Get a clue

Scavenger hunts are reminiscent of our childhood; birthday parties, schools and groups like Girl Scouts incorporated this fun activity into their repertoire.

It's a classic that can easily be modified for adults - so put that muscle in your skull to work and get a little creative! Scavenger hunts make an entertaining date that will get those competitive juices flowing and make for some great memories.

There are different ways you can plan your scavenger hunt date.

Hunt 1

When your date hits the doorstep, have him/her sit down and make a list of 15 to 20 (depending on how long you want the game to last) random, odd items. When your date is finished, make a copy for yourself. The task for the evening will be to independently find as many of the items as possible.

Since you asked your date to write down unusual items, both of you will have to be creative to come up with places you can find them. Make sure that you put the two lists in a different order so that you and your date do not wind up at the same place at the same time.

Collecting items on the list might be challenging, depending on how strange they are. Instead of putting the items in a bag, you could snap a photo. If you don't own a digital camera, a mobile phone can double as one.

Set a time and place to meet and compare your and your date's collected booty. The obvious goal is to win and take the prize, so before you both embark on your mission, agree on a prize.

Whichever one of you has the most items on the list takes the gold, or whatever prize was agreed upon. If it happens to be a tie, well, just don't use the tiebreaking calculations seen at the Summer Games - you could be there all night.

Hunt 2

If you and your sweetie have been together for awhile, have a lot of mutual friends and know each others' family members, surprise your other half with a date like none other. This is going to be a bit of work for both of you - you to set up and your date to follow - but it's a great way to inject some playfulness into your relationship.

Make a plan for the stops your date will make and write it out.

Example:

Call Aunt Grace for first clue

Take money and instructions from freezer

Go to gas station, put $5 worth of gas in car, then pick up my favorite soda

Go to movie theater and purchase tickets to ____ movie at ____p.m.

Stop at ____ and pick up a box of ____ chocolates

Go to ____ to pick up flowers

Meet me at the restaurant

Then write out the clues for your date and pop them into envelopes.

You can make them easy or you can write funny riddles to make them think a little harder. Want your date to dance the Macarena or repeat a ridiculous phrase to earn clues? It can get very silly, so be creative.

Distribute the envelopes among friends and relatives at the places you are sending your date. Let all of them know their role and if there is something specific they have to say.

If you are sending your date to an establishment, visit the place ahead of time and talk with the clerk or manager who will be on duty around the time your date will arrive. Pass along the envelope and explain what your date has to do to earn that clue. (Usually people are excited to be in on this; it's a break from their normal routine.)

Meanwhile, kick back and enjoy a drink while you await your date's arrival at the restaurant. A few minutes before you expect your date, order an appetizer to share and a drink for him/her to have the minute you're together again.