Scavenger hunts are an excellent way to build teamwork, sharpen observational skills, and boost social-emotional intelligence. They’re great fun for people of all ages and are customized to fit a group’s interests, location, or objectives. These scavenger hunt ideas in Nashville are a must-try for anyone looking to explore the city in a fun and interactive way.
1. City Scavenger Hunt with cityHUNT
CityHunt is one of the most well-known city scavenger hunt organizers in Nashville.
The cityHUNT team creates custom scavenger hunts that encourage city exploration, team bonding, and problem-solving.
It has previously hosted scavenger hunts for over 90% of Fortune 500 companies, including Google, Apple, and Disney, so you can expect a high-quality and engaging experience.
Contact cityHUNT today to plan a customized city hunt that caters to your team’s dynamics.
2. Throwback Scavenger Hunt
In this scavenger hunt, participants must search for a certain number of old-school items, like flip phones, cassettes, puffy stickers, or vintage clothing. Participants can hunt for these items in their houses or at a big retail store like Walmart. They don’t have to purchase the item—just taking a picture (with their face included) is fine.
To make it more challenging, split participants into teams. Each team will reach into a bowl and pull out a folded paper to reveal a theme. If a team gets ‘80s fashion’, for example, they must stick to clothing and accessories—items like cassette tapes or flip phones don’t count! ‘
3. Selfie Challenge
The Selfie Challenge is a fun way to explore the wonders of Nashville! Teams race to complete selfie challenges, like taking a selfie with a person in uniform or posing in front of iconic sites like The Parthenon or the “I Believe in Nashville” mural.
Add prompts for each selfie, for example, striking a dramatic pose or mimicking a statue at a historic site. Teams must complete as many challenges as possible before time runs out, with extra points awarded for creativity!
4. Scavenger Hike
Nashville is home to over 50 scenic trails and parks, making it a prime location for a nature-themed scavenger hunt.
Choose a location like the Radnor Lake State Park, Warner Park, or Stones River Greenway Trailhead and ask teams to collect or take a picture of items while exploring the trails. For example:
- A unique leaf
- A smooth rock
- A wildflower of a certain color
- A bird or animal
- A water feature (lake, creek, waterfall, etc.)
- Animal tracks
- The longest stick you can find (use teammates as a measurement)
- Something blue, something yellow, something red, etc.
- A hidden resting spot, like a tucked-away bench or clearing where higher might stop for a break
5. Food Scavenger Hunt
This scavenger hunt challenges teams to explore Nashville’s food scene and local favorites!
Teams must visit restaurants, food trucks, or markets to complete a list of food-related tasks. Challenges may include taking a photo with a plate of hot chicken, finding the best barbecue spot, or trying a classic meat ‘n’ three meal.
We recommend local favorite eateries like Hattie B’s Hot Chicken, Arnold’s Country Kitchen, and Puckett’s Restaurant, all of which serve traditional (and delicious!) Nashville offerings.
6. Holiday-themed Scavenger Hunt
Thinking of ways to get into the Nashville holiday spirit? Host a holiday-themed scavenger hunt!
If possible, schedule this scavenger hunt close to a holiday so participants can fully enjoy the seasonal decorations, events, and festivities around the city.
Teams will complete themed challenges, such as finding the best-decorated Christmas tree, the most unique-looking Halloween pumpkin, or the funniest Valentine’s Day card.
7. Museum Scavenger Hunt
Museum scavenger hunts are one of the best ways to understand the history, music, and culture of Nashville, and with over 20 locations to choose from, there’s no shortage of places to explore.
For this scavenger hunt, teams must head to a local museum and take a photo of an artwork or sculpture that features a surrealist landscape, an animal, a specific color, and other easy-to-find details.
Keep it purposely vague so participants will pay extra close attention to the details of the artwork or exhibit.
Here are some of Nashville’s most famous museums and what they’re known for:
- Frist Art Museum: Showcases rotating exhibitions of classical, contemporary, and modern works
- Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum: Features memorabilia, instruments, and exhibits on legendary artists
- Tennessee State Museum: Covers the history of Tennessee
- Lane Motor Museum: Features vintage and rare vehicles from around the world
- National Museum of African American Music: Explores the influence and cultural impact of Black artists across all music genres
8. ABC Hunt
In this scavenger hunt, participants must search for an item that corresponds to a letter.
