Botanical gardens offer tranquil and inspiring settings for group outings. Surrounded by the beauty of nature, teams can bond, communicate, and collaborate in unique ways. But what can your group do at botanical gardens, other than smell the roses?

If you’re looking to plan an outdoor group event centered on botanical garden activities, here are nine things to do at your favorite flowery venue.

1. Solve a Murder Mystery

While you planned a tranquil outing to your local botanical garden, someone in your group—possibly on your own team—is a real Jekyll and Hyde! They’ve surreptitiously poisoned everyone in your group, and the clock is ticking. To save yourselves and get the antidote, you must play their game: the new Murder Mystery Mayhem at the Botanical Garden Scavenger Hunt!

The killer has hidden their identity in a series of thorny puzzles, as part of a scavenger hunt at the botanical garden. You’ll be tasked with answering trivia questions, solving interlocking puzzles, deciphering coded messages, and meeting the conditions of tricky photo challenges around the gardens.

2. Garden Yoga or Meditation

Many botanical gardens feature meditation gardens or even just wide-open fields, perfect for arranging a self-led session of yoga or meditation in the serene surroundings of the garden. It’s a great way for teams to relax, recharge, and build mindfulness together. Many botanical gardens, including the Chicago Botanic Garden, also offer a wide range of yoga, meditation, and other “healing” programs, both to the public and to private groups.

3. Explore Art

Art of course isn’t just for museums! Botanical gardens are not only showcases of natural beauty but also galleries for artistic expression. Often featuring carefully curated sculptures and art installations nestled amidst the flora, botanical gardens offer visitors a unique opportunity to experience the harmonious interplay between art and nature. The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, for example, are renowned for the whimsical troll sculptures spread throughout the grounds. Discovering all the art a garden has to offer is an adventure all its own.

4. Strike a Pose

Collaborating with teammates to create memorable photos based on themed prompts is a huge part of our Grab ‘n’ Go scavenger hunts. Much like the Murder Mystery Mayhem game, Grab ‘n’ Go hunts can be enjoyed in just about any botanical garden you like, and they leave you with a photo gallery full of keepsakes. They might offer a more relaxing experience for groups that aren’t looking to solve puzzles or stop a dastardly villain.

5. Nature Photography Contest

If you want to strike out on your own, send teams out with smartphones and challenge them to capture the most stunning or unique photos of plants, flowers, and landscapes. It’s as simple as that! Naturally, you can also award prizes for the most creative, artistic, or humorous shots.

6. Visit for a Specific Attraction

Some botanical gardens will feature particular events or points of interest that might appeal even to the skeptics in your group. For instance, the rare blooming of the pungent, one-of-a-kind corpse flower at the New York Botanical Garden is always a massive draw. Or folks who prefer grand old homes to gorgeous foliage might enjoy exploring the Peirce-du Pont House at Longwood Gardens, outside Philadelphia.

7. Botanical Trivia Challenge

Test teams’ knowledge of plants, flowers, and gardening with a trivia competition. You can customize questions to suit the level of expertise within your group and encourage friendly rivalry. Have someone in your group put together the questions ahead of time, and then your group can see how they do at any time during the outing. Something like this fits in well during lunch or at the end of a trip, when everyone’s had a chance to commune with nature.

8. Outdoor Games Tournament

Organize a tournament of classic outdoor games like croquet, bocce ball, baseball, pickleball, or frisbee in designated areas of the garden. It’s a lighthearted way for teams to compete and unwind amidst the natural beauty. (Of course, be respectful of other visitors, and don’t pick a space right next to, say, the aforementioned meditation gardens.)

9. Community Gardening Project

Give back to the community and strengthen your team’s bonds through a shared purpose. Collaborate on a meaningful project such as planting a community garden bed or revitalizing a neglected area of the garden. Teams work together towards a common goal while making a positive impact on the local environment—and knowing you’ve helped beautify gardens will definitely help you see them in a new light.

Find More Fun

Contact us to learn more and start planning your team building scavenger hunt or virtual game today.

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Image credits: outdoor sports photo by Joseph Pearson on Unsplash

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“Dine and dash” is usually a bad thing: eating a meal and then ditching the restaurant without paying the check. But our food tour scavenger hunts put a much better spin on the phrase.

Full of surprising secrets and delectable snacks, Munch Hunts are available in New York’s Greenwich Village, Lower East Side, and Chinatown, as well as in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, D.C., and beyond. They’ll tempt you with some of the tastiest treats in town while you build up your appetite searching for answers to tricky questions about other neighborhood highlights. Here’s a sampling of the culinary and historical morsels you might discover on our countless scavenger hunts.

A Bar for the Magi and Madeline

Writers have long turned to “spirits” to help woo the Muses—or at least to deal with their fickleness. Short-story specialist O. Henry was no exception, and a favorite watering hole of his is known today as Pete’s Tavern. A series of saloons have operated in Pete’s 1829 building since at least 1864, and O. Henry knew the joint by the name Healy’s. The bar appears as a setting in two of his stories, and the idea for “The Gift of the Magi” supposedly occurred to him as he sat in booth No. 2—or so the plaque there will tell you.

Also, Ludwig Bemelmans said it was in this bar that he wrote the first lines of his children’s book about a cute Parisian girl named Madeline, although her official history won’t tell you that she was born in a pub. And Pete’s interior, seemingly unchanged in a century, has taken star turns in Ragtime, Endless Love, Law & Order, Sex and the City, and Seinfeld.

Spy Gets Order to Go

Perhaps Vitaly Yurchenko just didn’t like French food. In Washington, D.C., there was once a place called Au Pied du Cochon. In 1985 the highest-ranking official ever to defect from the KGB gave his CIA escort the slip and made a beeline for the Soviet Embassy. It’s possible it was all a KGB ploy. Meanwhile, Au Pied du Cochon has vanished and been replaced by a series of fast-food joints.

