WASHINGTON, D.C., SCAVENGER HUNTS
Ready for team-building with a dash of culture? On each of our scavenger hunts, you decipher clues to answer tricky, funny questions about the places you visit and things you find. Our hunts have been acclaimed by the The Washington Post, Daily Candy, The New York Times, National Geographic Traveler, Time Out, Travel + Leisure and numerous other media outlets. See the raves. More than 100,000 hunters have gone our scavenger hunts from more than 750 prestigious companies, trade associations, social groups, alumni groups, bachelorettes, school groups and more. For details on how the hunts work, and to see our rave reviews and prestigious clients, visit the Private Hunts page. Our Washington area scavenger hunts include...
The White House & Vicinity, including the Haunted Washington Scavenger Hunt
The Museum of American History
The National Gallery of Art
The Museum of Natural History
Georgetown
Madame Tussauds Wax Museum
The American Art Museum & The National Portrait Gallery
The Air and Space Museums, including the Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport
The National Museum of Crime and Punishment
The National Zoo
The Citywide Washington Hunt
...And Beyond, including Baltimore and Annapolis
Print Out Our Washington Brochure
Contact Us
Learn About Public Hunts in Our Newsletter
The White House & Vicinity
The Race to the White House Scavenger Hunt
The historic buildings, galleries and stores near the White House make for great hunt territory. Hunters will track history and discover surprising sights in such locations as Lafayette Park, Freedom Plaza, Ford’s Theater, the Old Post Office, the Octagon House, the FBI building, and of course the White House itself. Highlights include Lincoln’s champagne bill, a piece of the Berlin Wall, Jackie O’s White House view, and someone inadvisably taking sword lessons wearing only a fig leaf. You don’t need to know the area or its history, but you’ll come away with a fascinated familiarity with both. You’ll discover the answers to such questions as...
• Why does Ike’s place make you think of a bad hairstyle? Answer: Mullett was the architect of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, as explained by a sign outside.
• In Lafayette Park, face the White House and take a seat where you can seek inspiration. It’s supposed to be a spot for peaceful contemplation, but what might make you uneasy any time you sit here? A nearby canon is aimed at the Inspiration Bench.
Please note that we left out clues and directions in the questions above. The questions are designed so that you can find the answer only when you are in the right spot and looking at the right thing. (Sorry, Googlers!) You don’t need any previous knowledge to triumph—you just need good teamwork and comfortable shoes!
We offer 90-minute and two-hours versions of the hunt, and if you like we can add Team Photo Questions. Contact us for more information about the hunt.
The Haunted Washington Scavenger Hunt
BOO! Sorry to startle you, but you better get used to it if you're joining this hunt. You'll visit ghost-plagued buildings around and near Lafayette Park and the White House while learning the stories of the restless souls you might disturb. Possible cameos by the spirits of Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Dolley Madison, Abigail Adams, Andrew Jackson, the (allegedly) suicidal Mrs. Henry Adams, and losing duelist Stephen Decatur. This hunt is a bit slower-paced because the questions are longer, to fill you in on the eerie events that transpired at each location. For example...
• At Pennsylvania Ave. and 17th St., visit Ike’s place. Is it haunted? Even the White House Web site says yes. There, Lonnie Hovey, director of preservation, architecture, and conservation for this building, writes, “I believe the EEOB is the most haunted office building in Washington due to many stories that I have gathered on strange, curious, and unexplained activities.” That includes two suicides and 15 other deaths in the building. Famed author Christopher Buckley used to work here, and he notes that the building’s architect worked 17 years on it but ended up suing the government, to no avail—so he shot himself. “His ghost is supposed to wander the two miles of corridors,” says Buckley. It wouldn’t cheer the architect to know that today he’s associated with a horrible cut. What is it? Answer: In front of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, a plaque says the architect was named Mullett.
The questions are designed so that you can find the answer only when you are in the right spot and looking at the right thing. (Sorry, Googlers!) You don’t need any previous knowledge to triumph—you just need good teamwork and comfortable shoes!
The hunt is a bit spooky, a bit macabre, a bit goofy, and a lot of fun. We recommend that you allot two hours for this hunt, although it can be shortened to 90 minutes. Contact us for more information about the hunt.
