Scavenger Hunt Ideas for Adults

180 scored tasks that bother nobody: press Pick 10 new tasks, take away what does not fit, then print or share.

Scavenger Hunt Ideas for Adults

Team nameFinish time

  1. Proof is a photo or a short video with only teammates in it.
  2. Nothing is bought, and nobody outside the team is asked for anything.
  3. One point comes off for each minute a team is late back.
  4. At the end every team shows its funniest photo and the room votes.
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All 180
  1. I have a mouth that never speaks and a bed I never sleep in.3 points. Answer: a river, stream or canal. A photo from the bank or a bridge is enough.
  2. I shout when the time is up and never know what was cooking.2 points. Answer: the kitchen timer.
  3. A printed sign with a spelling mistake5 points. One of the hardest finds on the list. A missing or stray apostrophe counts.
  4. Water leaps out of me all day and I am never full.2 points. Answer: a fountain.
  5. Flip a coin until it lands heads three times in a row1 point. Pure luck: some teams need four flips and some need forty.
  6. I swallow letters through a slot and keep them for whoever has the key.2 points. Answer: a mailbox.
  7. A candle that has never been lit1 point. A clean white wick is the proof.
  8. A fountain, running or dry2 points. Drinking fountains do not count.
  9. Open me and a light comes on. Stand here too long and someone complains.1 point. Answer: the refrigerator.
  10. A shot from ground level looking up at the whole team1 point. Set the phone on the floor on a timer and gather over it.

