Treasure hunt ideas: themes, clues and a clue card maker

Treasure hunt clue card maker

Tap your hiding spots in order. Each one comes with a riddle you can keep or rewrite. Then print the cards and a hiding plan that says where each card goes.

10 treasure hunt themes

A theme decides what the clue cards look like and what waits at the end. Each of these works with paper, tape and a box.

• Pirate map. Torn pieces of one map that join up as players find them.Treasure: A chest of chocolate coins.
• The vault. Each card is a page from a safecracker's notebook.Treasure: A cash box with a number lock, full of gift cards.
• Lost luggage. Luggage tags with flight numbers that point to the next stop.Treasure: A carry-on packed with snacks.
• Time capsule. Notes from the team a year ago, one memory per card.Treasure: A box the team fills and opens again next year.
• Museum after hours. Placards in a curator's voice describe each spot as an exhibit.Treasure: The missing team trophy.
• Mission control. Countdown cards from 10 to 1, read like launch checks.Treasure: A box of freeze-dried astronaut ice cream.
• Dragon's hoard. Scorched-edge notes signed by a grumpy dragon.Treasure: A pile of gold-wrapped chocolates.
• Classified files. Sealed envelopes stamped TOP SECRET, opened one at a time.Treasure: The final file, with the prize inside.
• Gold rush. A painted gold rock at every stop holds the next clue under it.Treasure: A sack of gold candy nuggets.
• Birthday memory lane. Each clue is a moment from the guest of honor's year.Treasure: The birthday gift itself.

Running one in December? Our Christmas scavenger hunt has holiday clues ready to print.

How to write treasure hunt clues

Start from the hiding spot, describe what it does instead of what it is, and add one detail only that spot has. Then mix clue types so the hunt changes pace.

1. Riddle. Describe what the spot does, plus one detail only that spot has.Example: “I have 88 teeth and I sing when you press them. Lift my lid.” Answer: The piano.
2. Rhyme. Two short rhyming lines. Best for kids and for reading aloud.Example: “Where coats hang up and boots stand by, the next clue hides at the height of your eye.” Answer: The coat hooks by the door.
3. Picture clue. A close-up photo of one small part of the spot. Works for kids who can't read yet.Example: “A tight crop of a wicker basket weave, printed on the card with no words.” Answer: The wicker basket in the hall.
4. Shift cipher. Move every letter three places along the alphabet. Print the key on the first card.Example: “XQGHU WKH OREEB VRID” Answer: Under the lobby sofa.
5. Map grid. Draw the floor plan on a grid. The clue is just a square, like C4.Example: “C4, then look up.” Answer: The shelf above the third desk in row C.
6. Letter collection. Every card carries one letter. Unscramble them all to name the treasure spot.Example: “Cards hold K, U, R, N and T.” Answer: The trunk.
7. Number lock. The treasure sits in a box with a three digit lock. Each of the last three clues gives one digit.Example: “Digit one: how many chairs sit around the small meeting room table?” Answer: The number they count.
8. Wax resist message. Write the clue in white crayon on white paper. Players brush on watercolor to read it.Example: “A blank card and a paintbrush on the kitchen table. Painted, it reads CHECK THE MAILBOX.” Answer: The mailbox.

The shift cipher example moves each letter three places, so X reads as U. For more puzzle types, see our escape room puzzle ideas, which include a cipher maker. Test every clue on someone who didn’t write it: if they need more than three minutes, add a detail.

Treasure hunt riddles with answers

30 original clues, each written for one hiding spot. The answer is the spot.

Need more? Our scavenger hunt clues cover 85 more spots at home, at work and outdoors, and riddles for adults has harder ones for a final clue.

How to run a treasure hunt for team building

An office treasure hunt takes about an hour to set up and 45 minutes to play. Teams race the same chain of clues in a different order.

1. 1Choose 6 to 10 shared spots on one floor. Kitchens, lobbies and shelves. Skip desks, restrooms and anything locked.
2. 2Write the chain from the treasure backward. Hide the prize first, then write the clue that points to it, then the one before.
3. 3Give each team its own colored cards. Same spots, different order, so teams spread out instead of trailing each other.
4. 4Make teams of 4 to 6 from different departments. A treasure hunt is a good excuse to meet the people two rows over.
5. 5Set a 45 minute cap and a hint rule. One free hint per team, and each extra hint costs two minutes.
6. 6Warn the people nearby. Post a heads-up in the office channel the day before, with the time.
7. 7Count the cards back in. A clue left in the tea drawer for six months is a mystery nobody asked for.

Treasure ideas for work

• The winners pick the office playlist for a week.
• A rotating trophy that lives on the winners' desks until the next hunt.
• First pick of the next team event.
• A late-start morning for the winners.
• A donation to a charity the winners choose.
• A box of the snacks the office never orders.

Want every team scoring at once instead of following one trail? Run an office scavenger hunt with a list, or a photo scavenger hunt where every find is a picture.

Virtual treasure hunt ideas for remote teams

A remote team can't walk to the kitchen, so the clues move onto the screen or into the mail.

• A web treasure hunt. Each clue is a riddle whose answer is one word. Put every clue in its own section of a form that only accepts the right answer, so the next clue appears when a team solves the last one.
• A shared map on screen. Share a photo of a busy scene or a floor plan. Teams in breakout rooms solve clues that point to grid squares, and the last square holds the treasure.
• A locked box in the mail. Mail each player a small box with a number lock. Clues solved on the call give the code, and everyone opens their box together.

Writing and testing a chain of clues takes an evening. To have someone else run it, KraftyLab books a virtual scavenger hunt or a virtual escape room: a live host runs about 60 minutes of clues and challenges, teams play in breakout rooms, and nobody has to hide anything. It runs on Zoom by default, or Teams, Google Meet or Webex on request. Book about 2 weeks ahead.

• S
  Scavenger Hunt with a Twist!Starting at $39 USD / person
• T
  Team Discovery ChallengeStarting at $35 USD / person
• B
  Beach Vacate-tion Escape RoomStarting at $35 USD / person

More ideas in virtual scavenger hunt ideas. Planning for a big group? Send your date and headcount and get a free quote within 24 hours.