A Lot at Steak

Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market, where these intrepid hunters stopped their snacking to snap this shot, used to be home to the legendary Rick’s Steaks. Its eponymous proprietor, who died in 2022, was the grandson of Pasquale “Pat” Olivieri, who with his brother Harry invented the cheesesteak in 1933. Harry’s grandson Frank inherited the original store, Pat’s. A family feud between Rick and Frank over trademarks wound up in court in 2006, and ultimately led to the closure of Rick’s Steaks.

Back in the day, you were best off ordering “a pepper whiz wit”—a cheesesteak with peppers and onions and Cheez Whiz, the cheese of choice for connoisseurs. Among those who goofed up: John Kerry, who in his 2004 presidential campaign visited South Philly and ordered a cheesesteak with Swiss. As the Philadelphia Inquirer put it, “In Philadelphia, ordering Swiss on a cheesesteak is like rooting for Dallas at an Eagles game. It isn’t just politically incorrect; it could get you a poke in the nose.”

A couple miles south of Reading Terminal Market, the Olivieri name lives on at Pat’s King of Steaks.

Where the Would-Be King and the Toothpick Reigned

Several of our Boston scavenger hunts take you along the Freedom Trail, where standeth the legendary Union Oyster House. The place dates back to 1826, when it was called the Atwood & Bacon Oyster House.

The building itself, dating from the mid-18th century, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2003. Diners here have included Daniel Webster, who stopped in for a daily tumbler of brandy and dozens of oysters, and John F. Kennedy, whose favorite booth is now marked with a plaque. A future king of France, Louis Phillippe, escaped to Boston in 1796 and lived on an upper floor with his neck intact before he returned to claim the throne. And no less an icon than the toothpick made its American debut at the Union Oyster House. It had been imported from South America by a local businessman, who then stimulated demand by hiring collegians to dine at the Oyster House and demand toothpicks.

Where Was the Beef?

Where did the world first feast on Cracker Jack, Cream of Wheat, Quaker Oats, Juicy Fruit gum, and Shredded Wheat? At the World’s Columbian Exposition, a world’s fair that opened in Chicago in 1893.

Memorabilia from the fair has made cameo appearances on our scavenger hunts at the Museum of Science and Industry. But you won’t find mention of hamburgers: While legend has it that this delicacy was sold at the Exposition, experts say burgers had to wait until the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair to first attack American arteries.

Forget the Ranger, Boo Boo!

If you are a fan of the bizarre (as we are), you need to know about the bygone Clifton’s Cafeteria in Los Angeles. Opened in 1935, the place was like something off a backlot, inspired by founder Clifford Clinton’s vacations in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The L.A. blog Pleasure Palate described the interior: “Walk through the doors and what you’ll experience is a forest wonderland. To the right is a large canvas of life-size trees painted by renowned L.A. muralist Einar Petersen. Towering up to the second floor are artificial rock facades. Above one of those rock formations is a little chapel… To your left is a waterfall that starts at the second level and cascades into a gentle stream that eventually makes its way to the first level of the restaurant. Even steel columns…have a covering of bark to give a feeling of there being actual trees inside the main dining room. Of course, it wouldn’t be a forest without wildlife, so there [are] actual bear statues… Every time I walk in, I always feel like I should be wearing hiking boots, pitching a tent and keeping an eye out for Yogi Bear.”

Find More Fun

Hungry for adventure? Whet your appetite on our many in-person scavenger hunts and virtual games, including Munch Hunts in New York’s Greenwich Village, Lower East Side, and Chinatown, as well as in Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, D.C., and beyond.

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Image credits: Pete’s Tavern by Dmadeo – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0; World’s Columbian Exposition by “Unidentified photographer,” Public Domain;

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Whether you call Boston home or plan to visit, you’ll see an exciting new side of the city on our city scavenger hunts in Boston. You might solve a museum murder, discover hidden details along the Freedom Trail, or get up close and personal with sharks and octopi.

Intrigued? Here are hidden details and major highlights from five of our most popular city scavenger hunts in Boston.

Hole-y Moley

Join one of our Cambridge scavenger hunts for whirlwind tours of Cambridge and Harvard. As you investigate “fowl” play in Radcliffe Yard and pursue a poetic blacksmith, you’ll visit the famed Christ Church. Built in 1759, it’s the oldest church building in Cambridge. It also still wears a wound of war: Just inside the church, eagle eyes will spot a bullet hole (musket-ball hole?) left over from the days of the American Revolution.

Speaking of wartime leftovers, the pavement outside Harvard dormitories used to be riddled with dents and cracks from cannonballs. In 1776, the Continental Army occupied those dorms and then left some munitions behind. Returning students heated cannonballs in the fireplace to warm their dorm rooms, then chucked the cooled cannonballs out the windows in the morning. Look out below!

Yarrrr You Kidd-ing Me?

One of the most famous pirates in history did time in one stop on our Freedom Trail scavenger hunts. In 1699, the infamous Scottish buccaneer William Kidd trusted the wrong man and ended up imprisoned in the almost-as-infamous Boston Gaol. Built in 1635, it served as the town and county jailhouse for nearly 200 years—and horrendous conditions earned it such poor reviews as “hell upon earth.”

In 1700, Kidd was sent to London for trial, and in 1701 he was hanged. Legend has it that his body was returned to Boston and buried in King’s Chapel Burying Ground. But if you want to know more about that famous place’s restless dead, including the inspiration for a certain Scarlet Letter, you’ll have to go hunting with us!

Tanks for the Memories

Our New England Aquarium scavenger hunts offer unique aquatic adventure, but you can’t get around the highlight of the place: its four-story ocean tank. This immense, coral-filled attraction holds 200,000 gallons of water and teems with 1,000 animals, including turtles, eels, barracudas, and reef fishes. But did you know? The ocean tank is so big, it was constructed first and then the rest of the museum was built around it.