Points: of 20

Next step More photo hunt promptsA city list for a hunt on foot

All 180 tasks

Find it 65

  • A banknote or coin from a country nobody here lives in 2 points. Left over from a trip. The team names the country.
  • A battery that is definitely dead 1 point. Prove it in a flashlight or a remote, then recycle it.
  • A bench with a name on a dedication plate 2 points. Say the name aloud at judging.
  • A bicycle locked to something that is not a bike rack 2 points. Photograph it from a distance and do not touch it.
  • A board game with at least one piece missing 2 points. The team names the missing piece.
  • A book with a bookmark still in it 1 point. A folded corner is not a bookmark.
  • A building number higher than 1000 2 points. The number has to be fixed to the building itself.
  • A calendar showing the wrong month 3 points. Turning the page yourself first is cheating.
  • A candle that has never been lit 1 point. A clean white wick is the proof.
  • A CD, a cassette or a vinyl record 2 points. One point extra if the team can also produce something to play it on.
  • A charging cable for a phone nobody here still owns 2 points. The team names the phone it belonged to.
  • A coin dated before 2000 2 points. The date must be readable. Any currency counts.
  • A flag that is not a national flag 2 points. State, city, club and team flags all count.
  • A fountain, running or dry 2 points. Drinking fountains do not count.
  • A front door painted red 1 point. Photograph it from the sidewalk.
  • A fruit or vegetable shaped like something it is not 3 points. The team says what it looks like, and the judge has to agree.
  • A gift somebody here was given and has never used 3 points. The giver goes unnamed. The team guesses what it was for.
  • A glove or a sock with no partner 1 point. The owner swears the other one is lost.
  • A handwritten letter or postcard that came in the mail 3 points. A greeting card with only a signature inside does not count.
  • A key that nobody can say what it opens 2 points. Honor system, though the judge may ask the owner to guess.
  • A lawn ornament with attitude 2 points. A gnome, a heron, a concrete lion. Photograph it from the sidewalk.
  • A library card 2 points. Expired cards count.
  • A mailbox for mailing letters 1 point. The public kind on a sidewalk, not the one outside a house.
  • A mural or a painted wall 2 points. Graffiti tags do not count. The judge knows the difference.
  • A paper map 3 points. A printed road, trail or transit map. A screenshot does not count.
  • A pay phone or a phone booth, working or not 5 points. Hard to find in most towns, which is why it scores five.
  • A pen that does not work, picked on the first try 1 point. One pen from the drawer. If it writes, no points and no second go.
  • A pen with a business name printed on it 1 point. Hotel, bank or dentist: any business nobody on the team works for.
  • A phone photo its owner cannot explain 2 points. Clean photos only. The owner gets thirty seconds to try.
  • A pigeon, a duck or a squirrel that looks like it is in charge 2 points. Photograph it from where you stand. Never chase or feed it.
  • A plaque that says what once stood on the spot 3 points. Historical markers of every kind count. Read it aloud at judging.
  • A postage stamp that has never been used 2 points. Still on its sheet or loose in a drawer.
  • A printed photo of someone on the team 2 points. On paper, not on a screen. ID cards do not count.
  • A printed sign with a spelling mistake 5 points. One of the hardest finds on the list. A missing or stray apostrophe counts.
  • A public book-swap box or shelf 3 points. Leave the books where they are unless you brought one to swap.
  • A public clock showing the wrong time 3 points. Put a phone clock in the same photo as proof.
  • A receipt more than a month old 1 point. The printed date decides it.
  • A recipe written out by hand 3 points. A card, a notebook or the back of an envelope.
  • A remote control that operates nothing in this house 3 points. The judge may ask for a demonstration of it doing nothing.
  • A sewing needle and thread 2 points. A hotel sewing kit counts.
  • A sign that is funny when read the wrong way 3 points. Photograph the sign only. The team explains the wrong reading with straight faces.
  • A sign written in two languages 2 points. Both languages must be on the one sign.
  • A sock with a hole big enough for a thumb 2 points. Worn for the photo, thumb through the hole.
  • A souvenir from another country 2 points. Fridge magnets count. The owner says where it came from.
  • A spice jar past its best-before date 1 point. Nearly every kitchen has one. Hand it back to the host after judging.
  • A statue of an animal 2 points. Any material and any size, as long as it is outdoors and permanent.
  • A street name that is also a first name 2 points. Photograph the sign. The judge has to know of someone with that name.
  • A sundial 5 points. Parks, churchyards and old gardens are the places to try.
  • A takeout menu printed on paper 2 points. Try the kitchen drawer that holds everything else.
  • A tape measure 1 point. Keep it. Two of the Do it tasks go faster with one.
  • A tree wider than two players standing side by side 2 points. Both players stand in front of the trunk for the photo.
  • A weather vane 3 points. Look up: church towers, barns, old civic buildings.
  • A year carved or cast into a building 2 points. Cornerstones and plaques count. The oldest year of any team earns a bonus point.
  • An item of clothing nobody will admit to buying 3 points. Modeled at judging by a volunteer from the team.
  • The instruction manual for something still in the house 2 points. The team must be able to point to the appliance.
  • The longest receipt in anyone's wallet or bag 2 points. Measured against a forearm. The longest of any team earns a bonus point.
  • The most over-the-top holiday decoration in storage 3 points. With the host along to fetch it. Out of season is the point.
  • The most useless kitchen gadget anyone can produce 3 points. The team demonstrates what it is for. Hand it back to the host afterward.
  • The oldest thing in the refrigerator door 2 points. Read the date aloud. Nobody has to taste it.
  • Something engraved or stitched with initials 3 points. Towels, pens, rings and luggage tags all count.
  • Something older than the oldest player 3 points. The owner makes the case and the judge decides.
  • Something that is plainly held together with tape 2 points. A remote, a book, a pair of glasses. The more tape, the better the case.
  • Something with exactly four holes 2 points. A shirt button is the usual answer. The judge counts the holes.
  • Three rubber bands in three different colors 2 points. Hair ties are not rubber bands.
  • The ugliest mug in the house 2 points. The owner defends it at judging. The judge's taste is final.

