This post was last updated on August 13th, 2022
Are you looking for ways to keep your remote team entertained while working from home? If so, then you’ll want to try out an indoor scavenger hunt for adults!
Let’s be honest, despite having more entertainment than previous generations, we’re somewhat incapable of entertaining ourselves without screens.
From our TV set up right down to scrolling endlessly through Instagram posts on our phone when there is nothing else going on… It feels strange how much time people spend focusing on their own screens and forgetting to interact with others sometimes.
But you know what? You could change this because when the screen goes off, there’s a party!
Surprisingly, indoor scavenger hunts can be a lot of fun, can bring people back together, and can be done at home, in any public space, or in the office – as a great team building activity – for those who want to take the idea outside the family circle.
In this article, we’ll go over how you can organize an indoor treasure hunt and some of our favorite riddles and tips. Let’s check this out!
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Introducing Indoor Scavenger Hunts
An indoor treasure hunt is an event whereby people have to find a top number of hidden objects, solve riddles or accomplish challenges in order to win. Those are not just for kids, they can also be fun with family, friends, or in the office.
How do you create a great scavenger hunt for adults?
To organize a good scavenger hunt, you have to think of what kind of people will attend this event, their personality, and their age.
You want to make sure that the indoor scavenger hunt is suitable for everyone’s interests.
If your crowd is creative, make sure to include inspired challenges; if they are a bit more reserved, don’t push them with complicated tasks. The objective is for everyone to have fun, not frustrate or bore anyone.
How do you do a virtual scavenger hunt?
If you’re not ready to give up your screen yet but want to connect with friends, family, or coworkers around the globe for this activity, you can connect to Zoom, Google Hangout or Skype to organize a Virtual Scavenger Hunt.
Very similar to the indoor one, the difference is that you’ll have to send photos and videos of any items found on the scavenger hunt list to prove your points.
If you want pro tips, make sure to read our dedicated blog post on virtual scavenger hunts.
How do you play a scavenger hunt indoors?
To play an indoor scavenger hunt, first give everyone a list of all the items to be found, riddles to guess, and challenges to make.
Divide people into groups or let each participant do their quest individually.
Set the game rules and let everyone complete the scavenger hunt as fast as they can.
Have each team report back to the group with their findings at the end of the game and celebrate all together!
Read on to get more details on how to organize scavenger hunts!
Theme indoor scavenger hunt ideas
For an even more exciting event, think about adding a theme to the equation!
Here are a few ideas and occasions that can inspire your own treasure hunt theme:
- Birthday Party Scavenger Hunt
- Anniversary Scavenger Hunt
- Christmas Party Scavenger Hunt
- Team Building Scavenger Hunt
- Halloween Scavenger Hunt
- Summer Holiday Scavenger Hunt
- Easter Scavenger Hunt
- Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt
- Neighborhood Block Party Scavenger Hunt
- Bachelorette Party Scavenger Hunt
- Wedding Scavenger Hunt
What are some good scavenger hunt clues?
Good scavenger hunt clues could include :
- A word search clue such as “the first letter of each line spells it”;
- A crossword clue such as “what starts with S and ends with P and is used daily in the bathroom”;
- A riddle such as “I am always with you, but I don’t know where to look for me. What am I? – Your eyes”;
- A puzzle to solve to find what item to find;
- A code that people have to work together to figure out what the item is they need to find such as “1 19 16 15 15 14” for a spoon.
Make sure the clue is intriguing and not too easy to solve, the hints are key so that you don’t give away too much information.
This way to fun!How to Organize Indoor Scavenger Hunts at Home or at the Office
Set a proper indoor location
The location where you’ll be hosting the indoor scavenger hunt will determine how you should organize and create clues for it. Think about where this indoor scavenger hunt will take place – your home, office building, or a public place, etc.
If your event is going to take place in your home, then you have the luxury of knowing what rooms people will be wandering through; so you can set up challenges accordingly as they explore different parts of the house.
If it takes place in a public building – whether that’s a grocery store or your workplace, for instance, you’ll have to make up clues differently because they may go into different rooms and parts that are not anticipated by organizers.
In that case, decide if you want to limit a specific area of research or if you want to let them browse the full building/floor to make it more challenging.
Pro tip: Make sure there is enough room so people won’t run into each other. If the area is narrow, then think about grouping players in teams using the relay race method so that every team only sends one person at a time.
Create the list of items to find
Once you have your location sorted and know where people will be, create a list of things for them to search for in that indoor scavenger hunt.
These can range from more simple items – like looking under furniture or inside cabinets – to really challenging tasks such as finding a pretty old or specific object – like a piece of art.
Add riddles and challenges
Now that we have the scavenger hunt list ready, it’s time to think of what kind of clues you want. Indeed, you could either give out an explicit list or spice it up!
Riddles are a good way to engage people in your event – they can be tricky or easy but always fun!
You may also add puzzles, word hunts, or challenges for your indoor scavenger hunt.
Set the game rules
The next step is to create the game rules. A few rules you could think of:
- Define the teams beforehand – or if people will play individually
- No talking or giving hints allowed
- Define the time limit
- Define the scoring system depending on the complexity
- Define how can the players show the proof of their quest (bring objects? photos and videos? etc.)
“Let the hunter games begin!”
With your scavenger hunt list and game rules set… So let the “Hunter Games” begin!
