• Visit the garden outside the Central Library. Within view of a wet-head, a noisemaker is supposed to foster peace.  How many countries apparently didn’t think it was a waste of money? Answer: The World Peace Bell was made from coins from 103 countries.

The Hidden Downtown Scavenger Hunt is our classic hunt, filled with our usual quirky, devious questions and fascinating facts.

The Starring Downtown Movie Locations Hunt adds an additional layer of fun for film fans, since most of the stops on the hunt were used as settings for popular movies (for example, see the question above involving the Oviatt Building). But no knowledge of the movies is required whatsoever. Featured films include Speed, Fight Club, L.A. Story, Collateral, L.A. Confidential, Seven, The Grifters, Independence Day, Spiderman, Naked Gun, Lethal Weapon 3, Ed Wood, Phone Booth, Blade Runner, Beverly Hills Cop, Ghostbusters, even New York, New York.

Both hunts are available in two-hour and 90-minute editions. You can also add Team Photo Challenges, to spur even more creative teamwork. For more information about the hunt, contact us.

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The Getty Center: The Art Attack Scavenger

The hillside setting of the Getty Center makes a spectacular backdrop for a hunt. You’ll go from one breathtaking view to another as you go from building to building, looking for sculptures, paintings, rooms from European palaces and more. The amazing breadth of the collection makes for a fast-paced trip through European history. You’ll tackle such questions as...

• Find a playa hater who serves up a test with lemon aid. What is he testing? Answer: A man squirts lemon juice to test whether a musician is really blind. That is cold.

• You might think this kid learned from Mike Tyson: He attacks an ear to beat an opponent. What unlikely moral does the artist want you to take away from this wrestling contest?  Answer: Cupid grabs Pan’s ear to prove that love conquers all.

• Which of the following is not a likely ingredient in Countess Anne’s hairdo: rollers, horsehair, lard, cotton, wire, wax, or wool? Answer: Wax–everything else is in her hair, believe it or not.

Please note that we’ve left out some of the clues that help you track down these answers. Also, all of the hunt questions are indoors, but there is a small amount of walking outdoors. The museum is free, but there is a fee for parking. The hunt is available in 90-minute and two-hour editions. For more information about the Getty Center, visit www.getty.edu. For more information about the hunt, contact us.

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The Getty Villa, Malibu: The Ancient Mysteries Hunt

This re-creation of an emperor’s Roman villa is a great setting for a hunt that takes you back to ancient Greece and Rome. In this magnificent setting, you’ll go in search of the most surprising and odd aspects of gods, goddesses, warriors, philosophers, nymphs, satyrs, mummies and the inventors of the toga party. You’ll tackle such questions as...

• Near a woman who might be trying to cover up, who took Geta out—in more ways than one? Answer: Near a Venus looking a bit embarrassed, you’ll find Caracalla, who murdered his brother Geta and had his image erased from all portraits.

• Visit a gallery where you can get your game on. Near a competitor who needs first aid for his face, what does a trainer say an athlete must give up? In Athletes and Competition, near a mosaic of a boxer with blood spurting from his head, is a trainer’s regimen which includes giving up sweet cakes.

• In a room best for Halloween or for daddies, find someone with an unusual hairstyle. Who was the “key” recipient of his honor? In the mummy room is a portrait of a boy with a strange haircut. His lock is in honor of Horus.

Keep in mind that we have left out some of the clues that help your team track down the answers. The Getty Villa is free, but there is a fee for parking. This hunt is available only in a 90-minute edition. For more information about the Getty Villa, visit www.getty.edu. For more information about the hunt, contact us.


The Hooray for Hollywood Hunt

Be part of the renaissance of the historic heart of the movie industry, centering on Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue. Highlights include the Chinese, Egyptian and El Capitan theaters, the Roosevelt Hotel (scene of the first Academy Awards ceremony), Hollywood and Highland shopping mall and the new Kodak Theater, and of course the many names honored on the Walk of Fame. You’ll encounter Snow White at a coffee shop, Robin Hood, a shocking Guinness Record holder, an over-laundered John Wayne, Charlie Chaplin, Austin Powers, Marilyn Monroe, Bugs Bunny, Jimmy Kimmel and many more. You’ll tackle such questions as...

• For costumes and props fans, here’s where you see ’em
But fear is a Factor outside this museum.
See Max use a gadget for some torturous task
Nearby, what sick villain has dropped off his mask?
Answer: There’s an original Hannibal Lecter mask in the window of the Max Factor Museum.

