player for somebody to discover new music. there are also trackables that people put out to see where they go (many make it around the world or to a particular goal that is put in place).

entering coords into the gps is simple once you get it, you can even download them straight to the unit, but i've never done that.

So say you discover a cache that has money in it...is it right to just take it, and leave nothing in return?? Or should you always be replacing what you've found with another treasure?

ANd I'm with you...I'm less interested in what the cache is than I am in just experiencing the hunt and being outside. I'd much rather do outdoor hunts as opposed to city caching..

weekapaug19

dcfaithful wrote:

weekapaug19 wrote:

you got it. For me, it's more about making the find and getting there than what is in the cache (many have small things you can exchange), although some have been known to have money, cds, flash drives, etc...one that I heard of and am going to copy is loading up mp3 players with the music from a particular band, say several PJ or phish shows on the mp3 player for somebody to discover new music. there are also trackables that people put out to see where they go (many make it around the world or to a particular goal that is put in place).

entering coords into the gps is simple once you get it, you can even download them straight to the unit, but i've never done that.

So say you discover a cache that has money in it...is it right to just take it, and leave nothing in return?? Or should you always be replacing what you've found with another treasure?

ANd I'm with you...I'm less interested in what the cache is than I am in just experiencing the hunt and being outside. I'd much rather do outdoor hunts as opposed to city caching..

a lot of people will tell you to do even trades/swap items of equal value or more, but many times if you are the first to find a cache there will be a prize in it for you, ranging from money, to gift cards, scratch tickets, etc... which you can just take as a prize, but many times there is also nothing inside, and you just get the recognition of being the first to find it. This is also a great hobby to do on vacation, or car trips, gives you a good excuse to grab a cache on the way and break up the driving a bit.

dcfaithful

weekapaug19 wrote:

dcfaithful wrote:

weekapaug19 wrote:

you got it. For me, it's more about making the find and getting there than what is in the cache (many have small things you can exchange), although some have been known to have money, cds, flash drives, etc...one that I heard of and am going to copy is loading up mp3 players with the music from a particular band, say several PJ or phish shows on the mp3 player for somebody to discover new music. there are also trackables that people put out to see where they go (many make it around the world or to a particular goal that is put in place).

entering coords into the gps is simple once you get it, you can even download them straight to the unit, but i've never done that.

So say you discover a cache that has money in it...is it right to just take it, and leave nothing in return?? Or should you always be replacing what you've found with another treasure?

ANd I'm with you...I'm less interested in what the cache is than I am in just experiencing the hunt and being outside. I'd much rather do outdoor hunts as opposed to city caching..

a lot of people will tell you to do even trades/swap items of equal value or more, but many times if you are the first to find a cache there will be a prize in it for you, ranging from money, to gift cards, scratch tickets, etc... which you can just take as a prize, but many times there is also nothing inside, and you just get the recognition of being the first to find it. This is also a great hobby to do on vacation, or car trips, gives you a good excuse to grab a cache on the way and break up the driving a bit.

How do you know that you're the first? Is their a book to sign? Or is it just pretty obvious that it's untouched.

Also, do you have to dig for these? Or are they just kind of "hidden" out in the open?

Sorry, I ask a lot of questions I know. :oops:

weekapaug19

ask away.....yes, there is a log book, once you find one it will make more sense. They can be anwhere, from out in the open but good camo, to buried by a pile of sticks (never need to dig for them), can be a fake bolt with a hole drilled in it that is in a guardrail (took me forever to find that one), in a lamppost, etc.... The more clever the hide the better im my opinion. from wherever you are right now, there is probably a couple hidden within 5 miles of you in an everyday location and you would have no clue it was hidden there unless you were looking for it, you probably have walked past hundreds of them without knowing it.

dcfaithful

weekapaug19 wrote:

ask away.....yes, there is a log book, once you find one it will make more sense. They can be anwhere, from out in the open but good camo, to buried by a pile of sticks (never need to dig for them), can be a fake bolt with a hole drilled in it that is in a guardrail (took me forever to find that one), in a lamppost, etc.... The more clever the hide the better im my opinion. from wherever you are right now, there is probably a couple hidden within 5 miles of you in an everyday location and you would have no clue it was hidden there unless you were looking for it, you probably have walked past hundreds of them without knowing it.

My god this is exciting! haha!

I totally need to try this NOW!

Spot In The Sky

dcfaithful wrote:

weekapaug19 wrote:

ask away.....yes, there is a log book, once you find one it will make more sense. They can be anwhere, from out in the open but good camo, to buried by a pile of sticks (never need to dig for them), can be a fake bolt with a hole drilled in it that is in a guardrail (took me forever to find that one), in a lamppost, etc.... The more clever the hide the better im my opinion. from wherever you are right now, there is probably a couple hidden within 5 miles of you in an everyday location and you would have no clue it was hidden there unless you were looking for it, you probably have walked past hundreds of them without knowing it.

My god this is exciting! haha!

I totally need to try this NOW!

are you in the DC area? Id be interesting in trying this stuff to0

dcfaithful

Spot In The Sky wrote:

dcfaithful wrote:

weekapaug19 wrote:

ask away.....yes, there is a log book, once you find one it will make more sense. They can be anwhere, from out in the open but good camo, to buried by a pile of sticks (never need to dig for them), can be a fake bolt with a hole drilled in it that is in a guardrail (took me forever to find that one), in a lamppost, etc.... The more clever the hide the better im my opinion. from wherever you are right now, there is probably a couple hidden within 5 miles of you in an everyday location and you would have no clue it was hidden there unless you were looking for it, you probably have walked past hundreds of them without knowing it.

My god this is exciting! haha!

I totally need to try this NOW!

are you in the DC area? Id be interesting in trying this stuff to0

Sorry, far from it :(

Salt Lake City native.