It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad DMV: A search for treasure is coming to the area — five searches, actually.
The hunts for $10,000 prizes are the brainchild of businessman and Manassas, Virginia, City Council Member Ian Lovejoy.
“We’ve tried to come up with a recreation solution that families can dive into, that’s COVID-conscious, that can maybe capture some of the imagination of the area,” said Lovejoy, “and what could be better than a good old-fashioned treasure hunt?”
The first Treasure Quest happens in Prince William County on Aug. 22. Then come searches in Loudoun and Fairfax counties in September, and others in Montgomery County, Maryland, and Arlington County in October.
Participants will get the first clue through email or text message.
“You’ll solve a series of riddles and visual puzzles and report back, and then you’ll get a clue as to a physical place you have to go, and somewhere hidden there will be a secret to the next clue,” eventually leading to the $10,000 prize, Lovejoy said. “Because of COVID, we’re going to be dividing people up, so everyone isn’t at one place at one time.”
Registration is $55 and can be done online. Adults are asked to purchase separate tickets, but kids in families can take part for free.
There’s no use trying to skip the registration and hunting on your own, either, said Lovejoy.
The big prize “is going to be hidden in such a way that you can’t find it unless you’re playing,” he said.
