Watson Adventures

Peer to Peer

by Joe Osborne

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Published: Jan 5, 2011

Watson Adventures, a nationwide scavenger hunt group, is coming to the Franklin Institute with a brain-teasing hunt that revolves around a string of murders strangely linked to a machine constructed by Benjamin Franklin and the infamous Freemasons.

The group's founder, Bret Watson, has been throwing scavenger hunts since the early 1990s. A former entertainment journalist who majored in art in college, Watson brings both his love of museums and a knack for crafting a story to his hunts. "It's important to me that we come up with a mystery storyline that connects with the stuff that's on display in the museum," he says.

Watson and his staff of writers create the hunts by undertaking excursions of their own. To get inspired, they visit museums like the Franklin Institute equipped with a camera, notepad and pen, scanning the grounds for the most interesting objects and exhibits on display. Then, with an understanding of what routes are most intriguing, Watson and his team create a storyline around the items they find along the way.

However, many museums aren't keen on allowing outside props or elaborate technical displays inside their sacred spaces, so you won't find any fake revolvers in this murder mystery. Instead, Watson shifts his focus to what's already there. "We want to support museums. We want people to come away — even if it's not your first time at the Franklin Institute — saying, 'Wow, I've been there before, but I've never seen that object.' [Then] something snaps into place and you go, 'That was worth the effort.'" Sat., Jan. 8, 2 p.m., $33, Franklin Institute, 220 N. 20th St., 866-811-4111, watsonadventures.com.

(editorial@citypaper.net)

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