Petrified Pooch

Should you venture forth on a Back Bay scavenger hunt, you will inevitably explore Commonwealth Avenue, the tree-lined heart of the neighborhood. Successful hunters will find a very good detail indeed: a dog who took the command to “stay” rather literally. Modeled after a real-life Labrador retriever, the quirky canine is something of a local celebrity. But what remains forever just out of reach? Join us to find out.

Mad Science

Whether you love science or can’t tell a beaker from a burrito, you’ll find exajoules of excitement on our Museum of Science, Boston scavenger hunts. From dino droppings to mind-boggling illusions, this museum has something for everyone. And among all the science and history and weird experiments hides one tiny glass elephant. Why is it there? No one knows! Where is it lurking? Savvy scavenger hunters will search high and low for this mysterious pachyderm…

Find More Fun

Learn more about all our Boston scavenger hunts. Private groups can enjoy any hunt just about anytime, and select hunts are available to the public on weekends. Contact us to learn more and join the hunt.

The post Adventures in Boston: 5 Must-See Highlights from Our City Scavenger Hunts appeared first on Team Building Activities | Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts.

“Everyone you care about can despise you, and you can still find a bagel so good, nothing else matters.” As the Amazon original series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, about a housewife-turned-comedienne, zips around from the Upper West Side to Midtown to the Village, it reads like a love letter to 1950s New York.

With the fourth season just ended and a final fifth season on the way, the show spends much of its time at real-life locations in and around Greenwich Village, though it ventures around the city quite a bit. You can see many of the following spots on our Greenwich Village scavenger hunts for public and private groups.

In the Village…

Washington Square Park

Midge wanders into a protest here and, in classic Midge fashion, ends up in front of a microphone talking about herself. The protest is organized by the activist Jane Jacobs and touches on her ultimately victorious fight against Robert Moses, NYC Parks commissioner and “master builder,” and his plan to pave highways through the park.

The Music Inn

Midge and her, uh, rough-around-the-edges manager Susie Myerson visit the Music Inn early in season one—and Midge’s estranged husband, Joel, later hears a bootleg recording of Midge’s act here. You can visit the quirky, cramped shop at 169 W. 4th St., which opened there in 1958. Fun fact: Bob Dylan lived a couple doors down, at 161 W. 4th St., during the 1960s.

La Bonbonniere

Flashbacks to Midge and Joel’s dating days—and engagement—take place at La Bonbonniere, an old-school diner at 28 8th Ave. And when we say old-school, we mean it: This place has been serving up omelettes and burgers since the early 1930s.

Village Vanguard

Since 1935, Village Vanguard has made its home at 178 Seventh Ave. South. The joint was originally dedicated to poetry reading and folk music before jazz took hold there in the ’50s. In Mrs. Maisel, Midge stops by Village Vanguard to see her pal, the legendary comedian Lenny Bruce, open for a jazz band.

The Gaslight Cafe

Miriam “Midge” Maisel’s journey as a comedian begins at the Gaslight, which was a very real place in the ’50s and ’60s. The coffeehouse and music venue hosted the likes of Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and Allen Ginsberg. Before it closed in 1971, the cafe was located at 116 MacDougal St.—a cocktail bar called The Up & Up lives there now.

In Mrs. Maisel, the interior is shot on a set in Brooklyn, while the exterior is shot on St. Mark’s Place in Alphabet City.

Kettle of Fish

After bailing Midge out of jail (a police officer didn’t appreciate her bawdy jokes), Susie takes Midge to the bar Kettle of Fish. That scene takes place in 1958, at which point Kettle of Fish was next door to the Gaslight Cafe. Having moved several times since, Kettle of Fish can now be found at 59 Christopher St., near the legendary Stonewall Inn.

McSorley’s

In season two, Midge joins boyfriend Benjamin at this famous Irish bar at 15 E. 7th St. While the show filmed inside McSorley’s, it’s referred to as Cedar Tavern…because McSorley’s didn’t admit women until 1970, about 10 years after the scene in Mrs. Maisel.

Old Town Bar

Gosh, this show sure visits a lot of bars. Anyway, Joel Maisel frequents this watering hole at 45 E. 18th St. One bar or another has operated at that address since 1892, and Old Town’s mahogany furnishings and tin ceiling make it a popular filming location.

Albanese Meats and Poultry

This butcher shop at 238 Elizabeth St. has been a Little Italy staple since it opened in the ’50s. In Mrs. Maisel, Midge and mother, Rose Weissman, buy piles of meat here and boast that they “got the rabbi.” Though the shop is called Lutzi’s in the show, Albanese’s faded sign is left over from an earlier film that shot here: The Godfather Part III.

Beyond the Village…

Coney Island

The season four premiere ends with various members of the Weissmans and Maisels shouting confessions and revelations at each other from different cars on Coney Island’s famed Wonder Wheel. What a ride!

The Catskills

Remember that time Midge and company went on vacation in the Catskills for the whole summer? The show recreated that old Borscht Belt feel by filming at Scott’s Family Resort on Oquaga Lake, about 3 hours northwest of the city. (Sadly, the resort closed in 2020.)

Paris

When Midge’s parents run off to Paris in season two, so did the show. Rather than gussy up a nondescript street corner in New York, the show filmed in several places in Paris, including in Place Dauphine and the nearby Restaurant Paul.

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Tour the Sites with On Location Tours

For a full tour of all things Maisel in Manhattan, follow this link or clink on the image below to check out the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Sites Tour by our friends at On Location Tours.

Image credits

Lead photo by Emmanuel Kontokalos on Unsplash; Maisel in Washington Square Park by Nicole Rivelli, Amazon Studios; Mrs. Maisel at the Gaslight Cafe by Nicole Rivelli, Amazon Studios; Maisel at Albanese by Nicole Rivelli, Amazon Studios; Mrs. Maisel at Coney Island by Christopher Saunders, Prime Video; Maisel’s parents in Paris by Nicole Rivelli, Amazon Studios

The post Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s NYC: Filming Locations In Greenwich Village & Beyond appeared first on Team Building Activities | Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts.

