One of our favorite annual traditions is doing a scavenger hunt in our hometown. My neighbor is gracious enough to do all the work, so I consulted with her to share what she has learned over the years. This is such a great family activity that is fun to do for ALL ages, and social distance friendly!
I received a lot of feedback about our hunt, so decided to recap it all in a simple list. Enjoy and happy planning!
5 Steps To Plan A Scavenger Hunt in Your Town
1. Have each family provide clues. You should aim to have at least 20-25 clues. Clues should range from relatively simple so the kids can help, to brain teasers the adults will need to think hard about.
Simple clues to throw in there:
- Have one team member do a cartwheel in X place and take a photo.
- Find a vanity license plate and take a photo of it.
- Find a Jeep Wrangler and take a photo of it.
- Hide something for team members to find and take a photo with it.
- Ask a bystander to take a team photo in front of a red light. Traffic must be stopped in the photo.
- Find a piece of local art and take a family selfie by it.
Some favorite clues from our town specifically:
- A visual of two numbers side by side. When added, they equal 192. Find it and take a photo by it with at least one team member. The answer: Double signs for the I-96 expressway
- Take a family photo on the bench near the “royal cow.” The answer: In front of Dairy Queen.
- Take a video of a team member playing air guitar in front of the place where you can buy a real guitar. The answer: In front of a music store.
- No “whining” allowed here. And no kids. Take a team photo by it. The answer: A winery.
- Take a team photo in front of the most supportive and uplifting place in town. The answer: A bra store.
- On the steps of the place full of mysteries, romances, and more, you can find knowledge. Literally. Find it and take a team photo with it. The answer: The library steps had a box of knowledge written on paper.
There are a few ways to put clues together. You can have an outside person collect them via email, paste them into a Word document and print them off. Or, each family can bring cut-up copies of the clues and you can tape them on paper before taking off.
2. Meet at a designated place so everyone is starting from the same location. When the clock strikes your designated time, head out. Make sure each team has a pen!
3. Create a time limit. For ours, we keep it to one hour. When the time is up, meet back in the designated location to go over answers and decide a winner.
4. Decide who is the winner. This year, we simply gathered around and discussed answers and tallied them this year. If there is a tie, have each clue maker be the judge if the point is given or not. Not paying attention to details such as “take a group photo” could cost the point if you’re sticklers.
5. Give out the prize. We’ve had years where each family threw in $5 and the winning family got to take all. Having a prize really ups the game!
Overall, planning a family scavenger hunt is a fantastic time and a great way to get outside and bond as a family.
Have a blast if you plan one!
Find other fun things to do in SE Michigan in fall HERE.
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