Twin Cities Quests, Scavenger & Treasure Hunts for Families

Kids love collecting things. They love searching for these things they collect. There are endless ways to indulge this passion and we gather some of our favorites here. While we are out on these quests, maybe we can create a happy family memory and learn something new.

Current and Upcoming Twin Cities Hunts

Twin Cities Self-Paced Quests & Hunts

The following is a list of several ideas for treasure hunts in the Twin Cities metro and greater Minnesota. Some may need to be modified to fit our current circumstances.

LEGO Minifigure Hide and Seek

Bakken Museum, 3537 Zenith Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55416
Visitors can search for ten new Mini-figures hidden throughout the Bakken. Each figurine represents a different innovator.

When we visited, my kids ages 8 & 11 had a great time searching for minifigures, and joined a group of other kids searching to work together. Some of them were hard to find, but museum staff were willing to give hints if we needed them. Learn more here.

Search for minifigures high up or behind glass. They like to hide where they can’t be played with.

Washington County Historic Courthouse Scavenger Hunt

Washington County Historic Courthouse, 101 West Pine Street, Stillwater, MN 55082
When visiting the Stillwater Historic Courthouse, guests are invited to “step into the shoes of a County Sheriff” with a  Courthouse Scavenger Hunt that takes participants throughout the building in search of historical items. Kids who find all the items win a prize. Find more information on Washington County’s website.

Roseville in Bloom

Roseville, MN 55113
It has been a couple years since these 6-foot flower sculptures were created, but Roseville is still “In Bloom”. Use the interactive map to find the 20 artist-created flowers scattered around Roseville. You can also learn a little about each artist and print a coloring sheet to design your own Roseville in Bloom art.

Union Depot Scavenger Hunt

214 Fourth Street East, Saint Paul, MN 55101
Pick up a scavenger hunt list when you visit the train station, and learn more about each of the locations on this page.

Mill Ruins Park Self-Guided Exploration

102 Portland Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55401
The Mill Ruins Park Fabled Falls Forgotten Walls Quest (PDF) defies easy categories. It’s not a scavenger hunt and its not exactly a treasure hunt. What it is: a four-page adventure through Mill Ruins park where you will find some of the most interesting features and learn a little about Minnesota history as you go. Print the document and get out with your family on a quiet afternoon to explore the ruins.

Minneapolis Parks Foundation Walk & Talk

The Minneapolis Parks Foundation regularly offers scheduled “Walk & Talk” Tours, but past tours are available as self-guided tours to print as a PDF or use as an Online StoryMap. Let kids follow the map and lead the family to each stop. Available tours include:

• North Mississippi Regional Park, Minneapolis
• Minnehaha Falls
• Minneapolis Central Riverfront & Waterworks at Mill Ruins Park
• Minnehaha Creek & Lake Nokomis
• Halls Island off of Boom Island
• Farview Park to the Overlook at 26th Ave N.
• Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden & Bird Sanctuary
• Winchell Trail Tour

Indian Mounds Regional Park Tree Trek

10 Mounds Blvd, St Paul, MN 55106
Find 28 different kids of trees on a self-guided trek through Indian Mounds Regional Park. Print and follow the map created by St. Paul Parks and maybe take home a photograph and/or a fallen leaf from each tree? Find the printable PDF map here, and enjoy a mile hike around the park while you gather your treasures.

Central Park Tree Trek

Central Park, 8440 Regent Avenue North, Brooklyn Park, MN 55443
This Tree Trek includes 12 different species and gives the common, Ojibwe and scientific name for each tree on the trek. Print a Tree Trek Worksheet Here.

Scott County – Self-Guided Walking Tours

Explore the historical sites of three Scott County cities at your own pace with these walking tours created by Scott County Historical Society. Select the city of your choice to go to the tour map.

• Shakopee Walking Tour
  
• New Prague Walking Tour
  
• Jordan Walking Tour
  

Self-Guided Tours of Public Art

What better way to introduce energetic children to art than with bite-size amounts mixed with outdoor activity. Depending on their age and interest, you can visit one at a time as your schedule allows or plan a walking or biking tour for a whole afternoon.

• The City of Eden Prairie has both permanent and rotating public art. Find the list and locations here.
• Saint Louis Park has 27 public art pieces on its interactive Public Art in St. Louis Park map as well as a list of past pieces and their descriptions.

Minneapolis:

The City of Minneapolis has put together a series of self-guided tours of public art by region of the city. This could make a fun walking scavenger hunt. The updated website is easy to use. Each stop on the tour offers a description, directions, and photo. These tours would be a bit on the long side for walking with small children, but would make a decent weekend bike ride or car trip.