Photograph it 40

  • A black-and-white photo that could pass for fifty years old 2 points. A filter is allowed for this one task. Hide the phones and the sneakers.
  • A childhood photo of one player, recreated today 5 points. Show the original beside the new one.
  • A circle, a square and a triangle in one shot 3 points. Found shapes only. Nothing drawn for the occasion.
  • A famous painting recreated using only the team 5 points. Name the painting at judging. Props are allowed and editing is not.
  • A player pretending to push over something enormous 2 points. A wall, a boulder, a whole building in the distance.
  • A player wearing a distant object as a hat 2 points. Forced perspective again: a lamp, a tower, a treetop.
  • A shot from ground level looking up at the whole team 1 point. Set the phone on the floor on a timer and gather over it.
  • A street scene with no cars and no strangers in it 5 points. Much harder than it sounds on a Saturday. Patience is the skill.
  • A team selfie with every player's eyes shut 1 point. Harder than it sounds: someone always peeks.
  • A view framed by an arch, a gate or a gap between two buildings 2 points. A frame inside the frame. The judge scores this one on looks.
  • An ordinary object made to look enormous 3 points. Get the lens low and close, with a player far behind for scale.
  • The cover of the first album by a band that does not exist 3 points. Announce the band name and the album title at judging.
  • Each letter of the team name, found on a different sign or label 5 points. A run of photos is fine. No two letters may come from the same sign.
  • Every player wearing something of the same color 2 points. Borrowing from teammates is allowed. Borrowing from other teams is not.
  • Every player's shoes in a row, largest to smallest 1 point. Left shoes only, toes on a line.
  • Everyone on the team laughing for real 2 points. Posed laughter is easy to spot and the judge marks it down.
  • Exactly seven of the same thing in one frame 2 points. Seven chairs, seven windows, seven spoons. Six or eight scores nothing.
  • Five things from the kitchen arranged like a still-life painting 2 points. Think of a bowl of fruit in a gallery. Put everything back afterward.
  • One photo that holds every color of the rainbow 3 points. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. The team points out each one.
  • One player appearing to stand in another player's palm 3 points. Forced perspective: one player close to the lens, the other far behind.
  • One player hidden in plain sight in a room 3 points. At judging the other teams get ten seconds to spot them.
  • One player wearing at least three hats at once 2 points. Hoods and helmets count as hats.
  • The smallest thing the team can photograph in sharp focus 2 points. Compared across teams, and the smallest sharp subject earns a bonus point.
  • Something that looks like a face and is not one 2 points. Wall sockets, house fronts, bags. The judge must see the face within three seconds.
  • The team acting out a well-known proverb 3 points. Too many cooks, a bird in the hand, a stitch in time. The other teams guess it.
  • The team at the highest public spot they can walk to 3 points. Hills, bridges and open upper floors count. Nothing that has to be climbed.
  • The team beside a public statue, copying its pose 2 points. Stand next to it, never on it.
  • The team in front of the oldest building they can find 3 points. A date on the wall settles it. The oldest of any team earns a bonus point.
  • The team in single file along a painted line in a park or plaza 2 points. Eyes forward, arms swinging in step. Stay off the road.
  • The team lined up shortest to tallest, all looking serious 1 point. A single smile means a retake.
  • The team obeying a sign to the letter 3 points. Keep left, quiet please, mind the step. The sign must be in the shot.
  • The team on a park bench, posed as strangers ignoring each other 2 points. Use an empty bench. Only the team is in the frame.
  • The team posed as an awkward formal family portrait 2 points. Matching poses, hands on shoulders, one person looking the wrong way.
  • The team spelling a four-letter word with their bodies 3 points. Clean words only, and the judge must read it without help.
  • The team with the host's pet, or a houseplant if there is no pet 1 point. The pet sets the schedule. Never chase it for the shot.
  • The team's shadows, with no bodies in the frame 2 points. Low sun or a single lamp gives the longest shadows.
  • The whole team fitted inside one door frame 2 points. Everyone must be inside the frame, and nobody gets lifted.
  • The whole team reflected in something that is not a mirror 3 points. Windows, puddles, kettles and spoons all work. Every face must be visible.
  • The whole team sheltering under one tree or one umbrella 1 point. Every head has to be covered.
  • The whole team with both feet off the ground 3 points. A jump shot. Burst mode helps, and one foot down loses the points.

