Operation City Quest Review: Atlanta Scavenger Hunt
Operation City Quest sends you on a scavenger hunt around the city to find 150 items, sights, and locations. Read my Operation City Quest review of their Atlanta scavenger hunt game.
Are you thinking of going for a scavenger hunt through Atlanta with Operation City Quest? This review will let you know exactly what to expect!
My brother gifted me a scavenger hunt game with Operation City Quest. Kevin and I finally found a free weekend when the weather was nice to go running around Downtown Atlanta, and here’s how it went.
What is Operation City Quest?
Operation City Quest calls itself an “open world scavenger hunt.” They have scavenger hunts just like this one in major cities all over the US and Canada. You use your smartphone to find objects and places around the city from a list of 150 items.
You then receive points for uploading pictures of those items, answering trivia questions, and performing challenges. A guide tracks your progress and reviews your pictures for points. If you upload funny and creative pictures, your guide might award you more points.
How Operation City Quest works:
- Book your ticket. Since my brother gifted this quest to me, I had a voucher code that I then took on to step two.
- Make a reservation. Go to the Operation City Quest website and make a reservation for the day and time you want to play. This will reserve your 2 hour time slot for your city guide and give you a starting point for your game.
- Download the app. Make sure you download your app beforehand so you save time and are ready to start the scavenger hunt the day of. The app is called GooseChase, and you set up a username and password for each member of your team.
- Meet your guide (virtually). On the day of your reservation, go to the starting point you received and text the number the company gave you; this lets your guide know you’re ready to get started. Your guide will get you set up with a team name on the app and help you join the game.
- Start your scavenger hunt. Take pictures of the sights and objects and upload them to the app to get points. There are also trivia questions and guide questions where you’ll have to type in your answers. If you have any questions, ask your guide for help.
Tip: Check the prices on Viator, Tripadvisor, and Expedia. I’ve found the tickets cheaper here before!
My Experience: Operation City Quest Review
Operation City Quest is a unique way to see the city. My main criticism is that there are only about 10 Atlanta-specific items and a few Atlanta-specific trivia questions, so the majority of the 150 objects you’re looking for are mundane, everyday city items (cars, street signs, foods, etc.).
Even staying within the small area of the city (so you aren’t running around too much or having to get in a car), they could have added more Atlanta-specific locations and objects.
The scavenger hunt would be pretty difficult if you weren’t already familiar with the city. They give locations with the Atlanta-specific items, but even then being familiar with the city I didn’t know where to go for some of the sites.
This would be particularly difficult if you were an international visitor or if you couldn’t use your phone’s data. Google Maps is pretty essential for finding the Atlanta-specific items if you’re just visiting the city.
Having a guide for your two hours is good in case you need some help. We got a little stuck setting up our accounts at the beginning because we didn’t realize both of us had to have separate accounts on GooseChase, and our guide was able to help get us sorted.
If you like doing scavenger hunts, Operation City Quest is a cool opportunity to do a scavenger hunt and see the city at the same time. But I do feel like works better as a group activity for something like team building or a family reunion rather than for visitors to the city.
My overall Operation City Quest review is that it was fun as an Atlanta local, but I imagine it would be hard as a visitor. I don’t think it’s quite worth the $20 price tag, so I would look for it cheaper on Viator.
Operation City Quest Tips and Tricks
- Dress appropriately: Dress for the weather (hot, cold, rainy) because you’ll be outside the whole time. You’ll also want to wear comfortable shoes for all the walking around you’ll be doing.
- Set aside plenty of time for the game: The game says it will take about 2 hours, but to find all 150 items, you’ll most likely be playing for a lot longer.
- There’s no real time limit: Though you have a guide for 2 hours, there is no real time limit on the game. You can play it for however long you want. If you have a lot of time in Atlanta, you could actually extend the scavenger hunt over your entire trip.
- Don’t try to go in order: You don’t have to complete the items on your list in order. They’re categorized according type of item: Atlanta sights, signs, food, animals, etc. Keep an eye out for the smaller items as you walk around to the bigger sites. And there are some trivia questions and questions for your guide dispersed throughout the list that are worth a lot of points, so make sure you take care of those guide questions in the 2 hours in which you have your guide.
- Stay charged: This scavenger hunt is totally mobile-based, so make sure you have your phone all charged up or bring a portable charger with you.
Top Atlanta Tours
A guided tour is always a good way to get to know a city! Check out these top Atlanta tours.
- 90-Minute Guided Sightseeing Tour by E-Car
- Atlanta’s Black History and Civil Rights Tour
- Midtown Atlanta Food & Cocktail Tour
Where to Stay in Atlanta
Find the perfect place to rest your head on your Atlanta vacation!
- My Favorite Stay: Westin Peachtree Plaza
- Top Hotel: The Candler Hotel
- Great Value: Hampton Inn & Suites Perimeter Dunwoody
- Unique Stay: Stonehurst Place
Craving More Atlanta Activities?
If you need more things to do while visiting Atlanta, check out these top posts:
- 2 Days in Atlanta, Georgia: The Perfect Weekend Itinerary
- 75+ Free and Budget Things To Do in Atlanta, Georgia
- When Is the Best Time to Visit Atlanta?
Ready to visit Atlanta, Georgia? Plan your trip with these tips.
- Get Familiar With the City: Check out my Ultimate Guide to Atlanta to help plan your trip!
- Book Your Flight: Find the cheapest flights using Skyscanner, my favorite flight search engine.
- Find Accommodation: You can find top hotels in Atlanta using Booking.com.
- Save on Attractions: Save 46% on admission to Atlanta’s top attractions using the Atlanta CityPASS.
Cheers!
Paige
Did you find this Operation City Quest review of the Atlanta scavenger hunt helpful? Let me know in the comments!
What a fun time, Paige. My wife and I did house sits in Dacula and Scottdale last year. We enjoyed the greater ATL area and took a trip to see the epic aquarium. Neat part of the South for sure.
Ryan
Atlanta does have a lot going for it!
Great post!
Thank you!