The list of life’s certainties is short: death, taxes, and rain in Seattle. The Emerald City, named for its lush year-round landscape, wouldn’t be nearly so emerald without its perennial precipitation.

But what do you do when the weather alters your plans? Of course, you can enjoy some of our indoor scavenger hunts throughout Seattle. But if you’re looking for more, we’ve got you covered—metaphorically, anyway. You’ll still need your raincoat. Here are 7 rainy-day things to do in Seattle, guaranteed to keep you entertained until the sun comes out.

1. Explore Seattle’s History at MOHAI

Located on the shore of Lake Union, the Museum of History and Industry is a great place to spend a rainy afternoon. MOHAI’s interactive and visual-heavy exhibits track the city’s transformation from wilderness to metropolis. Our favorite part? Upstairs, catch the short animated musical about Seattle’s Great Fire, complete with timed lighting effects and a singing glue pot (just trust us on this one). To dig even deeper into the museum, learn about our MOHAI scavenger hunts.

2. Make Your Way to the Market

You might have to dodge a few raindrops at the historic Pike Place Market—the Market, to locals—but there’s plenty to see (and buy) inside. You can taste local treats, peruse artisan crafts, and yes, watch fishmongers toss a salmon back and forth, if that’s what you’re into. There’s even a magic shop, where you might see a close-up card trick if you’re lucky. For even more action, check out our Pike Place Market scavenger hunts.

3. Catch a Show at one of Seattle’s Historic Theaters

Seattle is home to some incredible independent theaters, where art, architecture and history intersect. Visit the 5th Avenue Theatre to experience the magic of Broadway without the chaos of Times Square, or catch a comedy show at the Paramount. If a live theatre experience isn’t on your list (or in your budget), consider taking in an indie film at the Egyptian, a single-screen independent theatre located in an old Masonic Temple.

4. Check out the Local Music Scene

Seattle is famous for being the birthplace of grunge—and you can still visit the Central Saloon in Pioneer Square, where Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden all played before making it big. If indie folk is more your speed, check out the Tractor Tavern in Ballard. For the truly weird, catch a show at the quirky Cafe Racer—which is also the proud home of Seattle’s Official Bad Art Museum of Art (otherwise known as OBAMA). Avant-Garde Jazz and velour Elvis paintings? We love a two-for-one deal!

5. Celebrate Creativity at MoPOP

Located in the heart of Seattle Center, the Museum of Pop Culture is an ode to creativity, inspiration and freedom of expression. Inside, you’ll find exhibits honoring contemporary music and pop culture, including a giant guitar sculpture, an interactive Sound Lab, and the world’s largest collection of both Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana memorabilia. A must-see for music fans. You’ll explore all that and more on our MoPop Till You Drop Scavenger Hunt.

6. Dig Deep on an Underground Tour

When Seattle rebuilt after the devastation of 1889’s great fire, the original city was entombed beneath the new one. For a truly unique experience, you can explore this subterranean ghost town on Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour. Fans of ghosts and all things spooky can check out the Underground Paranormal Experience version of the tour, where you’ll use special equipment to undertake your own investigation. There’s even a gift shop!

7. Get Your Game Face On at an Arcade Bar

Brooklyn may have coined the concept of the arcade bar, but Seattle’s made it an art. Pay a visit to Add-A-Ball in Fremont, which boasts the city’s biggest collection of vintage coin-operated arcade games. Raygun Lounge is a low-key joint that has both arcade options and a wide selection of tabletop and board games—if you’ve ever wanted to jump into a game of D&D, this is the place for you. For some all-ages fun, take a trip to the Seattle Pinball Museum in Chinatown, where visitors aged 7 and up can choose from an ever-changing selection of 50 pinball games.

Find More Fun

Check out 10 more things to do in Seattle, and discover all our great Seattle scavenger hunts. We also offer in-person scavenger hunts nationwide and virtual games available anywhere.

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Image credits: Seattle photo by Josh Fields; Pike Place Market photo by Sabine Ojeil on Unsplash; MoPop guitars photo by Ryan Greene

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Halloween might be a bit weird again this year, but you can still make the most of it. Wear masks when you should, party responsibly, and obviously play our two virtual Halloween games: Virtually Haunted: The Online Halloween Scavenger Hunt and the Halloween Trivia Slam Game. Those virtual games involve haunted places, ghost stories, and Halloween trivia, and here’s a taste of all three.

The Restaurant Where It Happens

A long-ago horse stable turned upscale restaurant, One If By Land, Two If By Sea is considered one of New York City’s most romantic. It’s also haunted. A ghostly presence has been known to smash dishes, pull chairs out from under patrons, and even remove women’s earrings. Some say it’s the ghost of Aaron Burr, who kept his horse-drawn carriage there when it was a stable. Others say the ghost is Burr’s dear daughter. What was her name?

Haunted Hotel

At the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, some folks check in, but they don’t check out. The switchboard still receives calls from rooms that no longer exist, and in the Blossom Room, a little ghost named Caroline still looks for her mom while an agitated man walks back and forth. On some evenings you can still hear Montgomery Clift practicing his bugle in room 928.

What bygone blonde bombshell likes to join in on the monkey business, appearing in a hallway mirror and by the pool?

Man About Town

Philadelphia boasts one of the most terrifying haunted places in the country, the notoriously ghastly Eastern State Penitentiary, plus plenty of ghosts all over town. Those include Alexander Hamilton and local legend Ma Gillin.

One founding father’s spirit has been spotted sleeping at Old City Hall, hanging around Independence Hall, lurking about his gravesite at Christ Church, and even checking out one of his favorite haunts in life: the library at the American Philosophical Society. Who is he?

Grave Names

The historic Granary Burying Ground in Boston started accepting permanent residents around 1660, so it has accumulated its fair share of famous names—like Thomas Paine and John Hancock—as well as ghosts. People have reported seeing glowing orbs, full-bodied spirits, and even Paul Revere himself astride a spectral steed.