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The National Museum of American History
The National Treasures Scavenger Hunt
If the United States had a giant attic, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History would be it—and it provides the location for our most eclectic hunt. The galleries are packed with memorabilia representing all eras and aspects of American life, including Lincoln’s last top hat, Clinton’s saxophone, Julia Child’s kitchen, monstrous machines, early cars, two full-size locomotives, vintage cars, the flag that inspired the national anthem, Edison’s first bulb and many more amazing artifacts.
Here are some questions from the hunt—but keep in mind that we’re leaving out some clues and directions. The questions are designed so that you can find the answer only when you are in the right spot and looking at the right thing. (Sorry, Googlers!) You don’t need any previous knowledge to triumph—you just need good teamwork and comfortable shoes!
• Visit the Thanks for the Memories gallery about entertainment. Believe it or not, the book The Wizard of Oz was an elaborate allegory about American monetary policy. What color were Dorothy’s shoes? Answer: Silver, according to the card on display with the shoes Judy Garland wore in the movie.
• In the American Presidency exhibit, find building materials for kids, named for 16 in ’16. Whose son invented them? Frank Lloyd Wright’s son invented Lincoln Logs in 1916, and Lincoln was the 16th president.
• In the Science in American Life galleries, find a bird in a cockpit (appropriately enough). How did it steer? An early design for guided missiles shows a pigeon inside, guiding the missile by pecking at a target or photo. See the missile’s nose cone.
The hunt is available in two-hour and 90-minute versions. A portion of the hunt fee will be donated to the Smithsonian, in appreciation of your support for the museum. Contact us for more information.
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The National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery Gallop Scavenger Hunt, The Murder at the National Gallery Hunt, and the Naked at the National Gallery Scavenger Hunt
You’ll discover art in an entirely new way on this hunt, our whirlwind tour of the best of the National Gallery of Art. You won’t need to know anything about art or the museum, but we bet you’ll come away with a list of works you want to see again. Highlights include an eye-popping saint, Rip Van Winkle, the remarkable Stow Memorial, America’s only painting by Leonardo da Vinci, and a shark attack against a guy named Watson (no relation, we hope). Your team will grapple with such tricky questions as...
• What does a “gremlin” use to tempt a man into looking the wrong way during his last deal? Answer: A bag of money, in Death and the Miser by Bosch.
• Whose gesture seems to say “Leaf me alone”? Answer: Daphne starts turning into a tree to escape Apollo.
• Find a man who’s unlucky on a blind date. What is a symbol here that love is a gamble? Answer: Massys’ ‘Ill-Matched Lovers’ includes a deck of cards.
Please note that we left out clues and directions in the questions above. The questions are designed so that you can find the answer only when you are in the right spot and looking at the right thing. (Sorry, Googlers!) You don’t need any previous knowledge to triumph—you just need good teamwork and comfortable shoes!
Two-hour and 90-minute editions of the hunt are available.
We also offer the popular Naked at the National Gallery Scavenger Hunt, which takes an unblushing look at nudity in art.
If you’re looking for something more challenging, try the Murder at the National Gallery Hunt, a hunt and a mystery rolled together. A murdered curator has left behind a cryptic trail of clues connected with secrets in works of art. As your team gathers answers about the art, you begin to piece together a sordid tale about greed, lust, pride, revenge and treachery, all revolving around the museum’s planned multi-million dollar purchase of a Rembrandt. The murder victim knew too much—and now it’s your turn to learn what he knew and discover what drove one of four suspects to commit murder. To find out, you’ll have to crack a secret code left in the victim’s appointment calendar. Can you figure out who dunnit? Please note that the murder mystery hunt requires two hours of hunting time.
A portion of the hunt fee will be donated to the National Gallery of Art in appreciation for your support of the museum. For more information about the museum, visit www.nga.gov. Contact us for more information about the hunts.
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The National Museum of Natural History
The Museum of Natural Hysteria Scavenger Hunt
Hunt for dinosaurs, stuffed tigers and giraffes, a camping vampire, a flossing bison, live insects, the Hope Diamond and other jewels, mummies, and a charred-bone from a real murder mystery, all in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. On a whirlwind tour, you’ll travel to China, Africa, South America, the Ice Age, a mine, ancient oceans, and beyond. You’ll search for answers to such questions as...
• Find something that will help you fly first class to Heaven. What, apparently, was a bird’s favorite liquor? Beside a jet-shaped coffin is a photo of a bird coffin, with people pouring schnapps on it.
• What hopeful woman apparently thought, when storing her jewels, “Sofa, so good!”? Evalyn Walsh McLean, who hid the Hope Diamond in her sofa.
