There’s something intrinsically human about making discoveries. Babies constantly entertain themselves by exploring their world. Kids love playing games like hide-and-seek. And adults enjoy fun challenges like board games and trivia games.

So incorporate some exploration into your staycation—a few hot activities right now that will provide hours of outdoor enjoyment for you and your family are geocaching and scavenger hunts.

Cache Some Adventure

The term “geocaching” may sound like some sort of old-fashioned cave adventure, but it’s anything but. Created in 2000, geocaching involves using a GPS to find containers (or caches) based on coordinates; you then mark your mission in the container’s log book and can even leave an item or swap one for another.

With an estimated three million geocachers worldwide today in over two hundred countries, the activity has been dubbed “the world’s largest treasure hunt.” So sign up for one on your staycation to see how many caches you can unearth, or make one that your family will love.

Go on the Hunt

Even though geocaching is a relatively new phenomenon, its close cousin is the scavenger hunt. Of course, scavenger hunts have been around forever, but well-known celebrity hostess and gossip columnist Elsa Maxwell is credited with introducing them as a form of formal entertainment, having created them for her lavish parties in the early-to-mid 1900s. They have also been prevalent on college campuses for decades.

Today, scavenger hunts are popular activities for both corporate events and individual outings, and they usually involve making your way through a city to solve riddles and find items on an electronic or a paper list as quickly as possible.

Schedule a scavenger hunt for your staycation to bring a modern twist to this classic activity—or start your very own today by downloading these scavenger hunt lists!

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Help your friends and family discover their adventurous side by sharing these staycation activities on social media!