Scavenger Hunts

Oct 7, 2019

Summary: Scavenger Hunt – During Piccolo Spoleto 2019, conNECKtedTOO conducted a Scavenger Hunt in the Charleston MLK District to highlight the presence of existing businesses and to bring attention to the rich history of closed businesses that previously existed in the area. The Lead Organizer was Shanequa Rainey. There were 2 routes, one on Cannon Street and one on Spring Street, with a total of 14 locations (8 per route with some locations repeating). The Scavenger Hunt began at the Cannon Street Art Center then progressed throughout the neighborhoods of Cannonborough/Elliot and Spring Street, until it reached its end at Karpeles Manuscript Museum. Each participant was given a kit that included a map, business operation hours, an instruction sheet and hints and questions. The hints lead the participant to the next location while the questions where an element to encourage participants to engage with the business owners or look deeper into the business history of the neighborhood. 

*Continuing reading if you are interested in conducting your own Scavenger Hunt! 

Scavenger  Hunt Blueprint – Physical Version  

This outline is based on the Scavenger Hunt that was conducted by 

conNECKtedTOO during Piccolo Spoleto 2019 (Summarized above)

  • Locations first step should be picking the street(s) the routes will be on. Then brainstorm possible 
  • Connecting get in touch with the businesses you hope to  collaborate with. 
  • Walkthroughs – make sure to do many and to do at least 2-3 full walkthroughs to get a clear picture on how the participants will be interacting with the route 
  • Routes – for a one time event having anywhere between 1-2 routes is generally a good idea.
  • Anywhere between 5-8 stops is preferable, and it is strongly advised to not go over 10
    • One major thing to be noted: the amount of stops will have to be scaled to the amount of involvement/interaction the participant will have at a location and with a business owner. The more interaction required the less stops there should be and vise versa. 
    • After planning one scavenger hunt, I would say that the number of closed businesses should be about about ⅓ the stops. Also making sure they are middle points where participants can go back to a stop or move forward a stop to get out of a sticky weather situation (namely: rain, intense cold and intense heat) is a very good idea. 
    • When it comes to business owner interaction see what each business owner is comfortable with doing. For instance see how willing/able they may be to answer questions or give out an object you provide for them.
  • Kits / Materials – What is your kit going to look like? What types of information do you think the participants are going to need to complete the scavenger hunt without too much trouble? Is the idea you have within the budget? What are the materials you can place in there to speak to the goal of the scavenger hunt as well as other goals? There should also be  clear and understandable information on the actions required to get the/a prize for those who want it. 
  • Prize(s) Make sure that it is relevant to the mission and will be something actually wanted. 
  • Budget should include, but is not limited to: prizes, kit construction, promotional materials, marketing etc . . .