Please note that we left out clues and directions in the questions above. The questions are designed so that you can find the answer only when you are in the right spot and looking at the right thing. (Sorry, Googlers!) You don’t need any previous knowledge to triumph—you just need good teamwork and comfortable shoes!
We offer two-hour and 90-minute versions of this hunt. Adults have gotten a kick out of this surreal hunt, but kids have enjoyed our special edition for them, too. You can also add Team Photo Questions for additional challenges and fun—and souvenirs of the hunt. A portion of the hunt fee will be donated to the Smithsonian, in appreciation of your support for the museums. For more information about the museum, visit www.mnh.si.edu. Contact us for more information about the hunt.
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Georgetown
The Secrets of Georgetown Scavenger Hunt
See the best of Georgetown while uncovering amazing tales and nooks (but not crannies). This whirlwind tour features historic homes of posh celebs, cool shops, trendy eateries where you can grab a tasty morsel or two, memorable movie locations, and much more. One of the best things about this hunt is its variety, covering parts of the neighborhood with three distinct personalities. Highlights include a 19th-century canal (and maybe a mule or two), chic shops in historic buildings on M Street, JFK’s first Washington home and the neighbor honored by reporters for providing coffee in the cold, the birthplace of the computer, a former prison that Lincoln visited, movie locations such as the infamous “Exorcist steps,” the Old Stone House and its tranquil garden, “sunken” houses, magnificent mansions, hidden alleys, a tavern where Founding Fathers tippled, and a bar that was the birthplace of a famous cheesy song. You’ll grapple with such questions as (and keep in mind, we’ve left out some of the clues that help you zero in on the answer)...
• In the movie Dick, Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams run over a bridge spanning the C&O Canal, and then along the path you’ll soon walk. First, seek info about the canal. People say these are stubborn, but 2 of 9 seen here won’t budge—they won’t do any work at all. Which one now follows in a president’s footsteps? Answer: Outside the canal visitor’s center, a photo of nine mules includes two that are “retired”; the one named Frances now lives on Jimmy Carter’s boyhood farm.
• Find a house that is being reclaimed by Nature. If the occupants ran for help knocked on their neighbors’ doors, which house would most immediately lend them a hand…so to speak? Answer: The one with the hand door knocker.
Please note that we left out clues and directions in the questions above. The questions are designed so that you can find the answer only when you are in the right spot and looking at the right thing. (Sorry, Googlers!) You don’t need any previous knowledge to triumph—you just need good teamwork and comfortable shoes!
Georgetown has lots of great options for places to drink and dine after the hunt, of course, which makes it a particularly great location for a post-hunt party. We offer two-hour and 90-minute editions, and you can also add Team Photo Questions to heighten the fun and have souvenirs to take with you. Contact us for more information.
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Madame Tussauds
New! The Wax Attacks Scavenger Hunt
Never has waxy build-up been so much fun! Watson Adventures now offers private hunts at the wild, surreal and fun museum of celebrities through history, Madame Tussauds, in downtown DC at the corner of F and 10th Streets. Hunters will tackle our usual array of tricky questions plus each team will get a camera to create and pose for unusual photo ops with George Clooney, President Obama, JLo and many other celebs. You’ll mingle with actors and musicians at a Hollywood party, meet presidents, artists, and other historic greats in a hall of fame, and time travel from the Roaring Twenties to the present as you search among such figures as Brad Pitt, Bill Clinton, Tiger Woods, Winston Churchill, Beyonce, F.D.R., Will Smith, Bob Woodward and J. Edgar Hoover, to name just a few.
In addition to our usual tricky questions that reveal the best of the exhibits, this hunt includes Team Photo Challenges: We give each team a digital camera and a series of unusual photo ops they must create with the famous figures on display.
The hunt itself lasts 90 minutes, with and additional half hour for set-up and scoring. The museum has facilities for parties, so it’s a great option for avoiding the risk of inclement weather. For more information about Madame Tussauds, see www.madametussaudsdc.com. Contact us to learn more about the hunt.
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The American Art Museum & The National Portrait Gallery
These two amazing Smithsonian museums—the American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery—occupy one landmark building. If you are looking for an after-work venue that is impervious to weather, you’ll find that these museums stay open until 7 p.m. every night of the week. Our whirlwind tour reveals the secrets of eye-popping artwork and a parade of famous Americans, from George Washington to Andy Warhol. Highlights of the hunt include strange and humorous folk art, famous inventions, startling presidential trivia, views into conservation studios, Civil War scenes, and startling contemporary works. You’ll answer such questions as...