Among the cemetery’s less-haunting locals is the woman whose unusual, matronly moniker lives on in its association with fairy tales and nursery rhymes. What was that woman called?

Stephen King Slept Here…Poorly

Colorado’s haunted-est place, The Stanley Hotel, is known to horror fans as Stephen King’s inspiration for the Overlook Hotel in The Shining. Guests have reported ghosts in their rooms and long-dead former workers wandering the grounds.

Something very un-supernatural about the Stanley can pose a danger to unprepared guests, though. Simply walking the halls of the hotel has been known to leave some paler than death and shockingly weak. What is the cause of their troubles?

Haunted House of Mouse

Did you know the Happiest Place on Earth is also haunted? And we’re not talking about the Haunted Mansion ride. Disney parks in California and Florida are home to numerous phantasms and urban legends, from caught-on-camera creepers to the ghost of Walt Disney himself.

Those might all be ghost stories, but this is very much fact. What attraction once prominently featured actual human remains?

Crazy Mansion Lady

After her husband died in 1881, Sarah Lockwood Winchester moved from Connecticut to California and spent the rest of her life overseeing the construction of America’s strangest building: the Winchester Mystery House. Featuring secret passages, trap doors, stairways to nowhere, and many more oddities, Winchester purportedly built the house as a labyrinth to confuse vengeful ghosts.

A psychic medium warned Winchester that angry spirits wanted payback because her husband earned his fortune designing…what?

Don’t Go Into the Woods

Deep in a forest outside a little town in Maryland sits a big, flat slab of stone called Coffin Rock. In the 1880s, a little boy went missing in those woods. He found his way back to town, but the search party that went looking for him never did. No, their bodies were found tied up and disemboweled on Coffin Rock. The bodies later disappeared before they could be buried.

What woods-haunting witch earned the blame for those heinous acts, and in turn inspired one of the creepiest movies of all time?

Together to the End…and Beyond

In Louisiana, the spot where they died in a hail of gunfire. In Nevada, the bullet-ridden Ford they once drove. In Texas, the Baker Hotel where they once stayed. What duo keep busy in the afterlife by supposedly haunting all three of those?

Seriously, What Is It with Ghosts and Hotels?

A famous playground for celebrity troublemakers, Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont is said to be very, very haunted by the king of ’em: John Belushi. Since he died in the hotel’s Bungalow 3 in 1982, his lingering presence has been felt countless times. Most famously, in 1999, a 2-year-old guest in Bungalow 3 kept laughing at apparently nothing. When his parents finally asked what he was laughing at, the boy replied, “The funny man!” Yikes.

What famous singer, herself a “good girl gone bad,” told Rolling Stone in 2013 that she avoids Chateau Marmont because of its ghost problem?

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Photo credits: Lead photo by cottonbro from Pexels; Roosevelt Hotel photo by Brendan Church on Unsplash; Granary Burying Ground by Rhododendrites – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0; Winchester Mystery House by TilTul – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0; Chateau Marmont by Gary Minnaert (Minnaert)) – Own work, Public Domain

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When someone mentions notable works of art, the mind often turns to famous paintings and sculptures in a museum. Van Goghs and Rodins. It’s less common to leap to thoughts of 150-foot women.

But that’s just what the Statue of Liberty is: one of the most famous, most fantastic works of art in the modern world. Everyone knows she’s a beacon of inclusiveness and came from the French, but hers is a long and winding story. In honor of her turning 135 years young this year, here are seven things you probably didn’t know about that jolly green giantess, the Statue of Liberty.

1. That’s Not Her Name

Y’know how the Mona Lisa isn’t actually titled The Mona Lisa but everyone calls her that anyway because Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo hardly rolls off the tongue? Same here. Lady Liberty is officially Liberty Enlightening the World. Stirring! But a little lofty for everyday use.

2. She Wasn’t Really a Gift

Literally everybody knows the statue was a gift from the French. But sacre bleu, that just ain’t true! The brainchild of anti-slavery activist Édouard René de Laboulaye and sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the statue was paid for in part by the French government and in part by countless fundraising events. Among those, Bartholdi charged admission to watch the statue’s construction and asked France for permission to run a national lottery.

The pedestal, meanwhile, was paid for by Americans—and efforts to do so nearly failed.

3. She Almost Didn’t Happen

Both Congress and the State of New York rejected bills to allocate money for the project of building the pedestal, and the committee in charge of the pedestal only had $3,000 in the bank, nowhere near enough to cover the expense. Fundraising in the 1880s helped—Emma Lazarus wrote the poem “The New Colossus,” with the immortal lines “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” to raise money—but funds fell short. The torch had been displayed in Philadelphia in 1876, as you can see above, and the head in Paris in 1878, to much acclaim, but prospects were bleak.

And then Joseph Pulitzer promised to publish the name of every single donor to the project in his newspaper The New York World, no matter how small the donation. As word of children scrounging together dollars and cents to help build Lady Liberty’s home spread, donations flooded in and the project was saved.

4. But Seriously, She Almost Didn’t Happen

Long before money was even a question, Bartholdi had a very different idea for his colossal work. In the 1860s, he approached Egypt with a proposal to build a mighty lighthouse, in the form of an ancient Egyptian woman, at the mouth of the Suez Canal. Dubbed Egypt Carrying the Light to Asia, pictured above, the project never happened—partly because Bartholdi had to go serve as an officer in the Franco-Prussian War, after which he decided to approach prominent Americans with an idea for a giant robed lady statue.

5. She Nearly Ended Up Just About Anywhere But the Hudson River

When Liberty’s torch and right hand were displayed in Philadelphia as part of the 1876 Centennial, fairgoers paid enough money to climb into the flame that Bartholdi could afford to build the statue’s head. And he was so pleased with Philly’s enthusiasm that he considered giving it to them. (Ahem, never mind that the torch then spent six years in New York’s Madison Square Park!)