But instead of something obvious like A for Apple or B for Bag, participants must think out of the box and scavenge for something unexpected.
Team members will rate the item’s uniqueness on a scale of 1 to 5. If another team picks the same item, both lose points. The team with the most points wins!
The game can be played indoors, outdoors, or even virtually. If you choose to play it outdoors, keep it contained to a certain street, area, or location. Avoid places like Walmart, shopping malls, or convenience stores, as they make it too easy to find items quickly.
9. Beverages of Nashville
Beverages of Nashville encourages teams to try drinks they’ve never tasted before! How it works is that every weekend, the team meets up at a restaurant or cafe and orders a different drink each.
Participants must take a photo of each drink and write a short review of what they think of it. Did they like it? Hate it? How did it taste like, and who would they recommend it to? What would they rate it on a scale of 1 to 5?
To make the game more interesting, have teams find drinks that fit specific categories. For example:
- Something green
- Something with caffeine
- Something with an unexpected ingredient
- Something fruity
- Something spicy
- Something you’ve never tried before
- Something dairy-free
- Something served in an unusual glass
- Something warm that is not coffee or tea
We love this scavenger hunt because one, participants get to try things they wouldn’t normally choose and two, it lets other participants visit local restaurants and cafes that catch their interest.
10. Office Scavenger Hunt
Ask participants to take photos of items in their office that match specific prompts. For example:
- Something that makes noise
- Something older than 5 years
- Something with a company logo
- Something you use every day
- Something you can’t live without
- Something round, triangle, square, etc.
- Something that lights up
- Something with an interesting texture
Encourage players to select something unique. If an item is used by another person, they’ll lose a point!
11. Book Scavenger Hunt
Perfect for book lovers, this scavenger hunt lets players spend time at a local library.
Nashville is home to over 10 libraries, each offering a vast collection of books, archives, and other resources.
A well-known location is the Nashville Public Library Main Branch, which houses over 1.5 million books and features beautiful architecture, reading nooks, and even a Civil Rights Room. For the scavenger hunt, teams must find books that match certain prompts. Here are some ideas:
- A book with a blue cover
- A book written by a Tennessee author
- A book written before 1950
- The oldest book you can find
- A book with an animal on the cover
- A book with a scary cover
- A book with unique features (a pop-up book, a book with text printed in different colors, a book with passages written backward/upside down, etc.)
- A book you’ve read and enjoyed (+ explain why)
- A book you’ve read and hated (+ explain why)
- A book you’d recommend to your friends
- A book that has been made into a movie
This scavenger hunt lets participants find books they wouldn’t look for normally. Who knows, maybe they’d find their new favorite book while completing these tasks!
12. Riddle Scavenger Hunt
This one’s fairly straightforward: solve riddles and take a picture of the answers. The team with the most riddles solved wins.
For example: “I have hands but no arms, I show time but never move. What am I?” The riddle’s answer is clock, so teams must find a clock and take a photo of one.
Here are some other riddles to use:
- I can smash scissors, and paper will cover me. Who am I? (Answer: a rock)
- I am a flat box full of color and sound. In the living room, I am sure to be found. (Answer: TV)
- I bring good news but can also hold junk. I can creak and squeak and close with a thunk. (Answer: mailbox)
To add an extra challenge to the hunt, ban the use of the internet! Participants must put their heads together to solve the riddle. It’ll be interesting to see the conclusions teams would make and the reasoning behind them!
13. Complete Challenges at Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park
The Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park is an indoor adventure park located on Old Hickory Boulevard and Franklin, Nashville. It features trampolines, obstacle courses, climbing walls, ninja warrior courses, and much more.
For this scavenger hunt, teams must complete challenges in a set amount of time. For example, take a video doing a trampoline trick or jumping from the tallest platform into the foam pit. You can also do a course race; the team that completes the course fastest wins!
14. Photo Scavenger Hunt
Divide teams into two or three and ask them to complete a set of photo challenges at the fastest time possible. It’s like the selfie challenge but more involved! For example, teams can take a photo of:
- Something that rhymes with a specific word, like “cat” or “dog”
- A street performer
- A funny sign
- A location they’ve visited in the past month
15. Farmers Market Scavenger Hunt
Team members visit a farmer’s market and complete a set of challenges set by the host.