• What “Irish rock band” seems to have crashed near President Kennedy? Answer: A piece of a famous U-2 plane, shot down over the Soviet Union, is on display in an exhibit about presidents and the Cold War.
• According to Lucille Ball, who made “cooked spaghetti look tense”? Dean Martin, seen in a photo. Her quote in in the card next to the photo.
• What did the Gipper or Dutch say when he saw his portrait, now on display? “Yep, that’s the old buckaroo,” said President Reagan, as explained in a card accompanying his portrait.
Please note that we left out clues and directions in the questions above. The questions are designed so that you can find the answer only when you are in the right spot and looking at the right thing. (Sorry, Googlers!) You don’t need any previous knowledge to triumph—you just need good teamwork and comfortable shoes!
We’ve uncovered the best, the most extraordinary, the most bizarre, the most head-turning and mind-boggling objects and sights in these two collections and turned them into one amazing hunt. Two-hour and 90-minute hunts are available (not including set-up and scoring time). A portion of the hunt fee will be donated to the Smithsonian, in appreciation of your support for the museums. Contact us for more information.
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The Air and Space Race at the Air and Space Museums
The National Mall Building and the Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport
Few museums are as jaw-dropping as the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, packed with real life propeller planes, jet planes, bombers and bombs, missiles and rockets—just about everything associated with the history of flight and space exploration. Highlights include the Wright brothers’ first-flight plane; Lindbergh’s famous Spirit of St. Louis; the X-1 rocket in which Chuck Yeager became the first to break the sound barrier; the Lockheed Vega piloted by Amelia Earhardt on the first solo transatlantic flight by a woman; a touchable moon rock; and American and Soviet nuclear missiles (please don’t sneeze next to them). You’ll go in search of answers to such questions as...
• Find devices 007 has used. While flying one of these devices, why should he get nervous when his head starts uncontrollably shaking? Answer: The jet pack shakes the pilot’s head when it’s low on fuel.
• Find a fraulein in a German machine shop. If she’s wearing a wig, what motor part will probably benefit? Answer: Rubber was in short supply in Germany during WWI, so women were urged to contribute their hair, which was used for drive belts.
• Find a bird trap. When two scientists discovered the background hiss caused by the Big Bang, what did they originally think caused it? Answer: Pigeon droppings on their antenna
Please note that we left out clues and directions in the questions above. The questions are designed so that you can find the answer only when you are in the right spot and looking at the right thing. (Sorry, Googlers!) You don’t need any previous knowledge to triumph—you just need good teamwork and comfortable shoes!
If you’re near Dulles Airport, you can opt for our scavenger hunt at the Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. This museum is just as spectacular as the one on the Mall. In two giant hangars, the collection includes more than 200 planes, helicopters, gliders, and space vehicles, including a full-size Concorde, a full-size Space Shuttle, a Boeing-707, a scary-cool Blackbird jet (like something out of a Batman movie), and the Enola Gay, which dropped the first A-bomb on Hiroshima. But even if you aren’t an aviation fan, you’ll discover plenty of objects to amuse and fascinate you, such as an airman’s wacky “party suit,” the original spaceship from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, kitschy Lindbergh and space memorabilia, a true-to-life scene of peasants attacking a balloon (they thought it was a monster), and an ingenious CIA transmitter designed to resemble dog poop.
The museums make great locations for two-hour or 90-minute hunts (plus a half hour for pre-hunt set-up and post-hunt scoring). Team Photo Challenges can be added to spur additional creativity and enhance the fun. A portion of the hunt fee will be donated to the Smithsonian, in appreciation of your support for the museum. For more information about both museums, visit www.nasm.si.edu. Contact us for more information about the hunts.
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The National Museum of Crime and Punishment
Delve into the history of crime and punishment to uncover details about famous cold cases, infamous criminals, firearms, bomb squad technologies and much more. You’ll discover how criminals fared in the medieval ages, colonial America, the Depression, and the Wild West, and find out how forms of punishment have evolved.
Interactive exhibits will have your team participating in a line-up, cracking a safe, outwitting a lie detector test and experiencing what it’s like to be trapped in—and escape from—a jail cell. You’ll comb through a crime scene to release your inner CSI and learn about forensic science techniques such as fingerprinting, ballistics and DNA testing.