Boston tried to get its hands on the statue in the 1880s, when fundraising for the pedestal was foundering. A New York Times editorial insisted that “no third-rate town is going to step in and take it from us.” OK then!

As for New York, Bartholdi originally scouted out Prospect Park in Brooklyn and the shiny new Central Park as possible sites for the statue. Man, the Sheep Meadow would be so different with an enormous green lady towering over it.

6. The Torch Is a Fake!

Well, sort of. When the statue was renovated in the 1980s, it was found that the torch had suffered serious corrosion damage. Windows installed in 1916 had let in wind, snow, and rain. So French artisans built a new torch, modeled to look exactly like the original and built using the same methods Bartholdi had a hundred years before. The old torch can now be found downstairs in the Statue of Liberty Museum.

7. Thomas Edison Wanted to Make Her Talk

In the world of strange ideas, this ranks pretty high on our list. Edison unveiled the phonograph in 1878, when the Statue of Liberty was under construction. He suggested he could install an immense phonograph—basically a primitive stereo system—in the statue to blast speeches across Manhattan and New Jersey. If Ghostbusters II taught us anything, it’s that the last thing Lady Liberty needs is a sound system.

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Image credits: Lead image by Ferdinand Stöhr on Unsplash; closeup by Serena Repice Lentini on Unsplash; torch in Philadelphia in the public domain via Wikimedia Commons; “Egypt Carrying the Light to Asia” in the public domain via Wikimedia Commons; modern torch by Mateus Maia on Unsplash 

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In-person, outdoor scavenger hunts are back! After a most unusual year, outdoor hunts have returned all around the country and, a few safety precautions notwithstanding, they’re just as fun as you remember them.

Now for a peek behind the scenes. Whenever we haven’t run a certain scavenger hunt in a while, we go test out the hunt ourselves to make sure all the interesting visual clues are still there and that our questions still work. Considering it’s been a whole year, that means getting out there and checking every outdoor scavenger hunt we’ve got! Since we’re so excited about the return of in-person adventures, we wanted to share some of our thoughts and some of the highlights from a few of the outdoor games we’ve taken a look at in recent weeks.

Boston

History and adventure march right along on the Secrets of Old Boston Scavenger Hunt: “The Faneuil Hall Visitor Center may be closed, but a neighborhood so full of history still has something to offer around every corner. After all, Quincy Market opened in 1826 and has survived more than one pandemic! You can raise a glass like statue star Sam Adams at ye olde Union Oyster House’s appropriately colonial outdoor seating before you frolic down the Freedom Trail.” —Marysa Angelli, Boston Coordinator

Chicago’s Loop

Hunters will have fun before, during, and after the Secrets of the Loop Scavenger Hunt: “Downtown Chicago is as beautiful as ever! Lots of people are out and about, the tulips have bloomed on the Magnificent Mile, and shopping is open. And more restaurants have outdoor dining now, so lunch on a patio should be easy to find!” —Valerie Querns, Hunt Host & Chicago Coordinator

Near NYC: Rye and Stamford

Both short trips from New York City, the Hooray for Rye Scavenger Hunt: and the Stamford Scramble Scavenger Hunt are lovely: “Downtown Rye is as charming as ever. In fact, walking among the shops and restaurants of Purchase Street, you’d hardly know there had been a you-know-what (rhymes with ‘canblemic’) at all. And if you haven’t stopped by Stamford, Connecticut, in a while, you’ll be delighted to see the refurbished Veterans Memorial Square looking good as new.” —Ryan Greene, Senior Editor

Governors Island

The Secrets of Governors Island Scavenger Hunt is ready: “It was great to be back at Manhattan’s little island getaway. The ride over—on a shiny new ferry, no less—was a breath of fresh air, visitors were excited to stretch their legs with plenty of space to spread out, and the new art installations were weird and cool. The open-air bar Island Oyster is worth a stop before hitching a ride back to the city. The only bummer is that Castle Williams remains shuttered, but there’s plenty to see and do on the island as it is.” —Ryan Greene, Senior Editor

Los Angeles

Arranging a Downtown Los Angeles scavenger hunt is a good chance to see the sights before the tourists return in force: “The spacious, open-air Pershing Square boasts a renovated kids play area and a shiny new skyscraper near the Biltmore Hotel. Grand Central Market reliably teems with (neon) visual and taste delights, as it has for a hundred years. New artisan food stalls complement the wine and beer corners, from DTLA Cheese to BBQ and Thai food. Broadway and the Jewelry District offer historical window shopping free of crowds to get your post-Zoom steps on.” —Joshua M. Bott, Hunt Host & Los Angeles Coordinator

The Lower East Side

Preparing our hunt on the Lower East Side of Manhattan: “One great thing is that work has been completed on some perpetually under-construction spots (or that’s how it felt, anyway). Seward Park is fully open and thriving, and most of the old Jarmulowsky Bank Building is finally free its eyesore scaffolding. And a delicious newer addition to the neighborhood, besides pretty much everything in the new Essex Street Market, is Diller. This 100% kosher spin-off of The Pickle Guys next door bills itself as the fried-pickle expert.” —Ryan Greene, Senior Editor

Santa Monica

It’s our pleasure to welcome you back to the Santa Monica Pier Pressure Hunt: “Been jonesing for some ocean spray and miles of Pacific Ocean views from Palisades Park? Santa Monica is back with beach beauty (and weather) for summer.  The Pier is bustling with buskers, funnel cakes, and a Ferris wheel to lift your spirits. Beachfront photo ops and new pop-murals invite you to join a free-spirited run before or after stopping at one of the many sunny, sunset-facing patios.” —Joshua M. Bott, Hunt Host & Los Angeles Coordinator

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Lead photo by Matthew LeJune on Unsplash

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From questions about weird St. Paddy’s traditions to clever title mashups that’ll have you feeling “Green,” the new Pinch Me, It’s a Virtual St. Patrick’s Day Trivia Game has some fun for even the least-Irish among your friends and colleagues.

