6 Creative Ways To Kick Off Your Pirate Themed Treasure Hunt

Going on a pirate themed treasure hunt can be a lot of fun, but often times the beginning is a bit dull with all of the explaining, forming of teams, etc. Inject one of these seven exciting treasure hunt launchers and you'll be sure to grab everyone's attention!

The Kidnapping - Really surprise everyone by having someone dressed up as a pirate fake a hostage situation with one of your guests. Of course, it will be all planned in advance (be sure to choose two individuals who won't mind not participating in your treasure hunt.) At a point in the event or party when you'd like to kick off the treasure hunt, signal your pirate to grab the other volunteer and yell out to the guests that unless his treasure is found, something terrible might happen to his prisoner. He can also offer the first clue to your treasure hunt before he disappears into the crowd. As a fun ending, make sure the two are at the end of your hunt…but with a twist. Have your 'hostage' standing there pointing the sword at the pirate - showing that they got the upper hand after all!

6 Pirate Themed Scavenger Hunt Lists - Download them all now! With six different lists to choose from, you won't have any trouble finding the perfect activity you'd like to plan. There's even a for prereaders (with images only.) High quality images are also included that can be printed and hidden so that your scavenger hunt can be set up just about anywhere. Photo hunt options, bonus points and even a couple puzzles thrown in. You'll find the list that's just right for you! CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THEM!

The Missing Treasure - Begin your party or event with a treasure chest that is highly visible (i.e. as a centerpiece on your main table, at the entrance to your party/event, etc.) Plan an attention diversion where the focus will taken be off of the treasure long enough for it to be removed without anyone seeing. Explain that the treasure has been stolen and that your guests will need to find out where it was taken.

The Discovery - This one works great for younger children. As part of a previous activity immediately before your treasure hunt, allow your guests to FIND a treasure map seemingly accidentally. Perhaps they were digging up shells in the sand or are cleaning up after an activity…how they discover the treasure map will depend on the space you'll be working with for your party or event. The important part is that THEY find it. They will be much more dazzled by the notion of searching for treasure if they can believe that it might be real treasure!

The Uninvited Guest - For a very dramatic kick-off (and recommended for older kids to teens/adults) have someone dressed as a wounded pirate come barging into the main party room (preferably at a time when everyone is assembled, perhaps when you are explaining the rules to another game or making an announcement.) Have him stagger over to you (for he's been stabbed) and with his last breath utter the word "TREASURE" and then hand you a piece of a pirate map before falling to the floor dead. Trust me, you'll have everyone's attention before he hits the floor!

The Wet Discovery - This one works great for a pool party. On different sinkable items put the beginning details of the treasure hunt (you can insert clues into water tight baggies - taped tight with packaging tape.) The participants can either swim down to pick them up to discover the initial treasure map OR they can swim down to pick one up as a part of the treasure hunt itself!

The Breaking News - This one is great for setting the stage for your treasure hunt days before the party or event. Using your favorite word processor, create a bogus newspaper article about treasure hunters that mysteriously disappeared after they set out to the look for a specific pirate's treasure (the treasure you plan on having your guests look for.) In the article you'll include details about a supposed curse placed on the treasure and anyone who attempts to disturb its resting place. You can mail this article anonymously to your guests days before your party or include the article with your invitations. In the article you don't need to mention anything about the treasure hunt activity that you are planning. The article will be sufficient enough to engage your guests' interest!

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