Scavenger Hunt List Ideas

The game of scavenger hunt has numerous variations. The options are mind-boggling, as they can be modified to suit a particular age group or an occasion. Depending on the difficulty level or the distances one might have to travel to collect items essential for the game. If the hunt needs to be event specific, all you need to do is compile a list of items related to the occasion, such as Christmas, birthday, bachelorette party or other such events and ask the participants to gather the items mentioned in the list. If you have adults playing the game, you can add a few naughty items and come up with a funny scavenger hunt list, that will leave your guests in splits (for example, make male teams collect women's clothing and vice versa, which they must then wear). While the basic form of the game involves collecting items on the list, the contemporary form includes tasks to be performed and pictures to be taken. Here are some scavenger hunt ideas with a ready list of items to be collected.


An around the town scavenger hunt brings loads of fun. Teams will need transport and a camera, so ensure that adequate arrangements are made. You are in the best position to make a list, as it needs to be customized to your town. The good part about this hunt is that it makes for a fun night out, and is likely to result in some interesting encounters. Here are some of the items you could put on your list: a family recipe from a local resident, the dimensions of the ice surface at the local rink, the price of a pina colada at the local bar and a cosmetics salesperson's business card. Pictures could include the smallest house you can find, a team member pumping a stranger's gas and graffiti in the washroom of a local business.


Nothing like a Christmas scavenger hunt to brighten the holiday festivities. It's fairly easy to form too, however adding a few unusual Christmas items will make it more enjoyable. Here are a few regular items:

• Acorn
• Bow
• Candy cane
• Lip balm
• Christmas card
• Marshmallow
• Cinnamon eggnog
• Gingerbread man
• Mistletoe
• Holly
• Homemade cookie
• Poinsettia flower
• A nativity scene and yarn.

Unusual items could be a three-legged reindeer, a "melted" frosty the snowman and a skinny Santa Claus.


A fun version of this popular game is a glow-in-the-dark scavenger hunt. It is ideal for a slumber party, and fairly easy to organize. All you need to do is paint your items with glow-in-the-dark paint, that is widely available in craft stores. The kind of objects you paint could be a penny, a ball, a ruler, a banana, etc. Remember to give the items plenty of light exposure, once they dry. Alternatively, you could use actual glow-in-the-dark items, such as small toys, key chains, bracelets, tape and erasers. You could also allow teams to take home all the items they find. With a spark of creativity, you can make this version unique and interesting. If you do not wish to paint the items, you can buy ready-made glow-in-the-dark items, which are available at many stores and hide them at several locations.Then declare that the items found will be the prizes for the participants. This will make people more enthusiastic and energetic to play the game.


This is the easiest kind of scavenger hunt, requiring practically no planning or expenditure. It is also well suited for a rainy day, or a quiet indoor gathering. The easiest way to play it is to give the teams a certain number of newspapers or magazines, along with a list of pictures they need to find and cut out. Item suggestions are a chocolate dessert recipe, a photograph of a politician, a bird, athletic footwear, ice, a red bow tie, and a red-haired woman. A more creative version can be teams making a story with pictures or words they find in the magazine/newspaper.


This can be an easy to play scavenger hunt from the point of view of safety and security provided, the players are comfortable and familiar with the people they are visiting. Similarly, such houses should be chosen which are open to your visit and are willing to give away whatever is asked for. This is because the items collected are not supposed to be returned and the owners should be informed about this beforehand. As a rule each team gets only one item from every house and the owner has to sign in front of the item on the list as a proof. Finally, the team that collects most items wins. Here is a sample hunt list which can be modified according to your creativity and convenience.

• An invitation card
• An old CD
• A sock with a hole in it
• A chocolate chip cookie recipe
• A tape case
• A grocery receipt
• A balloon
• A 1980 penny
• A hanger
• A movie ticket
• An empty bottle
• A paper airplane
• A black brush
• An origami flower
• A student I-card
• An empty toilet paper roll
• A bus schedule

These scavenger hunt lists should give you an idea of the many different ways in which the game can be played. Other scavenger hunt ideas are a mall hunt, a road trip hunt and a bridal shower hunt. If you want truly original scavenger hunt list items, then you will have to dig deep into your own imagination, and come up with a custom list.