Start the clock, sit back, and relax while everyone gets agitated to complete the treasure hunt as fast as they can. May the fastest win!
End of the game
At the end of the time limit, have each team report back to the group with their findings.
If they come back earlier, make sure to note their time on a piece of paper to help decide on the winner.
Check out their list and proof provided (photos, etc) and decide the winner.
Optional but always appreciated, award prizes to the winning teams or individual players who found all of their items first.
And don’t forget to celebrate the game debrief afterward over shared snacks and drinks!
Ideas for Family and At-Home Indoor Scavenger Hunt for Adults
Because kids are not the only ones to enjoy a great indoor scavenger hunt, make sure you try out this game the next time you have some free time and surprise your partner or family with a special quest around the house!
Check out some of these hunt ideas for adults such as scavenger hunt riddles, photos, and challenges!
Ultimate at-home scavenger hunt riddles
- When I am full, I am a pointer. When I am empty, I stay still. What am I? – A glove
- I can hold water even if I am full of holes. What am I?- A sponge
- I don’t have arms but I sure can carry a man. What am I? – A chair
- I have no mouth but I can still speak. What am I? – The radio
- I get wet as I dry. What am I?- A towel
- I am showing you the way at night. What am I? – A lamp
- I put an end to your deepest dreams. What am I? An alarm clock
- I am the perfect ally to a sleepover party if things turn into a fight. What am I? – A pillow
- Don’t forget me before going outside, you could regret it. What am I? – An umbrella
At-home family photo scavenger hunt
- Read on! Take a photo of the book you are currently reading
- Don’t you dare look! Take a photo of something you are ashamed of in your home right now (your left-out dishes? Your poor decoration? Your crazy amount of laundry?)
- Yummy! Take a photo of the food you will eat for the next breakfast
- Paw-cheese! Take a selfie with your pet – if you have one!
- Relax! Take a photo of your favorite pastime object
- Remember? Take a photo of something from your past student life
- Let’s wash these! Take a photo of you cleaning dishes
Scavenger hunt challenges ideas
- Expired! Bring food with the furthest expired consumption date you have at home
- I spy something… golden! Find and bring a golden object
- Nerd life! Bring a book with at least 350 pages
- Close your eyes… Put on lipstick while blindfolded – and record a video of it for proof
- It’s getting cold in here! Wear ten extra garments on top of your current outfit
- Sweat it! Do 20 push-ups and record a video for proof
- Travel the world! Bring a souvenir from your last trip
- Your favorites! Bring one of the magnets on your fridge or keychains of your house-keys
Friends and Coworkers Scavenger Hunt Ideas
Team building scavenger hunt ideas for the office
Give scavenger hunts a try to animate your next team building session in the office.
If you want to bring people together through this game, make sure you team up your coworkers in small groups.
Make them rediscover the place where they work thanks to challenges and riddles. We gathered below a few ideas to help get you started:
- Clean as a whistle! Take a photo of your organized and cleaned desk
- You’re the boss! Take a funny selfie with the big boss
- Packed like sardines! Head to the restroom and take a selfie of you and all of your team standing in a single stall
- You deserve it! Buy a coffee for an intern of the company and document it by taking a picture.
- Here goes some love! Send a group email to share some love to all the team members participating in the scavenger hunt
- Picture it! Take a photo of your team, print it, and stick it to the office wall
- Hang on! Build a human pyramid with your teammates and take a photo – or a video for proof!
- Life in green! Bring or find a piece of nature in the office
Scavenger hunt ideas and clues for indoor public places
If you want to try out an original indoor scavenger hunt but don’t want participants wandering around your house too much, think about organizing it in a public place where you can all be gathered in!
The best would be a place with many possibilities: the nearby park, a hotel where you all stay in during a Bachelorette night, a movie theater, a restaurant, a bar, the mall… think outside the box!
As this might include talking to strangers, we recommend grouping participants into small teams so they can share in the fun! Here are a few ideas to inspire your own clues:
- Cheese! Take a photo of an unknown person with a funny expression
- Weird! Take a photo of the weirdest object to be sold on-site
- Ouch! Take a photo of someone carrying something very big
- Give me a smile! Take a selfie with a security guard of the public place you’re in
- Twin day! Take a photo of one of your teammates with someone who is wearing a very similar outfit
- Good deal! Take a photo of something that is on sale
- Where is it? Take a selfie with the indoor public place map
- Lost and found! Find something that is not yours but has been left behind by someone else and bring it back! (a favorite book, hat…)
- Namesake search! Find a person who has the same first name as you and take a picture with proof (badge? ID?)
- Be kind! Offer a small and kind gift to somebody else (a brownie, a card…), and remember to take a photo for proof!
- That’s hot! Record a video of a trendy TikTok dance challenge in this public place
If you’re looking for something enjoyable to do with your close friends, indoor scavenger hunts are the perfect activity.
They’re an exciting opportunity for everyone involved to have fun together. It can really liven up an adults’ night as well as enhance a team-building session with your co-workers.
Easy to organize, they can be done anywhere indoors – you just need to be a bit imaginative!
For those who prefer fresh air, think about switching this for an outdoor scavenger hunt, great for holiday parties, or before or after the summer break!
We hope this article has given you an idea of how to spice up your next indoor event, how to organize scavenger hunts, and how to build your clues.
If you do organize one, we would be happy to know what you came up with, and if your peers loved it. We are all ears so don’t hesitate to message us!