A scavenger hunt at the National Museum of Crime and Punishment provides the ultimate opportunity to dust off your magnifying glass and gain a new understanding of what life is like for criminals—and for the professionals who catch them.
The museum is a great after work location: It stays open until 9 p.m. from March to August, and until 8 p.m. the rest of the year.
The hunt takes 90 minutes, and you can add Team Photo Challenges to spur creativity and team bonding. The museum offers facilities and catering for private parties that can be a great post-hunt celebration. Contact us for more information about the hunt.
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The National Zoo
The Wild Wildlife Scavenger Hunt
If you can talk to the animals, it’ll be cheating, on this hunt that takes you in search of amazing animals and weird wildlife facts. Seeing the zoo in the context of a game gives the experience an exciting new spin, like a tiger springing from lounging to lunging. You don’t have to be a zoologist, but you do have to use your wits to solve our crafty questions. Highlights include the new Asia Trail, the Great Ape House, the orangutans in the “Think Tank,” the Bat Cave, the Elephant House, lions, tigers, and, of course, the famed Giant Panda Habitat.
The zoo is open 364 days a year, and the many indoor exhibits can make even chilly weather hunts comfortable. We offer 90-minute and two-hour hunts at the zoo. If you add Team Photo Challenges, we’ll give each team a digital camera to “capture” animals and moments on the hunt, and you have souvenirs of the outing. A portion of the hunt fee will be donated to the Smithsonian, in appreciation of your support for the zoo. To learn more about the zoo, visit nationalzoo.si.edu. Contact us for more information about the hunt.
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Citywide
The Conquer Washington Scavenger Hunt
Our citywide tour of the best of Washington takes you to such places and sights as Lafayette Park and the White House, Georgetown’s “Exorcist steps,” the Library of Congress, the moving Vietnam Memorial, Chinatown, the FDR Memorial, the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden, and Seinfeld’s puffy shirt in the Smithsonian. You can take on the city by limo or mass transit. You’ll search for the answers to such questions as....
• In the Hirshhorn sculpture garden, find a guy who truly has washboard abs. Why might you think he would have a particular advantage in pumping iron? Answer: A sculpture of a man who seems to be walking through a slatted door He has 3 arms (a third is seen behind the sculpture). Please note that the questions are designed so that you can answer them only when standing in the right place, looking at the right thing.
• At the Old Post Office, go to the 10th floor. Find something that, in 1983, would have made you remark, “The name Alexandra rings a bell.” Look high and listen low. What comes after Wisdom and before Love? When you climb the tower (and see a great panoramic view of the city), you’ll see the word “Courage” written on the largest bell, between Wisdom and Love. You’ll also discover there that the bell was a gift from Princess Alexandra.
Please note that we left out clues and directions in the questions above. The questions at specific locations are designed so that you can find the answer only when you are in the right spot and looking at the right thing. You don’t need any previous knowledge to triumph—you just need good teamwork and comfortable shoes!
During the journey from point to point, you’ll also have to tackle ten trivia questions—but you can use any resource to answer them (so have your favorite telephone lifeline ready).
We recommend doing a three-hour version of this hunt, although longer and shorter versions are available. You can also add Team Photo Questions for additional fun and souvenirs. Contact us for more information about the hunt.
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...And Beyond
Possible hunt locations are as limitless as the Washington area’s variety. Other possible hunt locations include the Corcoran Gallery (which stays open until 9 p.m. on Thursdays). You might also consider the great options in Baltimore, including Fell’s Point, the National Aquarium, and the Walters Art Museum. You can also enjoy our classic Grab ’n’ Go Hunt, both of which we’ve staged in a wide variety of cities, parks, resorts, neighborhoods, even homes. Contact us to find out what we can create for you!
PRINT OUT OUR WASHINGTON 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 Washington 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!
LEARN ABOUT PUBLIC HUNTS IN OUR NEWSLETTER
Watson Adventures offers monthly hunts in Washington that are open to the public for a low promotional price. To see the latest schedule, see the Public Hunt Schedule. If you’d like to receive the schedule by e-mail four times per year, sign up by clicking below—and on the next page you’ll see, be sure to check off “Washington, D.C., Area”:
(We do NOT share your address with purveyors of spam.)
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© 2006,2007, 2008 Watson Adventures LLC
Last updated:
28-Apr-2009 12:24 PM
