Scavenger hunts have always been one of my favorite things to do for fun. As a young adult, my friends and I loved to come up with outrageous list items, round up the biggest teams we could find, and meet in a parking lot at midnight to see which team was able to check off the most items. These are some of my fondest memories, and something that I am so excited to pass on to my family, and my son’s future friends, albeit with more age-appropriate list items. Reminiscing on these memories recently gave me the idea to come up with a Nashville-themed list. This scavenger hunt is for locals and tourists alike.
How to Play:
There are two ways to play – either as individuals or on teams. If you only have access to one car, I would recommend playing as individuals. If you have four or more players, and access to two cars, or are using the trolley, you can break into teams. Make sure each player has a printout or screen shot of one of the photos below. There are two separate lists. Bring both lists for a longer game, or save the second one for next time! Make sure everyone has the same list, but do not read through the challenges before starting. Establish a meeting point and end time for the game – this is entirely up to you, but I usually like to allow for two hours of playtime.
If splitting into teams, once the game has begun, find a place to discuss the list where the other team won’t hear you (and steal your ideas!) The list includes a mix of items that must be collected, photos that must be taken, and challenges that must be completed. Try to complete as many as possible before time is up. Every player must be present at the meet point at the designated time, or they are disqualified.
If playing as individuals, everyone can read the list items together and determine where to stop first. The first idea always wins, so if someone shouts ’12 South’ after reading the first item, that is the first place everyone will go! Challenges and photos can be completed by every player, but physical items can only be collected by one player, when playing as individuals. The first person to spot the item, or to figure out where it can be found is the one to win that point. (If the item is a treat, feel free to get one for everyone, but only one player gets the point.) At the designated end time, calculate points to determine who has the most.
Rules:
- Items may not be completed more than once per individual/team, unless otherwise noted. If playing as a team, only one teammate may complete each challenge.
- Mind curfew. If playing at night, remember that minors are not allowed in the honky tonks downtown.
- If using separate cars, all tanks must be full before looking at the list.
- If using the trolley, passes must be purchased before looking at the list.
- If you enjoy and want to play again, try making things trickier by requiring all challenges to be completed while standing on one foot, or blindfolded, or whatever other fun ideas you come up with as a group.
- Be creative! This isn’t a real list item, but if there were one asking you to get a photo of a bear, keep in mind that this could include a photo of a teddy bear, a brochure from a hotel, etc.
- All items on the list can be completed in Nashville. While I recommend exploring all of the city, and not just downtown, you could play entirely on foot downtown if you are creative enough. It’s not about checking off every list item – just checking off more than anyone else.
- All photos must be taken by you. Photos downloaded from the internet do not count.
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