Ideas for Drive Around Scavenger Hunts

Locale Learning

• A drive-around scavenger hunt is the perfect opportunity to learn more about a particular place. Participants hunt for information specific to the town. For example, they may have to find the year city hall was built, the inscription on a public monument or the movies playing at the local theater. This is an entertaining way to get to know the participants' own hometown, or it can orient them to a new city they're visiting for the first time.

Theme It

• Spice up a drive-around scavenger hunt by giving it a theme. Write the clues in the theme's voice. For a "spy" theme, remind participants that clues will self-destruct in 24 hours. Lead participants to places, have them perform tasks or find items that revolve around the theme. For a spy theme, have participants take candid photographs and deliver secret messages. The sky is the limit when it comes to theme ideas. If it's a birthday scavenger hunt, theme it around the birthday person's favorite shops, restaurants and hangouts.

Picture Clues

• Instead of providing groups with written clues, give them photographs instead. Take pictures of various places or objects around town, and team members will have to go to the location where the picture was taken to find the next clue. Photographs should be initially obscure, but upon taking closer look, participants should be able to identify the place using details, such as a small street sign or other distinctive elements. Cutting the photograph into a dozen pieces requires that group members put the picture together, often calling their attention to the details required for solving the clue.

Audio Clues

• If participants will be driving in their own vehicles --- not taking public transportation --- record the clues ahead of time and burn them to CDs. Each clue should lead to the next clue, which is another CD. They can play the clues as they drive. If you don't want to do a clue-to-clue hunt, you can record all the clues on one CD, one clue per track. This provides a challenging twist if your scavenger hunt requires participants to perform dares or take photographs. Instead of having each challenge listed on a piece of paper, all the information must be heard on the CD.