• In 1929 Oscar made his debut
At a place named for 26, not 32.
Outside, what lady driver left her stamp
By nearly running over a tramp?
Answer: Janet, the name on a license plate of a car about to hit Charlie Chaplin on a plaque outside the Roosevelt Hotel, named after the 26th president, Theodore, and not the 32nd, Franklin D.

• A bygone star must’ve drawn oohs and ahs
When he bent down and got cement up his schnozz
You’d think this would be awful for his sinuses
How many does he wish he had, plus or minus this?
Answer: Jimmy Durante wrote “I wish I had a million of ’em!” beside the imprint of his famously large nose outside Grauman’s Theater.

By turns classic, campy and kitsch, this hunt has something for every movie fan. The hunt is available in 90-minute and two-hour versions. You can add Team Photo Challenges to the hunt for added team-building creativity—and photo souvenirs to take home. For more information about the hunt, contact us.

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The L.A. County Museum of Art: The LACMA Mania Hunt

You’ve never seen a museum this way! You’ll search high and low in the various buildings at the L.A. County Museum’s complex, on a trip through history and cultures. But you don’t need to know anything about art to answer the questions—though you’ll be surprised at what you learn along the way. The museum has the most eclectic collection in town, so there’s something for everyone—from ancient Egypt to modern California, from the Italian Renaissance to the Harlem Renaissance, from delicate, quirky Japanese netsuke to big, bold sculptures by Rodin and contemporary artists. Highlights include a boy engaged in fowl play, a goddess who has gone too far with the Slimfast, and a Mexican warrior who gives new meaning to the term “fashion victim.” You’ll tackle such questions as...

• What woman seems less than thrilled to be the wife of someone who resembles a colonial American Jabba the Hut? Answer: Jane Gerard Koch, wife of Jacob Gerard Koch.

• How many of Garfield’s ancestors apparently hitched a ride with a famous “sailor”? Answer: Two kittens appear in the painting ‘Noah’s Sacrifice After the Deluge’ (click on “Enlarge” twice to find the cats).

• Who was the scariest (or campiest) person to help bring Ceret here? (His name might also make you think of how much it cost.)  Answer: Actor Vincent Price was among the donors for the painting ‘Hill at Ceret.’

The hunt is available in 90-minute and two-hour editions. LACMA is a particularly convenient location for after-work hunts, since it stays open until 8 p.m. every weeknight except Wednesday (although gallery availability may be more limited after 6 p.m.). For more information about the hunt, contact us.

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L.A. Zoo: The Naked Ape Scavenger Hunt

If you can talk to the animals, then you’ll be cheating on this hunt that takes you on a safari all around the zoo, taking in chimpanzees, hippopotamuses, bobcats, tigers, black bears, bats, snow leopards and even (watch yours toes) komodo dragons. There’s even an edible garden. You don’t need to know anything about the animals, you just need sharp wits and good teamwork to answer such questions as...

• If a mob of Australian boomers got into a heated debate over an attractive female they wouldn’t sweat it… they’ve got the problem licked. Where?  Answer: Kangaroos lick their wrists and/or arms to keep cool.

• What would a siamang inflate before performing at a rock concert?  Its throat sac serves as an “amplifier.”

• A hippo would make a good patient in the chair. When doc says “open wide”… how wide can the hungry hungry hippo go?  Hippos can open their mouths 180 degrees.

Please note that we’ve left out some of the clues that help you track down the answers. The hunt is available in 90-minute and two-hour versions. You can add optional Team Photo Challenges to spur more teamwork and creativity—and have souvenirs of the adventure. A zoo hunt is a great way to have a day that seems to take you far from L.A. For more information about the zoo, visit www.lazoo.org. For more information about the hunt, contact us.

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The Natural History Museum:
The Museum of Natural Hysteria Hunt, The Murder at the Museum Hunt

Go on our most surreal hunt—a whirlwind tour of almost the entire Natural History Museum, from dinosaurs to diamonds, planets to penguins. Highlights include Megamouth the shark, a life-size African watering hole, an insect zoo, Zuni fetishes, and more. It’s a great indoor option for hunters coming from downtown. You’ll tackle such questions as...

• Find a sacred stony space / At which a woman stares with forlorn face. / Talk about investigating a cold case! / Who was she and when was her life erased? Answer: The La Brea Woman, recovered from the tar pits, was murdered 9,000 years ago.

• A crystal ball leads you to the House of Bling. / Much in here makes you sing ch-ching / But a girl’s best friend is the thing. / Who gave her Maid of Honor that fabulous ring? Catherine the Great of Russia gave her Maid of Honor a diamond ring.

• Out of the Hall of Africa dark / In a long and woody bark / Peek at the fish snaky and snark. / Where did it get bit by a shark? The tail of the oarfish shows a bite mark from a shark.

