Edward Teach (AKA Blackbeard, Edward Thatch, Edward Drummond) Edward Teach was born in Bristol, England. He served the crown raiding the French and Spanish during the War of Spanish Succession (1702–1713), then enlisted with Benjamin Hornigold in 1716 to plunder ships in the Caribbean. Toward the end of the year, they seized a large, well-built…
View About Blackbeard »
Once a small crowd of tourists has gathered, the guide begins the talk: We’re very proud to have the Legend here. It was discovered off the coast of North Carolina three years ago, dismantled underwater, and rebuilt in dry-dock. The North Carolina Nautical Museum has graciously lent the ship to us for this exhibit. As…
View About The Legend »Someone’s obviously put a great deal of time and money into restoring the ship. But all that renovation clearly leaves little chance of your finding anything hidden. Just to be safe, you poke, prod, and pry every drawer, bookshelf, and widget onboard—to no avail. You decide to quit wasting time before they ask you to…
View Wandering the Legend »Solve these puzzles and you may find the long-lost treasure of Blackbeard the pirate.
View The Search for Blackbeard’s Treasure »Breathless with anticipation, you dial the number Karen Blixen left. To your dismay, you don’t get a human. It’s another of those damned menu systems: Thank you for calling Bethesda Lawyers, located in Offices 1 through 5 of the Civic Center Tower. If you know the extension of the party you are calling, you may…
View Bethesda Lawyers »
Over the years, I've created or competed in a number of puzzling treasure hunts. Learn about the history behind these events, and test your wits in online versions!
View Treasure Hunts »After serving behind the scenes for two Hunts, I was eager to compete for a change. Steve Williams took up the challenge of organizing the 1989 event, which was a scavenger hunt instead of the puzzle-centric events of previous years. Seekers were tasked to find the following items: Any Cleveland Indians or Tampa Bay Buccaneers…
View Hunt 1989: Scavenger Hunt »
The second time around, we wanted to up the stakes a bit. Having teams compete was fun—but what if solvers could strike off on their own at any time? What if you couldn't trust your teammates? For this kind of backstabbing scenario, a secret agent theme felt natural. Participants could work together temporarily to solve…
View Hunt 1988: Spy Game »
Unindicted co-conspirator Amber Blaha and I put together the first Hunt during the summer of 1987. It was a straightforward series of puzzles, with the answer to each being the location of the next clue. The prize—a basket of goodies, I think?—was hidden at the final location, a secret glen in Rock Creek Park that…
View Hunt 1987: It All Starts Here »
Move over, Beatles—Sgt. Pepper isn’t alone in celebrating an anniversary this year. It was 30 years ago today We made a Treasure Hunt so folks could play It’s been going in and out of style But I hope that you’ll still flash a smile When we send this invite to you To the Hunt you’ve known…
View Hunt 2017: Capture the Firebird »