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This post was updated on February 7, 2025
Scavenger Hunts
Decode clues and uncover secret sights during these three scavenger hunts
Best for Word Nerds and Puzzle Pros
Lexicon Lane
925 13th St., NW
Head to the third floor of the language museum Planet Word to find a life-size “village” filled with clever wordplay. Choose a challenge from more than ten cases with themes such as Greek mythology and Slavic folklore, then use the clues scattered around the tiny town to tackle word-centric riddles and mysteries. Cases vary in difficulty and cost $40 each. Puzzlers must be 12 or older, and groups of up to four are recommended.
Best for Curious, Outdoorsy Kids
Back to TopNature Scavenger Hunt
3400 Bryan Point Rd., Accokeek
Explore the flora and fauna of Piscataway Park on this self-guided adventure that encourages observation. Rather than providing clues to decode, this hunt focuses on broad prompts such as finding “what you think a bird sees” or “something you think is gross,” allowing kids to identify their own objects of interest. The Accokeek Foundation, one of the park’s stewards, publishes the list on its website for $1, or you can pick up a copy at the visitors’ center. Access to the park is free.
Best for Museum Mavens
Back to TopWatson Adventures
Multiple DC locations
This tourism group creates scavenger hunts with locals in mind, designed to highlight underrated or lesser-known artifacts at museums and landmarks in various cities. Public hunts happen one to two times a month. Scour the National Gallery of Art on January 13 for works featuring mythical creatures and magical items from the Harry Potter series, or partake in a history-oriented hunt at the Smithsonian American Art Museum on January 27. Tickets are $23 to $24.
Fossil Hunting
Lawyer by day and fossil hunter by night, Christopher Barr has been researching ancient wonders in DC’s architecture for more than 20 years. Here are three places he has spied traces of past life.
Back to Top
Ancient Crinoids
2121 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Description: Feathery aquatic animals also called sea lilies
From: The Jurassic Period, 160 million years ago
Go to: The sidewalk, where you can see exterior walls made from Jura limestone. The material was quarried from an ancient sea that existed in what’s now Germany.
Look For: Gray Lifesaver-shaped rings and striped long trapezoidal formations.
Back to Top
Shallow Sea Creatures
2121 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Description: A variety of tiny skeletal structures from creatures that once lived in a shallow sea
From: The Mississippian Period, 350 million years ago
Go to: The low stone wall lining the pool. It may look nondescript, but get up close and you’ll notice peculiarities embedded within it.
Look For: Tiny rings and miniature shells, plus small pieces of netting
Back to Top
Nautiloids
Fourth St. and Constitution Ave., NW
Description: Shells of nautiloids, a type of marine mollusk
From: The Ordovician Period, 450 million years ago
Go to: Gallery 6 in the West Building. Peek at the limestone floor beneath Aaron Douglas’s painting “The Judgment Day.”
Look For: Both straight and coiled grayish-pink shells
Scavenger Hunts
Decode clues and uncover secret sights during these three scavenger hunts
Best for Word Nerds and Puzzle Pros
Back to TopLexicon Lane
925 13th St., NW
Head to the third floor of the language museum Planet Word to find a life-size “village” filled with clever wordplay. Choose a challenge from more than ten cases with themes such as Greek mythology and Slavic folklore, then use the clues scattered around the tiny town to tackle word-centric riddles and mysteries. Cases vary in difficulty and cost $30 each. Puzzlers must be 12 or older, and groups of up to four are recommended.
Best for Curious, Outdoorsy Kids
Back to TopNature Scavenger Hunt
3400 Bryan Point Rd., Accokeek
Explore the flora and fauna of Piscataway Park on this self-guided adventure that encourages observation. Rather than providing clues to decode, this hunt focuses on broad prompts such as finding “what you think a bird sees” or “something you think is gross,” allowing kids to identify their own objects of interest. The Accokeek Foundation, one of the park’s stewards, publishes the list on its website for $1, or you can pick up a copy at the visitors’ center. Access to the park is free.
Best for Museum Mavens
Back to TopWatson Adventures
Multiple DC locations
This tourism group creates scavenger hunts with locals in mind, designed to highlight underrated or lesser-known artifacts at museums and landmarks in various cities. Public hunts happen one to two times a month. Scour the National Gallery of Art on January 13 for works featuring mythical creatures and magical items from the Harry Potter series, or partake in a history-oriented hunt at the Smithsonian American Art Museum on January 27. Tickets are $23 to $24.
Fossil Hunting
Lawyer by day and fossil hunter by night, Christopher Barr has been researching ancient wonders in DC’s architecture for more than 20 years. Here are three places he has spied traces of past life.
Back to Top
Ancient Crinoids
2121 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Description: Feathery aquatic animals also called sea lilies
From: The Jurassic Period, 160 million years ago
Go to: The sidewalk, where you can see exterior walls made from Jura limestone. The material was quarried from an ancient sea that existed in what’s now Germany.
Look For: Gray Lifesaver-shaped rings and striped long trapezoidal formations.
Back to Top
Shallow Sea Creatures
2121 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Description: A variety of tiny skeletal structures from creatures that once lived in a shallow sea
From: The Mississippian Period, 350 million years ago
Go to: The low stone wall lining the pool. It may look nondescript, but get up close and you’ll notice peculiarities embedded within it.
Look For: Tiny rings and miniature shells, plus small pieces of netting
Back to Top
Nautiloids
Fourth St. and Constitution Ave., NW
Description: Shells of nautiloids, a type of marine mollusk
From: The Ordovician Period, 450 million years ago
Go to: Gallery 6 in the West Building. Peek at the limestone floor beneath Aaron Douglas’s painting “The Judgment Day.”
Look For: Both straight and coiled grayish-pink shells
Photograph of Planet Word by DuHon Photography.
Photograph of Watson Adventures by Mark A. King.
Illustrations by Connie Zheng.
This article appears in the January 2024 issue of Washingtonian.
