The Haunted Mansion Scavenger Hunt: Free Downloadable Party Game!

Here's a fiendishly delightful Halloween activity for my fellow Dizgeeks: a Haunted Mansion scavenger hunt! This is an easy one you can put together for kids or adults alike, though you could always modify the clues to make them harder.

John and I made a short version of this for a friend's birthday a few weeks ago, and I had such a blast putting it together I thought I'd expand on it and write more all-purpose clues, so you can make your own hunts, too!

First let me show you our finished products, since they turned out so pretty:

 

We made all this with things we already had on hand; just gift boxes and black card stock and Cricut vinyl. I even had the ribbon, since I bought that years ago for my Haunted Mansion wreath, but never ended up using it!

I put the first clue in a gift box, so when Karen opened her "gift" she saw this:

Open the bat wings, and:

Ta-daaa! The first clue.

 

The rest of her clues led her around the house to things like our Figment (for "imagination") and our set of Harry Potter books.

 You can see we made extensive use of our Cricut, which makes me happy, since I finally feel like we're using it enough to justify the cost! John did the gift tag decal, look how lovely:

We also used our Cricut to cut the bat silhouettes for each clue, folding the wings over to make them smaller and easier to hide. If you don't have a Cricut you can easily cut these by hand, or skip the bats all together and just use folded slips of paper. However you make them, just make sure you number the fronts of your clues to keep them in order!

Here's the bat silhouette template John put together; we fit 2 per sheet of card stock.

Right click to embiggen, then download to your desktop.

Next, the clues!

 

You can use all ten, or pick and choose the ones that work for your space. The last clue leads to your oven for "prizes," which could just be candy or little party favors.

Now, not all of my clues are great (the broom one is TERRIBLE, I'm so sorry, lol) so to make it easier for you to edit these and make them your own, here comes a typed out version you can cut & paste. I've also included where to hide the following clue in parenthesis, in case any of these have you stumped.

1. Welcome, Foolish Mortal, to the Haunted Mansion Hunt. Our search begins here, in this living room, where you find residents pictured in their corruptible, mortal state.

(Hide clue behind picture frame)

- Your cadaverous pallor betrays an aura of foreboding, almost as though you sense a disquieting metamorphosis: is the haunted broom actually sweeping? Or is it your imagination?

(Taped to broom)

- Consider this dismaying observation: this container has no windows, and one door. Which offers you this chilling challenge: to find the next clue!

(Inside fridge)

- Our library is well stocked - only ghost stories, of course.

(Bookshelf)

- We find it delightfully unlivable here in this ghostly retreat. Our bathroom has wall to wall creeps, and hot and cold running chills.

(Bathroom)

- Goblins and ghoulies from last Halloween, find rest in the couch cushions, or somewhere between!

(Under/between couch cushions)

- Serpents and spiders, tail of a rat, you'll find your next clue inside of a hat!

(Inside a hat)

- Wizards and witches, books where they dwell, give us a hint, pg 394 will tell!

(Inside Harry Potter books)

- Type on the table, it's time to respond. Send us a message, from e-mails beyond!

(Under computer keyboard)

- Your prizes have received your sympathetic vibrations, and are beginning to materialize. They're assembling for a swinging bake.

(Inside oven)

Most of these are pretty easy, but this is a great group activity to keep kids and/or drunk adults running around. (WHAT.)

I hope this inspires some spooky fun out there! If you think of any more Mansion-themed clues, PLEASE SHARE in the comments, so we all have more to choose from. And of course if you end up ghost-hosting your own scavenger hunt, send me pics! I'd love to see!

*****

Hey, did you know there's a book series called Tales From The Haunted Mansion that is friggin' gorgeous?

 They're all hardcover editions with that cool torn paper edging, and according to reviews they're also great reads! Ahh, I love it when good books are also beautiful display pieces.

They range from $10 to $15 each on Amazon, and it looks there are four volumes so far.  Definitely going on my "to-read"  - or possibly "to buy" - list.