How better to get into the St. Patrick’s Day spirit than to fly on over to merry ol’ Ireland? Of course, most of us can’t do that, but our online scavenger hunts are full of beautiful places and surprising spots to visit virtually. To help you get ready for our St. Patrick’s Day trivia games, here are some of our favorite virtual tours in Ireland.

Giant’s Causeway

Who knew a bunch of interlocking blocks (not named LEGO) would be so popular? A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Giant’s Causeway is composed of some 40,000 basalt columns arrayed in uncannily geometric patterns, with their flat tops forming the perfect stepping stones for visitors. This National Trust feature gives you enough virtual views of the causeway that it’s just a stone’s throw from visiting in person.

The Dead Zoo

Explore all four floors of The National Museum of Ireland – Natural History, dubbed the “Dead Zoo” for its wall-to-wall displays of thousands upon thousands of animals from all over the world. This long, densely packed hall explodes with a dizzying collage of mammals, birds, fish, insects, reptiles, crustaceans, corals, and more.

Blarney Castle

Visit the famed Blarney Castle without all the upside-down stone-kissing…which is probably for the best these days. The virtual tour begins in the castle’s Poison Garden, a very normal thing that exists, and lets you poke around for 360-degree views of the castle and its grounds.

Vikings!

Dublinia, a museum dedicated to the city’s Viking and medieval history, offers a gorgeous online exploration of famous spots in Dublin and their roles throughout the ages. Explore Dublin’s origins as a grubby little village in the 9th Century up to its establishment as a major walled city in the 15th Century.

Cliffs of Moher

This virtual highlight of the Cliffs of Moher wastes no time. The homepage itself lets you click your way out to the sea cliffs, one of the most popular tourist sports in Ireland. (If you’re facing the visitor center entrance, follow the path to your left, away from the shops and parking lot.) You can see only a small portion of the cliffs’ 9-mile span, but the sight of the Atlantic Ocean before you and the rolling hills of County Clare behind you is worth the price of admission.

Ireland by Drone

Finally, a bonus: A full hour of stunning drone footage from all over Ireland. You can’t control the view, so this doesn’t qualify as a virtual tour, but if you want to absorb an hour of Ireland, put this on in the background while you work from home or tackle a puzzle.

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Image credits: Giant’s Causeway photo by Tyler Donaghy on Unsplash; Blarney Castle photo by Morgan Lane on Unsplash; Cliffs of Moher photo by Leighton Smith on Unsplash

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In our latest globe-trotting virtual adventure, the Around the World Scavenger Hunt: Sunshine Escapes, teams look on the bright side of life as they Zoom from one sun-drenched locale to another. Using websites, virtual tours, and our custom app, you can see the sights even when you’re stuck at home.

Just like we do when building any of our world-exploring virtual scavenger hunts, we searched high and low for amazing, eye-opening places to visit. Here is a sneak peek at five sunshine-y, funtime-y places you might explore during the new Sunshine Escapes game.

Relax on the French Riviera

Welcome to Monte Carlo, one of the most lavish locations on earth. A favorite haunt of celebrities and royalty alike, this jewel of the French Riviera has been a destination for sun-seekers and gamblers since the 1860s. By clicking on shiny gems in this virtual tour, you can visit some of Monte Carlo’s hottest hotspots, including the luxurious Hôtel de Paris and the famous Monte Carlo Casino, a favorite haunt of James Bond.

Explore Darwin’s Happy Place

Discover the Galápagos Islands, the volcanic Ecuadorian archipelago where Charles Darwin liked to get away from it all. This virtual look at the Galápagos digs into the islands’ biodiversity, landscape, and scientific importance. Of course, it also gets you up close and underwater with sea lions and introduces you to the Blue-Footed Booby, so enjoy.

Do-Re-Mi-t in the Garden

Or maybe just some garden-admiring. This virtual visit to Mirabell Gardens, the enchanting environs of the 400-year-old Mirabell Palace in Salzburg, Austria. The gardens are among the most popular spots in Salzburg, in part because Julie Andrews famously traipsed through them with the Von Trapp children as they sang “Do-Re-Mi” in The Sound of Music. This virtual look lets you see some of the greenery and statuary of the gardens, with a peek or two inside the palace as well. (Watch out for the video at the bottom of the page: Its music is pretty loud, so you might want to adjust your volume before starting.)

Take a Petra-fied Pit Stop

Skip the scorching heat of the Jordan desert to virtually explore the city of Petra. A true wonder of the world, this city of stone was carved out more than 2,000 years ago, and the iconic front door to its treasury is a favorite of film and television. In this tour, depart from the “god blocks” guarding the city, wind through the narrow Siq valley, and marvel at tombs and temples alike.

Unwind in Indonesia

Finally, skip the long flight and simply bask virtually in the beauty of Indonesia. Here you can hit the beaches of Bali, hike the blue-fired volcano of Banyuwangi, boat through the wilds of Bintan, or take a jaunt through Jakarta.

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Credits: Lead photo by Sean O. on Unsplash; Monte Carlo photo by Mark de Jong on Unsplash; Galapagos photo by Magdalena Kula Manchee on Unsplash; Mirabell Gardens photo by Gianluca Carenza on Unsplash; Petra photo by Ahmad Qaisieh on Unsplash; Bali photo by Geio Tischler on Unsplash

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In the new Joy Around the World Virtual Holiday Scavenger Hunts, players virtually travel the world on a fun, festive search for glad tidings and good cheer. You swing by the North Pole, fly to India to celebrate Diwali, encounter a creepy Krampus, and more.

Of course, the world is full of more holiday fun than virtual holiday scavenger hunts can highlight. Here are a few of the holiday traditions and locations we explored around the world while building our holiday games.

Away in a Ger-manger

Visit Berlin’s Museum of European Cultures to explore its mechanical Weihnachtsberg, an animated, incredibly detailed showcase of the Christ child Christmas story. Started in 1885 by the master painter Max Vogel, this work of art is one of the largest of its kind and took more than 100 years to complete.

