October has 31 days filled with spooky spirit, and that's 30 more than you need to host the best Halloween scavenger hunt of your life! We'll turn you into the ghastliest host on the block with all of our Halloween scavenger hunt ideas. Halloween may be for kids, but in the other 30 days, adults get to play.
How to Nail a Halloween Scavenger Hunt for Adults
Halloween isn't just for kids! Adults — put those candy bowls away because it's time to host a spooktacular Halloween scavenger hunt. Not sure where to start? We're the light at the end of the tunnel, ready to guide you out of the dark.
Step 1: Pick a Scavenger Hunt Theme
Halloween is ripe with ideas if you're planning a themed party. Whether you're into costume parties or a creepy cocktail hour, a Halloween scavenger hunt is the perfect apéritif. You can go as heavy-handed on the theme as you want, but the bigger and bolder you go, the more memorable it'll be. Picking a theme for your Halloween scavenger hunt is no Sophie's choice, and there are plenty of ghoulish things to be inspired by.
Here are some of the Halloween themes where you can easily source items.
Mad Science Lab
Get your Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde on with this mad science lab-themed scavenger hunt.
- Beeker
- Slime
- Rubber gloves
- Lab Coat
- Goggles
- Tongs
- Glass stirring sticks
- Poison stickers
Haunted House
Show your guests a scary-good time with this haunted house-themed scavenger hunt.
- Floating candles
- Blue orb
- Ectoplasm slime
- Ghost
- Overturned chair
- Broken mirror
- Antique lamps
- Heavy curtains
Graveyard
Bring the dead back to life with this graveyard-inspired scavenger hunt.
- "Graveyard" dirt
- Skeleton
- Tombstones
- Wrought iron fences
- Bouquet
- Shovel
- Casket
- Toy hearse
- Funeral program
While you don't have to pick a theme, choosing one can make building your scavenger hunt list much easier. The more you narrow your list's scope, the easier it is to source the perfect items or places.
Take advantage of the Halloween spirit by asking guests to dress up on-theme. Soon, you'll have a house full of pirates, time travellers, and cowboys.
Step 2: Map Out Your Play Area
The best part about scavenger hunt parties for adults is that all the real work is done ahead of time. Take advantage of your prep time to plan how wide your hunting field is going to be. Will it stretch outside? Maybe even through a whole neighborhood block or to real-life locales? Think about who you're inviting and what's physically feasible. You want everyone to be able to participate in full.
The first thing you need to work out is how far-ranging the scavenger hunt will be. For apartment dwellers, the scavenger hunt will most certainly be outside the building, or, at the very least, outside the apartment. For homeowners, the scavenger hunt can be limited to the house, the yard, or the entire neighborhood.
Related: 50+ Halloween Bucket List Ideas to Live Your Spookiest Life
Step 3: Decide How Guests Will Document Their Finds
Once you've mapped out your area, the next step is to figure out how you want guests to "collect" the treasures. The easiest way is for each team to designate a documentarian and have them take pictures of each of the "found" items. This way, you don't have to purchase multiple items and can include fixed ones like decorations, landmarks, people in costume, and so on.
Step 4: Locate All of the Scavenger Hunt's Items
One of the most exciting parts of planning a scavenger hunt is planning and placing all the items around your play area. Don't limit yourself to things you buy online! Think of all the fun decorations or costumes you can set up for people to discover.
If you've never put together a scavenger hunt list, we've got two separate examples to get you started.
Basic Indoor Halloween Scavenger Hunt List
Be sure to tailor your list for the scavenger hunt to include Halloween-oriented items. Some basic items that can printed out as a list are:
- Pumpkins
- Black cat
- Spider
- Halloween candy
- People in specific costumes
- Glo-sticks
- Decorations
- Spooky eyes
Basic Outdoor Halloween Scavenger Hunt List
The great outdoors is another place to source items for your Halloween scavenger hunt. Here is a list of generic outdoor Halloween scavenger hunt items your guests can find.
- Halloween-themed air dancer/tube dancer decoration
- Orange lights
- Spiderwebs
- Tombstones
- Spiders
- Bats
- Caution tape
- Witch's feet
- Giant skeleton
Related: 26 Halloween Games for Adults That Are Hair-Raisingly Fun
Step 5: Write Out Your Creepy Clues
Once you have the area worked out and the list of items to be found, the next step is to write out the instructions. While you can just write out a list of the items you need to find, giving your guests clues provides a more thrilling challenge. A great way to format your list is to start with one to two named items and then flow into increasingly difficult clues. Bear in mind that while complicated may be fun, too complicated will keep the scavengers out all night.
Some creepy clues you can use are:
- Jack-o'-lantern: I light up at night and often have a candle inside of my mouth.
- Black cat: If I cross your path, you may be destined for bad luck.
- Spider: I am often tangled up in a web of doom.
- Halloween candy: Tonight is not all fright and fear, a trick or treat is waiting near.
- Witch: I ride on a broom and stir up potions.
- Caution tape: You wouldn't dare cross me because I protect you from the horrors inside.
- Skeleton: While I'm not a fan of sticks and stones, words will never break me.
Step 6: Finish Things Off With Refreshments
After all that hard work, your scavengers deserve a delicious Halloween spread. Let guests wind down until all the teams have returned with a mouth-watering meal. From Halloween mocktails or party cocktails to tasty Halloween Rice Krispies Treats, the options are endless.
Most of the fun with a scavenger hunt is doing the scavenging. But if you're feeling generous, you can plan a prize-winning Halloween bucket filled with candy for the winning team to take home.
Scavenger Hunt? More Like Scavenger Haunt
Halloween is all about acting like a kid again. Embrace the thrills, chills, and silly scares that come with the autumn holiday with an adult-only scavenger hunt. Halloween night might be reserved for the kids, but you've got 30 other days to put on the Halloween scavenger hunt you wished you'd had as a kid.
