Make it memorable with some slightly awkward tasks.

A birthday party for a creative, intelligent 13-year-old had to be a little outside the box, so besides flip-flop decorating (which was quite the thing back in 2006), homemade pizza, birthday cake, and presents, I made a treasure hunt for my daughter and her friends to complete. Some of the clues involved solving puzzles while others required completing tasks. I wanted it to be challenging enough for this group of girls but still silly enough to be fun.

Besides the usual party information like date, time, and place, each guest’s invitation included instructions to bring their invitation with them to the birthday party.

When put together side by side, a message on the back of the invitations revealed the first clue to the treasure hunt. Capital letters, quotation marks, and even divided words helped the girls know when the clue was correctly arranged. (Just in case someone forgot to bring their piece of the puzzle, I had an extra copy of each part on hand.)

When read side by side, here’s the clue:

“My Word!” said the Farmer in the Dell. “Your first clue is documented well. A mouse will help you find it.”

Our home computer was a Dell. Using the computer mouse, they found a Microsoft Word document titled Farmer on our desktop. This is what the document said:

Lemony Snicket wrote a book about an Austere place. When you get to such a place, located near Vance Jackson and NW Loop 410, you will receive further instructions.

The Lemony Snicket books, “A Series of Unfortunate Events” were popular with this group of teens. Our daughter had read all twelve books in the series, and the final (thirteenth) book was scheduled to be published the month after this birthday party. The fifth book in the series was titled “The Austere Academy,” so the clue led them to the nearest Academy store. When we reached the Academy parking lot, they were given this note:

You must go into the store and tell a joke to three different store customers. This must be witnessed by your driver to be accepted. If you complete this task, you will receive further instructions.

Joke-telling had the treasure hunters giggling. It was just far enough out of their comfort zone to get their adrenaline pumping, and random customer responses added to the fun. After completing that assignment, the girls were given this clue:

Synonymous with Intersection, the upper level of this shopping place has a kiosk called VideoFoto. Find it, and you will receive your next clue.

Unlike many treasure hunts, clues were not hidden at each location. I felt that it was too risky that a clue might be taken or moved, and I also didn’t have permission from each place to attach a clue to their property. So we simply handed the hunters their next clue after completion of a task.

Nearby was a shopping mall called Crossroads. The lively group was off in search of the photo kiosk. When they found the photo booth, they were given their next set of instructions.

Using the quarters you have been given by your driver, each person in your vehicle must appear in at least one photo. Take your photo to a store in the mall and have an employee of that store put his/her initials on the back of the photo. Each photo must be initialed by a different employee. When you have successfully completed this mission, show your photos to your driver for further instructions.

The next clue required some careful manipulation of letters:

Write the word CONGRATULATIONS here.
Cross off the first three letters.
Write the word PARTY at the end of the remaining letters.
Change every third vowel to an E.
Cross off all the letters found in the word ONLY.
Move the sixth letter to the first place.
Move the last letter to the first place.
Reverse the order of the last four letters.
Move the third vowel to the second to last place.
Cross off the seventh and eighth letters.
Write the remaining letters backwards to tell you where to go next.

The correct answer was Super Target. There was a Super Target store located in Crossroads Mall, and so we went there for the next challenge.

In the back of the van there is a box of hats. You must each wear a hat into the store where you will each be required to buy exactly thirteen Jelly Belly jelly beans of any flavor. When all of you have completed your purchase, your driver will give you your next clue.

I had amassed a large collection of hats during years of directing school plays and hosting parties. Thirteen was the birthday girl’s age, and it was just enough jelly beans to give them some flavor choices. (I paid for the jelly beans as a group after each girl presented her little bag at the cash register.)

Suprisingly, the girls didn’t want to take off the hats when we got back to the van. They even wore them during their next challenge.

Near Wurzbach and IH-10 there is a place where they say everything’s better.

“Here Everything’s Better” is a slogan for H-E-B, so the girls went to the nearby H-E-B grocery store where they were given a sheet of paper with these clues. The letters spelled out in order (1-12) would be the answer. Of course, these exact clues can’t be duplicated today, but this might give you an example of the kinds of clues you can write. Have fun exploring your neighborhood stores for ideas.

• 4. If #1 is A and #2 is B, then this letter is the aisle in which bottled water is found.
• 1. The first letter of the sixth ingredient of 6 oz. Yoplait Original Cherry Orchard flavor.
• 8. The brand of ice cream made in Brenham, Texas ends with this double letter. Enter the letter here and in space 9.
• 5. The first word on the sign for Aisle 8 starts with this letter.
• 10. The second letter of the first ingredient in Kraft marshmallows.
• 9. See clue 8.
• 11. The first item listed on the Aisle 20 sign has two of these letters.
• 12. Juicy Juice is distributed by a company that starts with this letter.
• 2. The first letter of the kind of fruit with produce code #4015.
• 6. The top of HEB 2% reduced fat milk is a color that starts with this letter.
• 3. The first letter of the first ingredient in original Rice Krispie Treats.
• 7. Produce with #4770 begins with this letter.

The correct answer was WATER BALLOON.

You will find the next clue INSIDE one of these in the front yard of our house.

With a permanent marker on a small square of fabric, I had written the next clue and placed it inside one balloon before it was filled with water. When we got back to our house, the girls had time to change clothes (if they wanted) before water balloon melee broke out, and they found this clue:

The blue cooler in the garage holds your treasure!

I don’t remember what the treasure was at the end of the hunt. To be honest, I’m pretty sure the girls don’t remember either. The real treasure was not the prize at the end but the camaraderie and memories made along the way. Almost 20 years later, our daughter, the birthday girl, recalls “goofy, wholesome fun”!

Now here we are in the mid-2020s, and there are so many websites and apps to help you create your own treasure hunt. Try GooseChase for older teens or adults, where you can create a scavenger hunt and invite people to participate via the app. ChatGPT can create clues for you, even using your prompts for specific places or words. Whether you use the old-fashioned method of paper clues or the newer technological versions, treasure hunts can be delightful fun for all ages.

“Make today a treasure hunt of delight.”

Angela Gwinner