Scavenger Hunts in NYC's Midtown Manhattan | Watson Adventures (2024)

Discover what you’ve missed

You’ll be amazed at the variety of cool, fascinating, and funny places you’ve walked past and didn’t know about. For example, did you know that there’s a section of the Berlin Wall in Midtown? A secret sound sculpture in the middle of Times Square? A Whispering Gallery in Grand Central? You may have worked in the neighborhood for years but easily missed the treasures we’ll show you.

This NYC team-building game features the best places in the core of Midtown, from 42nd Street to 53rd, centering on Fifth Avenue—and you’ll use passageways the tourists don’t know about. Sure, you’ll get a taste of the famous locations—Times Square, Grand Central, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick’s Cathedral—but you’ll also discover TV and movie locations, hidden historic spots, tastes of foreign lands, overlooked oddball art, and much more.

You get to choose which area of Midtown you most want to explore. The locations you visit will depend on which section you’d like to start and finish in. You decide that and we’ll provide a tantalizing team-building tour.

Contact us to learn more—and find more fun in NYC!

Historical, Hysterical, and Weather-Proof Adventures

It’s a palace of the people! It’s an old-fashioned magnificent transit hub, with the whispers of bygone transcontinental trains! It’s packed with history and secrets! It’s filled with a lively market of fresh foods, a dining concourse with culinary delights, and hallways of unusual stores! It’s a gathering place, a maze of wonders, and a fantastic place for a scavenger hunt. No wonder it’s our most popular scavenger hunt location in America.

We have a variety of hunts at Grand Central to suit any group seeking team-building in NYC, any gathering of friends looking for unusual fun, even weekend hunts for the general public. Click on a link to get the full low-down:

• The Secrets of Grand Central Scavenger Hunt, our famous whirlwind tour
• The Escape Grand Central Scavenger Hunt, in which you see highlights of the terminal while solving puzzles to save your life
• The Murder in Grand Central Scavenger Hunt challenges you to play detective, tracking clues to solve a mystery
• The Munch Around Grand Central Scavenger Hunt, featuring the sweet and savory delights of the diverse, outstanding food stands in the terminal
• The Grand Central Scramble Scavenger Hunt for Kids, a game that kids and adults can play together

Head over to the Grand Central page to learn more. If you would like a private hunt for 12 people or less, consider the Small Group option. For larger groups, contact us below—and prepare to find more fun in Grand Central!

What delighted clients are saying

A 5-star review on Google: “It was great fun. Employees really enjoyed the scavenger hunt and we got some great pictures too! Thanks, Watson Adventures, for this event.”

Another 5-star review on Google: “We had a hunt last week for the annual meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry which was absolutely fantastic. The participants of the event absolutely loved it and had so much fun. The staff members from Watson Adventures, Mia and Michael, were absolutely delightful and made everyone feel at ease. I recommend this company 100% and without any hesitation.”

“We all had such a great time last night. We’re looking forward to participating in many more Watson Adventures. I’m going to encourage my firm to add this to their list of fun activities, too.” —post-game feedback from a university

See the schedule below for weekend games for the public, or contact us to learn more about Grand Central team-building scavenger hunts—and find more fun in New York City!

A classic scavenger hunt—with our signature twists!

If your company is in the Times Square area, prepared to be surprised by how many hidden, fascinating, and amusing sights you’ve missed, sometimes right below your feet. On teams, you’ll search for answer to tricky questions about hidden history in a variety of locations within blocks of the famous crossroads, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. Along the way you’ll need to keep your eyes open to complete unusual photo challenges. And you’ll also need to find or create unusual items that require the use of your brain and your funny bone.

Highlights include…

• An unmarked grate with a humming sound designed by an artist
• Old-time movie palaces and legendary theaters
• A time capsule
• Movie star caricatures in a famous restaurant, with a message from James Bond
• A petrified silent-screen star peddling shoes

Keep an eye out for our Hunt Host, who’ll meet you for a surprise bonus challenge.

We promise: you’ll be amazed at what you discover, including the hidden talents of your teammates.

An edition for adults and kids to enjoy together is great for a “Take Your Child to Work” activity or for school field trips.

The heart of Manhattan will get yours pumping

Perhaps no street in the city has as colorful and fascinating a history as 42nd Street. You’ll see the best of it, from majestic Grand Central to exuberant Times Square. To triumph, your team will have to collaborate to find the scene of the famous Algonquin Round Table, decipher clues in the eye-popping 42nd Street Library, and find a dinosaur and a time capsule in Times Square.

Other highlights include a horse race in Bryant Park, dueling Founding Fathers, locations where famous films were shot, a path paved with quirky authors’ quotes, and the site of a missing missile.

You choose the segment you most want to explore and the time you have for the game. We’ll do the rest.

What delighted clients say about this midtown game

“Thank you for providing us with such a fun team building experience yesterday. The team had SO much fun and I could see we really appreciated the tour of Midtown. The picture challenges were great and really got everyone pumped! Andy [the hunt host] was very enthusiastic and helpful, a great experience overall! Many thanks to you all!” —Puja Doal, Grafana

Contact us to learn more—and find more fun in NYC!

See NYC’s famous sites in the coolest way!

Go on a fun, fast-paced tour of the most amazing classic locations in New York City, clustered in the heart of Midtown. On your hunting itinerary: Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, to name just a few highlights. You’ll also discover TV and movie locations, hidden historic spots, tastes of foreign lands, and much more.

Along the way, you might discover a time capsule smack in the middle of Times Square, an army of tiny jockeys, Abe Lincoln hidden in a mural, unusual hidden history, and more.

This game is designed for kids and adults to enjoy together—and they do! It’s a popular option for students on a field trip or groups visiting from out of town. You’ll pack in a lot of sights in 90 minutes, and the chaperones will be as entertained as the kids.

A special edition starring 42nd Street is also available.

Recommended for ages 7 and up.

Conquer NYC like a super-hunter!

Your favorite superhero movies become reality on this epic journey through Midtown, where you’ll visit places that pop up in Marvel and DC Comics films. On teams, you’ll answer tricky and humorous questions about the secrets you uncover—and take creative group photos that show off your superpowers.

You might discover…

• The battle zone where the Avengers fought off an alien invasion
• The Fantastic Four’s headquarters
• The tower where the Human Torch chased the Silver Surfer
• A skyscraper that posed as Stark Tower
• The spot where Peter Parker saw his uncle get killed in the first Spider-Man movie…and more

This scavenger hunt is a great way for kids and adults to explore Manhattan together—perfect for a birthday party or any other family outing.

Get ready for some seriously festive fun

On this seasonal scavenger hunt, kids and adults team up to see the delights of Midtown’s lavish holiday displays, including the windows along Fifth Avenue, the Rockefeller Center tree, and other festive highlights. You’ll also romp through locations that star in beloved books and movies, such as the Eloise series (hello, Plaza Hotel!), Elf, Miracle on 34th Street, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Scrooged, Big, and more.

This game has it all: tinsel, trees, bustling streets, window shopping, and all the charm of New York during the holidays.

This hunt is recommended for ages 10 and up. Each team must include at least one kid and one adult, with a maximum of six per team.

See Midtown dressed in its holiday best

’Tis the season for your favorite holiday movies—with a twist that only Watson Adventures can provide! On this seasonal hunt, you’ll visit the famous places in Midtown associated with such films as Elf, Home Alone 2, Scrooged, and Miracle on 34th Street. Stops include Grand Central Terminal, window displays at Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman, and the Rockefeller Center tree.

But you don’t need to have seen the movies to score points and even win—all you need are sharp eyes, comfy shoes, and a warm winter coat.