The hunt is available in two-hour and 90-minute versions.

Special Edition: Murder at the Natural History Museum Scavenger Hunt
Someone, or some thing, has been bumping off museum staffers involved in acquiring a sacred Egyptian relic. Is it the dreaded Curse of Ahtchu? Or is a serial killer on the loose? Your team of sleuths will have to crack a hieroglyphic code, interview a suspect and uncover the museum’s secrets to stop the killings. This hunt requires two hours.

For more information about the hunts, contact us.

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The Norton Simon Museum Scramble

Pasadena provides yet another great museum, another great setting for a hunt. You’ll search among Rodin sculptures, Impressionist paintings, Old Masters, Buddhist and Hindu gods, a sculpture garden and many more wonders. For more information about the hunt, contact us.

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The Santa Monica Pier Pressure Hunt

The legendary Santa Monica Pier and the lively Third Street Promenade are the twin anchors of a hunt that reveals history, movie locations, fun stores, and of course great views of the beach and beyond. Highlights include Palisades Park, a 500-pound shark, a massive storm, the 1916 carousel featured in The Sting, a shoot-out in a not-OK corral, hungry Big Bertha, a 19th century tavern and weapon of massive destruction, a little bit of Britain, a robot invasion, and much more. You’ll tackle such questions as...

• On the beach near the pier, find what might looks like a wheel from Fred Flintstone’s steamroller. Thanks to its help, when could people first play Godzilla in L.A.? Answer: 1988 is the year the work of art here, called “Walk on L.A.,” was created. It’s a huge stone roller that, when moving, would stamp out a miniature L.A. in the sand.

• Get as close as possible to Japan and find old photos. If one group had its way in 1973, you’d be plummeting or splashing right now. Which group?  Answer: The City Council, which voted to demolish the pier, according to a history display.

• On Santa Monica Boulevard near Second Street, find what Kermit might call his favorite other white meat. Where does it sit?  Answer: A pig sits atop a fridge in Ye Olde King’s Head Shoppe, across from a fountain with spouting frogs.

The hunt is available in 90-minute and two-hour editions. You can also add Team Photo Challenges for extra team-building creativity and souvenirs to take home with you. For more information about the hunt, contact us.

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The Citywide Conquer L.A. Hunt

See the best of many of these hunts, plus many other stops—such as the Farmer’s Market,
U.C.L.A., Chinatown, Union Station, Olvera Street, the Disney Concert Hall, Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, yes, even the LaBrea Tarpits—as limousines whisk you from place to place. You pick the amount of time and the starting place, and we’ll come up with a great combination of locations and sights. For more information about the hunt, contact us.

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Santa Barbara

This beautiful town has already been the scene of several Watson Adventures hunts for corporate groups. For example, we staged a hunt in the heart of Santa Barbara for Amgem, and we staged a hunt at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa for Fox Searchlight. We are now also offering a hunt at the Santa Barbara Zoo. For more information about these hunts, contact us.

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...And Beyond

Possible hunt locations are as limitless as L.A.’s variety. For example, we’ve also staged a photo-based hunt in Venice. For an unusual indoor/outdoor combination of art and gardens, try a hunt at the Hunting Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens. You can suggest a new location for a classic Watson Adventures hunt or you can try our Classic Grab ’n’ Go Hunt, which we’ve staged for companies at parks, resorts, neighborhoods, even in apartment buildings and homes. Contact us to find out what we can create for you!

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PRINT OUT OUR LOS ANGELES BROCHURE

Of you can always print out pages on our site. But if you’d like a compact summary of our hunts to bring to a meeting, to show friends, or to help get future hunters excited, click the link below to call up our brochure as a PDF file. You may need Acrobat Reader to access it (click here to get it for free). Or you can contact us to mail you or fax you a copy.

See the Los Angeles brochure.

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ON YOUR MARK, GET SET...

If you’re ready to book a hunt, or have questions, use our handy e-mail Contact Form. Or call us at 877-9-GO HUNT (877-946-4868), extension 11. Or The hunt’s afoot!


TAKE A “TEST DRIVE” ON A PUBLIC HUNT

Watson Adventures offers monthly hunts in L.A. that are open to the public for a low promotional price. To see the latest schedule, see the Los Angles edition of The Culture Vulture. It also includes amazing trivia, jokes from famous comedians, and links to cool and offbeat Web sites. If you’d like to receive this free quarterly newsletter in your own e-mail box, sign up here—and on the next page you’ll see, be sure to check off “Los Angeles Area”:

(We do NOT share your address with purveyors of spam.)

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