THE USA · CITY EXPLORATION GAMES IN THE USA
This is the shortlist you would send a friend: 15 city exploration games in the USA worth the money, each with its price, its player verdict and the one thing to know before you commit.
Explore Haight-Ashbury through an offline puzzle game with flexible timing, local history, and a low $7.20 price per person.
“The best tour you can go on in San Francisco. Very fun and entertaining! Book it and you’ll thank me later:)”
Explore Balboa Park with a private puzzle game, visiting gardens, art, theater, and landmarks at your own pace for $7.20.
“My kids ENJOYED this. They enjoyed the story and solving the puzzles, and reading the map to direct us to the nxt location. This was a fun family activity.”
Explore Millennium Park and Grant Park through a flexible Chicago puzzle game covering art, architecture, history, and iconic landmarks.
“At first the quest started out good until we ran into construction areas where things were being blocked. We had to use a clue/hint reveal answer which started taking the fun out of the game. We decided to continue anyways and had a problem getting into range of the water fountain. Had to use an expand radius. There were 4 of us in the group and like to get everything correct without using "points", this made the game more difficult when one person couldn't get game reconnected since she was not able to go back to last location and not be able to reach the fountain again to restart game…”
Explore New Orleans City Park with an offline puzzle game linking art, gardens, history, and the Singing Oak for $7.18.
“This was our first outdoor quest experience and it was definitely entertaining. We did it late at night our second day in New Orleans which made it very interesting. Most clues were self explanatory. Overall, great time.”
Explore Boston’s North End with a self-guided Mafia-themed puzzle game covering 11 quirky sites for $7.18 and about 2.5 hours.
“If it is cold and dark and you do not know the area it is difficult because we did not know the area”
Explore Chicago’s Lincoln Park through a self-guided haunted history game with clues, monuments, smartphone play, and flexible timing.
“This was worth the little money it cost. The download and getting ready was a bit of a hassle still worth it. We really enjoyed all of it up until the last clue that was not accessible anymore. However the help menu and chat from the app let us know what happened at the end. Would probably liked a big finish. Still lots of interesting facts and places we would have missed on our trip. I did report the issue so hopefully others won’t get to the last chapter and not be able to complete it as well.”
Explore Detroit with a two-hour app-based scavenger hunt featuring photo challenges, flexible play, a remote guide, and a $10 price.
“We had a great time exploring the city and being silly. We were a little uncomfortable with asking working people to take pictures with us but we tried to find alternatives.”
Explore Greenwich Village through an affordable self-guided game linking Hendrix, Poe, Dylan-era sites, theaters, clubs, and parks.
“I loved learning all these many details about some of my favourite musicians and, literally, following their steps in the city. It’s self-guided and you can stop anytime to grab a bite, which is quite convenient actually.”
Review of Charlotte’s Queen City Quest, a two-hour, family-friendly scavenger hunt with local stops, puzzles, challenges, and remote hosting.
“This was so awful and overpriced. The “scavenger hunt” is basically a PowerPoint of objectives on Canva given to you at the beginning of the game. What’s worse is that the objectives are not up to date…. We quickly realized most of the stores were closed and that a mural we were looking for hadn’t even existed for months. We decided to stop and requested a 50% refund but was offered a credit to do another scavenger hunt. Would not recommend.”
Solve clues across downtown Atlanta, from Coca-Cola and Olympic landmarks to civil rights sites, in a one-hour phone-based city game.
“The experience was good could definitely been better.. the clues weren't always clear, would have been nice to get a sticker or t shirt at the end..”
Solve 13 art-heist puzzles through Phoenix’s Roosevelt Row, finding murals, stories, and clues at your own pace for $5.99.
“It didn’t worth the money. There were some lighting but nothing very specific or memorable. I really expected better experience.”
Explore Pittsburgh with a two-hour app-led scavenger hunt, remote guide, photo challenges, and a flexible route from Market Square.
“I was blown away when the policeman had us pose with his classic car and the lady did the hokie pokie with us. Though the scavenger hunt was generic it helps to get you familiar with the city, or neighborhood you are visiting. I was surprised at how many people wanted to help us out. Had a great time doing as much as I wanted.”
Explore Harvard Yard through a self-guided phone game with clues, historic stops, flexible timing, and a budget-friendly Cambridge route.
“Harvard was closed to the public when we went so we couldn't walk to some of the locations and had to guess the answers to the questions. They were relatively easy to answer, but a bit frustrating”
Review of Operation City Quest in Fort Myers, a two-hour app-led scavenger hunt with riddles, challenges, remote support, and team scoring.
“There were seven of us ranging in age from 8 to 75. There other adults arrived late. We were able to get about half finished. It was fun and something different. We enjoyed it and will recommend it to others.”
Review of Gatlinburg City Scavenger Hunt by Operation City Quest, including price, app play, timing, value, drawbacks, and booking tips.
“It wasn't what we thought it was. Seems geared more towards younger people than retirees. It would be better for college age yo 40s”
A door, a street, a phone or a dinner table.
