A Quest for Knowledge and Fun!

Given the opportunity, my children – a teenager and a preteen – will ignore me in favor of texting their friends and looking at Instagram. Recently I discovered an engaging physical and mental activity we could do together, without my having to say, “Put the phone down.” Atlanta Urban Adventure Quest is a cool way to explore the city and its rich history using a smartphone as your guide as you solve clues and complete location-based challenges.

   After registering online, we headed to Centennial Olympic Park for the initial challenge. Several clues led us to nearby Pemberton Place, and our adventure began! Over the course of the day we received 20 official challenges and several bonus questions. Clues were complex and required multiple steps and quick thinking. For example, in Pemberton Place we had to locate the statue of a famous beverage inventor, and then look through the crook of his arm to identify the name of the hotel you see there. Then we scrambled/unscrambled the letters of the second word in that hotel name to find the word leading to the next clue.
   The teenagers in our group were the most enthusiastic about the activity, and my daughter led the way. The Quest provided us bits of lore about the monuments we passed and other points of interest, giving us history lessons. A round trip on MARTA to Oakland Cemetery was the highlight for everyone.
   All together, we were able to answer 18 of the questions correctly. The kids got a kick out of being ranked against other teams on the website’s Leader Board.
We could have paused the game and explored the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coke, or the MLK Center. But by the time we returned to our car, we’d been “Questing” for about 3 hours and we were ready to hit the pool.
   Questers can be any age, but the adventure involves lots of walking outdoors. Having more than one smartphone is ideal, so that one team member can read the clues aloud and another member can research. The online registration and whenever-you-want schedule means no standing in lines or feeling pressure to get somewhere on time. The educational aspect is valuable, and the whole process required good teamwork.
   Insider tips: You’ll need money or a credit card for expenses. Parking downtown can cost $10; a MARTA Breeze pass for each person is $5 roundtrip. Pack water, snacks, and sunscreen. Check the Centennial Olympic Park website the day you plan to go to make sure it isn’t closed for special events.            
– Beth Balga