Minneapolis Parks Foundation offers printable tours and a digital StoryMap to take a Walk & Talk tour of interesting places in the Minneapolis Parks district.

Minneapolis Drinking Fountain Quest. As a child, I loved visiting creative drinking fountains when my family traveled. In 2008, Minneapolis commissioned four really cool artist-designed fountains. Can you find them all?

Geocaching – Treasure Hunts With GPS​

Geocaching is an habit-forming hobby and people — adults as well as children — take it very seriously. This quest requires the use of GPS technology. Families can go all out, choose to dabble in the hobby, or try it once and move on. Here are some places to start:

Geocache in State Parks

While the DNR no longer manages geocaches, people can still apply for a permit to hide caches. You may want to sign up with Geocaching.com to get the coordinates for these and other sites. When park buildings are open, many state parks would offer free loaner GPS units. If closed, you can probably get by with your phone.

Passport to Maplewood Parks

Another good starter program would be Maplewood’s geocache program, since all the sites are in one city. Families can start by printing a cache code log. Spring through Fall, annually.

Geocaching for S’mores

Three Rivers Park District may win the award for the best idea to get beginners interested in geocaching. They regularly offer one-time programs that end with s’mores. This may be the perfect way to pique the interest of children. These programs have a small fee and require pre-registration. Find them by following the link above. Learn more about Geocaching in Three Rivers Parks here.

Scavenger Hunts

Scavenger Hunts can be conducted just about everywhere plus they are really easy to make on your own. The following is a list of places where you can find scavenger hunts or adventure packs that generally contain a scavenger hunt. Some of these options may not be available when park buildings or businesses are closed. We recommended calling ahead if in doubt.

Minnesota State Capitol Art Treasures Scavenger Hunt

The beautiful, historic Minnesota State Capitol is a public building and welcomes people of all ages to explore the art treasures within. There are several options for exploration here including self-guided wandering (totally free), a guided tour (suggested donation of $5) or pick up the Art Treasures Scavenger Hunt booklet ($2 at the visitor’s desk) for a little more direction. My kids loved it!

Nature Centers & Parks

Check the websites of Twin Cities nature centers or larger parks to find one that suits you. Many offer explorer backpacks to be checked out, which often include scavenger hunts. Some of our favorite offerings include:

• Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden has adventure packs to check out when open during the warmer months. If these are not available, City of Lakes Waldorf School shares a printable scavenger hunt created by one of its families.
  • Self-guided trail brochure with a checklist of things to spot on your walkMaplewood Nature Center. Visitors and families can find the following hunts on the city’s website:
  • Sings of Spring Bingo Hike; and a
  • Tree Quest.
• Three Rivers Park District offers this creative scavenger hunt that you can do anywhere. Many Three Rivers Nature Centers also offer Explorer Backpacks. Just ask at the visitors desk during open hours. Most of these packs include scavenger hunts.
  • Fall Leaf Bingo
  • Bird Bingo
• At any local park, Moms & Munchkins has created a park scavenger hunt you can print and do on your own.

Libraries

When open for browsing and hanging out, many libraries offer scavenger hunts in the children’s area.  Even when visiting is out, we still have these library-sponsored options:

• St. Paul Public Library loans nature backpacks. Order one to pick up and use it to create a nature scavenger hunt.
• Ramsey County Library offers a Bookshelf Scavenger Hunt, use it:
  • At the library, to explore new areas;
  • At home, to get your kids excited about your own shelves;
  • On a Little Free Library walk.

More Places That offer Scavenger Hunts

• Museums – Many museums have pre-made scavenger hunts. Just ask at the front desk.
• Grocery store & errands – You may have to make these scavenger hunts up yourself based on your shopping list, but it’s a good way to keep kids busy while you shop.
• Malls – Like grocery stores, you could make your own scavenger hunt by printing out the logos of some easily identifiable stores and having your kids watch for them as you walk the perimeter. However, if you are at Southdale, the kids play area has a scavenger hunt they can do with you or while you sit.

DIY Treasure Hunts

How to Create Your own Treasure Hunt

Treasure is what you make it. Why not create your own family treasure hunt? Last summer, FFTC declared a pink flamingo treasure hunt. We had a ball finding pink flamingos everywhere we went. Pick something your kids love — flamingos, gnomes, bears, frogs, turtles — and start watching for them in your own neighborhood. How many can you collect and photograph?

• Gianna shared a step-by-step guide for creating your own scavenger hunt here.
• Three Rivers Park District has created the PDF — Mystery Mapper, with step-by-step instructions for kids to draw a map, hide a treasure and see if a buddy can find it in.