Do it 45

  • A cooking show in which nothing is cooked 3 points. One chef, one assistant, one empty bowl. Thirty seconds.
  • A courtroom drama over who ate the last cookie 3 points. A judge, an accused and a witness. Thirty seconds, and a verdict must be given.
  • A full rock concert with no instruments and no sound 2 points. Thirty seconds on video. The drummer has to be obvious.
  • A lullaby sung to a kitchen appliance 2 points. Thirty seconds, sincerely. The appliance is in the shot and switched off.
  • A safety briefing for sitting on a couch 2 points. One player speaks and two point to the exits. Straight faces for thirty seconds.
  • A silent movie chase with no running 3 points. Exaggerated tiptoe only. Film it in black and white if the phone can.
  • A solemn ribbon-cutting for something already open 2 points. A door, a drawer, a bag of chips. Mimed scissors only.
  • A team statue garden, with one player giving the tour 3 points. Everyone else holds still for thirty seconds. A statue that laughs loses the points.
  • A thirty-second fashion show of coats worn the wrong way 2 points. Backward, inside out or upside down. The team's own coats only.
  • An auction of the contents of one coat pocket 3 points. The owner's own pocket. Every lot gets a starting bid and a story, and nothing changes hands.
  • An awards speech for the most ordinary thing anyone did today 2 points. Thirty seconds, with thanks to everyone who made finding the car keys possible.
  • Ask the host for one small chore, do it, and show before and after 3 points. The host chooses the chore, which is the only fair way.
  • Balance a spoon on a nose for five seconds 2 points. Breathing on the spoon first helps. Any player may try.
  • Build a house of cards three levels high 5 points. Photograph it the moment it stands. Carpet is kinder than a polished table.
  • Build a tower of ten coins that stands for ten seconds 2 points. Film it with someone counting aloud.
  • Count the steps of a public staircase twice and get the same number 2 points. Film both counts, walking not running.
  • Draw a teammate in sixty seconds without looking at the paper 2 points. Artists call it blind contour drawing. Bring the portrait to judging.
  • Flip a coin until it lands heads three times in a row 1 point. Pure luck: some teams need four flips and some need forty.
  • Fold a fitted sheet neatly enough to satisfy the judge 5 points. Tuck the corners into each other first. The judge is allowed to be harsh.
  • Fold a paper airplane that flies farther than five big steps 2 points. Pace the distance out on video, and pick the plane up afterward.
  • Fold a paper hat for every player and wear them to judging 3 points. One sheet of newspaper each.
  • Gift-wrap a whisk in newspaper 3 points. Any awkward utensil will do. Neatness is judged.
  • Hum three tunes in a row that a teammate names correctly 2 points. No words and no miming.
  • Invent a team handshake with five moves and do it twice the same way 2 points. The second time is where it falls apart.
  • The last thing the team disagreed about, sung as an opera 3 points. Thirty seconds. Every singer holds at least one long note.
  • Lay one formal place setting with everything in the right position 3 points. Forks on the left, knife and spoon on the right, blade facing the plate.
  • Make up a jingle for an everyday object and perform it 3 points. Ten seconds is long enough. The object must be in the video.
  • Name capital cities in turn, no repeats, for two full laps of the team 2 points. A five-second pause or a repeat means starting over.
  • Name twenty yellow things in sixty seconds 2 points. On video, and the team may shout over each other.
  • Pick up ten pieces of litter and put them in a bin 3 points. Use a bag or a napkin, and leave anything sharp where it is.
  • Recite the alphabet backward in under thirty seconds 3 points. One player, one take, on video.
  • Say one tongue twister three times fast, all together 1 point. Any twister the whole team knows.
  • Say thank you in five languages on video 2 points. One player or five. The judge may look them up.
  • Sing one verse of a song everyone knows, as a round 3 points. At least three voices starting at different times.
  • Stack books as high as the shortest player's knee, then shelve them all 2 points. A photo of the tower, then a photo of the tidy shelf.
  • Teach the team one dance move and perform it in step for ten seconds 3 points. Film it from the front.
  • The team as a synchronized swimming squad, on dry land 3 points. Thirty seconds on video. Nose clips are mimed.
  • The team walking into an imaginary gale 2 points. Thirty seconds on video, indoors or out. Hats may be lost.
  • Tear one sheet of paper into the longest unbroken strip you can 3 points. A spiral is the trick. Strips are compared at judging.
  • Tell a one-minute story, one sentence per player in turn 2 points. It needs a beginning, a problem and an ending.
  • Thirty steps in the silliest matching walk the team can keep up 2 points. On a path or in a hallway, never in the road. Everyone in step.
  • Tie the team into a human knot, then untangle without letting go 3 points. Everyone grabs two different hands across the circle. Film the ending.
  • The whole team stands on one leg for thirty seconds 2 points. Any foot touching down restarts the clock.
  • Work out a building's height from its shadow and a player's shadow 5 points. Height equals shadow times the player's height over the player's shadow. Show the working.
  • Write a four-line poem about the host and read it at judging 3 points. It has to rhyme and it has to be kind.