The best place to do this scavenger hunt is at the Nashville Farmers Market, which features a 27,000-square-foot garden center, two covered open-air sheds, an international food hall, and more than 25 restaurants and shops. Here are some challenge ideas:
- Find a vegetable or fruit you’ve never eaten before
- Find a vegetable or fruit of a specific color
- Take a selfie with a vendor
- Take a picture of something labeled “organic”
- Snap a picture of a homemade item
- Try a sample on camera and describe what it tastes and if you’d recommend it
- Find someone wearing a cowboy hat and take a selfie (with permission!)
- Take a picture of as many restaurant menus as you can
The Nashville Farmers Market opens at 8:00 am and closes at 8:00 pm every day (though some shops/stalls close at 6:00 pm). It gets pretty crowded in the afternoons and evenings so we recommend visiting as early as possible and preferably during a weekday.
16. Virtual Office Scavenger Hunt
Working from home has a lot of perks, but it doesn’t really build close working relationships with colleagues. A virtual scavenger hunt is a great way to encourage team bonding and learn facts team members wouldn’t otherwise share in an office setting.
Ask participants to find specific items from their home within a time limit. Keep the time limit somewhat short—2 minutes at most! The goal is to grab whatever item best fits the description within the allotted period. Here are some ideas:
- An item you use every day for work
- An item you rarely use but can’t bring yourself to throw
- A mug with a funny design
- A childhood photo
- A selfie with their pet (if they don’t have a pet, a selfie with a family member works too)
- A book you’ve read at least twice
- An item you’ve owned for at least ten years
- An item that represents a childhood memory
Once participants have their items, they must show them to Zoom and briefly explain what the item is, where they’ve bought it, or why they’ve chosen that item.
Where and why did they get that strange-looking mug? What made them reread the book they’ve chosen? What’s the story behind that childhood photo?
These small details shed light on the person behind the camera and work emails!
17. Take on Challenges at Play Playground
Located at 128 2nd Avenue, the Play Playground features more than 20 oversized games for adults. The challenge is to complete as many games as possible while taking creative team photos. The team that completes the most challenges—and gets the highest scores—wins.
18. Zoo Scavenger Hunt
This scavenger hunt works in any of the available zoos in Nashville, but the best place is the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere.
The Nashville Zoo at Grassmere has a surprisingly diverse collection of wildlife, with more than 340 species totaling 6,200 animals. It’s the 9th largest zoo in the United States and one of the most impressive, so anyone who visits is sure to have a fun time.
Invite team members to visit the zoo on your next outing and complete challenges as they explore. The team that completes the most tasks—or takes the most impressive photos—wins a souvenir from the zoo! Here are some ideas:
- Find an animal native to Tennessee
- Find an animal that starts with the same letter as your name
- Find an animal with sharp teeth
- Find a baby animal sleeping/hanging out with its parent
- Take a picture of a sleeping animal
- Take a creative group photo in front of a popular zoo landmark
- Take a photo of you mimicking an animal
- Take a photo of an endangered, vulnerable, or threatened species
- Take a selfie with the tallest/biggest/smallest/cutest animal in the zoo
At the end of the day, gather the team at one of Nashville Zoo’s many eateries (we recommend the Quills Cafe & Grill) and bond over the experience. What did they enjoy doing the most? What was their favorite or least favorite animal, and why? Then, ask each team to discuss the pictures they took and share a fun fact about that animal.
19. College Campus Scavenger Hunt
A college campus is an excellent setting for a scavenger hunt because it’s filled with interesting people, items, and scenery. This hunt works best for students and professors who work in the college because some colleges don’t allow outsiders in.
In this challenge, ask participants to take a picture of:
- The oldest building on campus
- A hidden or lesser-known spot on campus
- Favorite professor
- Something unique on the campus (like a strange-looking tree, artwork, or architecture)
- A student organization poster
- The campus statue or mascot
- Fraternity or sorority logos
- A group of students working on an interesting project
20. Mall Scavenger Hunt
Take your team to a large and well-known shopping mall in Nashville such as the Opry Mills or The Mall at Green Hills, and ask them to complete a set of mall-related challenges. For example, take a picture of the most expensive or strangest item in the mall or the best-decorated store.