Basilica in Bethlehem

From a scene of the nativity, take a 3D peek into the Church of the Nativity. The grotto of this basilica in Bethlehem, a West Bank city six miles south of Jerusalem, is celebrated by many as the birthplace of Jesus. It is also the oldest site in the world to see uninterrupted use as a Christian place of worship.

Celebrating a Saint in Sweden

Lucia Day honors Lucia of Syracuse, a martyr who died in the year 304. According to Swedish legend, Lucia also happened to be Adam’s first wife before Eve came along.

Now, Sweden celebrates Lucia Day on December 13th, one of the longest, darkest nights of the year, with a veritable festival of lights. Lucia was considered a bearer of light in dark Swedish winters, and today women all over the country dress in white and wear candle-studded wreaths on their heads. The Lucia Day procession also includes star boys, who wear conical hats and carry stars on sticks, and lantern-carrying Christmas elves.

Playing Santa

Every year, the United States Postal Service makes countless holiday wishes come true. And we don’t just mean delivering a bunch of Amazon boxes. Operation Santa gathers adorable, heartwarming letters to Santa from children around the country, and lets readers “adopt” and fulfill a child’s wish list. This year, nearly 24,000 letters were adopted, which means a lot of holiday cheer to end an otherwise tough year.

Untraditional Christmas Cards

Every December, people spend billions of dollars on Christmas cards to send loved ones a heartfelt greeting or a festive laugh. But in Victorian times, Christmas cards were a lot weirder. It used to be perfectly normal, apparently, to convey holiday greetings with images of dead birds, murdered frogs, melting snowmen, and kidnapping Santas.

Christmas in Tennessee

Even if Christmas is your favorite holiday, chances are you don’t love it nearly as much as the people behind Christmas Place in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Styled like a Bavarian village, this holiday megastore sells Christmas all year long. You can stroll through the shops yourself in Google Maps, or tour the Santa Suite, an almost too-festive room at the inn.

Dickensian Deep-Dive

Some of our holiday hunters have a chance to explore the Charles Dickens Museum, where the author of A Christmas Carol once lived. Though he lived here a few years before writing his classic Christmas story, Dickens did write Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby here. His family saw the birth of a daughter here, as well as the death of Dickens’ beloved sister-in-law. This house-turned-museum is the only Dickens home still standing in London today.

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Image credits: Lead photo by Tj Holowaychuk on Unsplash; Weinachtsberg image via Google; Lucia Day photo by Claudia Gründer, CC BY-SA 3.0; Christmas card and Charles Dickens in the public domain

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Few things have helped people stay connected during these strange times the way Zoom has. Zoom, and other video-conferencing apps like it, let long-distance families throw parties, colleagues hold lunch meetings, and players enjoy our Zoom scavenger hunts.

On our new virtual games, a live event host uses Zoom to lead teams on a trip around the world, a murder mystery scavenger hunt, a quest through a major city, and more. And in each game, museum websites, virtual tours, Google Arts & Culture, and other tools let you visit different places you might not be able to right now. You may have seen some of the great and strange places you can explore virtually. Here are 5 of the best online spots you’ll investigate on our Zoom scavenger hunts.

Up in the Air Above London

The new Escape to London Virtual Tour Game lets virtual explorers visit Buckingham Palace, 10 Downing Street, the home of the World’s Greatest Detective, and many world-class museums. For pure fun, though, it’s tough to beat this 360-degree view of the city from atop the London Eye. (Don’t worry, it’s not a spoiler for the game, since there are a lot of things to see up here.) By looking around and clicking on a location, you can zip over to Piccadilly Circus, the Tower of London, the Gherkin, and more.

Wee Rooms in the Windy City

The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the top art museums in the U.S., and a favorite on our scavenger hunts. And one of the best galleries to visit virtually is Gallery 11, featuring 70 of the Thorne Miniature Rooms. These tiny rooms showcase centuries of European and American decor with meticulously crafted, itty bitty furniture and fixtures, and online you can really see many fine details you might miss in person. Take a good look at the gilded opulence of the 19th Century French anteroom, for example, or the artful simplicity of the New Mexico dining room, circa 1940.

Where’s Waldo, But Make It Art

Speaking of top American art museums, have you heard of a little place called the Met? The home of our very first scavenger hunt back in 1993, New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is, to put it mildly, a very nice museum with some very nice art. A fun way to explore the museum is with this Met Kids Map, a Where’s Waldo-style snapshot of many of the Met’s galleries, including the art and artifacts therein. Even better, as you poke around every corner of the museum, you can click on many artworks to learn more about them. (And sure, it’s great to share with your kids, but adults can like fun things too.)

No Wonder It’s a Wonder of the World

Cross the Lost City of the Incas off your virtual bucket list with this tour of Machu Picchu. Gorgeous 360-degree panoramas let you take in the sights of the famed ruins, perched on top of an 8,000-foot mountain ridge in Peru. No, it’s not the same as being there in person, but at least it doesn’t take a couple flights, a train, a bus, and one heck of a hike to get to.

Shout-Out to the Zoo Crew

The Internet was invented to host animal videos. And now that most zoos and aquariums remain totally or partially closed, many have pumped up their virtual offerings—especially when it comes to videos showing off their animals. On our virtual hunts, you might meet the two-toed sloths at the Philadelphia Zoo or feed the penguins at Boston’s New England Aquarium.

Here’s a fun one we couldn’t squeeze into the already jam-packed Around the World Scavenger Hunt: The Asia Pacific Game: a group of daring keepers milking—yes, milking—a bunch of snakes at the Austrlian Reptile Park in New South Wales.

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Photo credits: Big Ben Photo by Jurica Koletić on Unsplash; Thorne Miniature Room courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago, Public Domain; Machu Picchu photo by Willian Justen de Vasconcellos on Unsplash

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