Riddle clues 30

  • Everyone walks all over me and I still say welcome. 1 point. Answer: the doormat.
  • Feed me bread and I throw it back, browner than before. 1 point. Answer: the toaster.
  • Four legs morning, noon and night, and I have never taken a step. 3 points. Answer: a table or a chair. The judge accepts either.
  • I am a seat for anyone, and somebody's name is screwed to my back. 3 points. Answer: a bench with a dedication plate.
  • I am full of holes and I still hold water. 2 points. Answer: a sponge.
  • I get wetter with every job I finish. 1 point. Answer: a towel.
  • I go up when the rain comes down. 2 points. Answer: an umbrella.
  • I have a mouth that never speaks and a bed I never sleep in. 3 points. Answer: a river, stream or canal. A photo from the bank or a bridge is enough.
  • I have a neck and no head, and I hold whatever you pour. 2 points. Answer: a bottle.
  • I have a spine and many leaves, and I never grew in a forest. 2 points. Answer: a book.
  • I have keys that open nothing and a space that holds nothing. 3 points. Answer: a computer keyboard.
  • I have one eye and I drag a long tail through cloth. 3 points. Answer: a needle and thread.
  • I have teeth and bite nothing but tangles. 3 points. Answer: a comb.
  • I lend stories for nothing and ask for quiet and a return date. 2 points. Answer: the public library.
  • I point into the wind from a rooftop and turn when the weather changes its mind. 5 points. Answer: a weather vane.
  • I ring without a finger and I am answered at the door. 2 points. Answer: the doorbell.
  • I sell time by the hour, and all you get to keep is the right to stay. 3 points. Answer: a parking meter or a pay station.
  • I shout when the time is up and never know what was cooking. 2 points. Answer: the kitchen timer.
  • I show you yourself and get left and right wrong every time. 2 points. Answer: a mirror.
  • I spin your clothes dizzy and now and then I eat a sock. 1 point. Answer: the washing machine or the dryer.
  • I stand on one leg at the corner and know the name of every road that meets here. 2 points. Answer: a street sign.
  • I swallow letters through a slot and keep them for whoever has the key. 2 points. Answer: a mailbox.
  • My face is high above the square and I announce myself every hour. 3 points. Answer: a clock tower or a church clock.
  • Open me and a light comes on. Stand here too long and someone complains. 1 point. Answer: the refrigerator.
  • Press my buttons and the far wall changes its mind. 3 points. Answer: the TV remote.
  • Sharpen me and I shrink. My other end takes it all back. 2 points. Answer: a pencil with an eraser.
  • Tall when I am new, short when I am old, and I weep wax all the way down. 2 points. Answer: a candle.
  • Three eyes in a column, and I tell the whole street when to go. 1 point. Answer: a traffic light. Photograph it from the sidewalk.
  • Two hands, no fingers, and I still run late in this house. 2 points. Answer: a clock.
  • Water leaps out of me all day and I am never full. 2 points. Answer: a fountain.

How it works

Nothing here buys anything or bothers a stranger. These are 180 fun scavenger hunt ideas for adults: 65 tasks to find, 40 to photograph, 45 to do and 30 riddles. Print makes any ten a scavenger hunt list for adults.

Read the full guide

Build the list in two minutes

Press Pick 10 new tasks until the rows suit. The All tasks menu narrows the deal to Find it, Photograph it, Do it, Riddle clues or Funny ones. Under More filters, At home keeps 135 tasks and Out and about keeps 103. Groups split into teams of three to five, one camera phone each. For a hunt on foot, there is a city list sorted by area.

Points, proof and the judge

Tasks score 1 to 5, and only 11 score 5, such as a pay phone. Deal 20 for an hour, more than a team can finish, so choosing is the game. Proof is a photo with only teammates in it: a screenshot is not a paper map.

  • With new players, choose More filters and press Up to 3 points, which leaves out the 11 long shots.

Questions and answers

What are some funny scavenger hunt ideas for adults?

Funny ones holds 47, from the ugliest mug in the house to a lullaby sung to a kitchen appliance. The weird and ridiculous ones are thirty-second videos, such as a courtroom drama over who ate the last cookie. A funniest-photo vote ends the printed rules.

Are there hard scavenger hunt clues for adults?

Pick Riddle clues for 30. Those worth 3 or 5 points are the hard ones: a comb, a needle and thread, a weather vane. The answers show as notes, so press Hide all notes before players see the list.

Do these work as scavenger hunt games for adults at a party?

Yes. For a grown-up party game, deal 15 At home tasks and allow 40 minutes. Indoors, the Do it tasks carry the evening: thirty-second videos the whole room watches at judging.

How do gift scavenger hunt ideas for adults work?

As a riddle trail. Of the 30 riddles, 21 have answers around a home: tape the next riddle to each answer and end at the refrigerator one, with the gift beside it. Rhymes that name presents are on the Christmas clue page.

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