Scavenge the Neighborhood, With Your Stroller

Who says you need to leave the kids at home to have a good time?

This Sunday, the streets of Park Slope will become the playing field for a massive, scavenger hunt that’s fun for the whole family—but especially for parents.

“We recently got pregnant, and as we evaluate the events for new parents out there, we noticed that a lot of events focused on the baby and what the baby needs, but not a lot of events that focus on what parents want,” said Veronica Price, the Ditmas Park resident who organized this weekend’s “StrollerHunt” with her husband.

The three-hour scavenger hunt will focus on immigrant history in the neighborhood, using archival images and historical facts to create a fun, interactive scavenger hunt that will lead participants through much of the neighborhood. Teams will be divided by family, and smaller families will be paired together to form a team.

The game will be played via a phone platform called scavenger, with families moving from location to location, sometimes having to guess the next location based on an old photograph or clues. There will be actors and musicians stationed at some scavenger locations, and sometimes participants will have to solve a puzzle or do something like sing a song to get the next clue.

The event will have some fun stuff to keep the kids entertained, but really, the focus of StrollerHunt is the grownups.

“You don’t have to leave your child at home, but the game isn’t really for you child,” said Price. “There are elements to keep the child entertained, but its really for adventurous parents.”

To participate in the game, parents must bring along at least one child under five years old. Those interested should register in advance at the game’s website.

“There is such a vast amount of history from all the cultures that have lived here in Park Slope,” said Price. “It’s really about seeing the neighborhood anew.”

The game though, is not for the light-hearted: it will be physically challenging, sometimes even testing “stroller maneuvering” skills.

“This is a game for adventurous parents,” said Price. “This is not a strolling game, though it is a stroller game!”