Double Key Treasure Hunt: St. Louis
If you're looking to add a bit of adventure and intrigue to your next family vacation, consider a Double Key Treasure Hunt (currently offering hunts in St. Louis and Washington, DC). Double Key Treasure Hunts is the brainchild of mystery writer, Malinda Terreri.
Our family recently went on the Victor Wellington St. Louis Treasure Hunt. The fun of the treasure hunt comes from its authenticity. When you order one of the hunts, you receive a package filled with authentic historic artifacts, a letter from the "Double Key Treasure Society" sealed with wax, and special instructions to find your treasure. Children love the intrigue and the detail of the package makes it seem very much like a "real" treasure hunt, capturing the imaginations and interests of the whole family and making for an unforgettable experience.
In order to discover your treasure, you solve clues provided in your package that lead you to historic St. Louis landmarks. This is a fun and engaging way to present history to kids. We especially loved working together as a family to solve the mystery, my children loved the anticipation and intrigue of finding the treasure, and it was a terrific way to expose kids to historic sites while sparking their interest and capturing their imaginations.
Double Key Treasure Hunts website provides a detailed description of each hunt. Read descriptions closely as you'll find options depending on the amount of time you want to spend. Each package comes with several antique artifacts including a 1904 postcard, your Double Key Treasure Hunt Society Member's photograph from the mid-1800's, a newspaper or music newsletter from 1882, an early 1900's gold certificate that is now obsolete, a gingham bag with a few marbles in it, and a stereoview, as well as a letter explaining your mystery, a solution sheet (try not to peak in advance) if you get stuck, and tips for the locations you will visit. We went on the Victor Wellington Treasure Hunt and spent most of an afternoon visiting the sites and collecting clues. The thrill, of course, came at the end, when the treasure was revealed! Just as the entire hunt was created to appear to be as authentic as possible, even the treasure at the end was exciting!
On our hunt, we visited the Old Courthouse, the site of the first two trials of the pivotal Dred Scott case in 1847 and 1850. The highlight for our girls came when they were able to hear their own echo in the very center of the courthouse.
Next, we visited Union Station. At one time, Union Station was full of shops, but now many are vacant. You can still find restaurants include the Hard Rock Cafe and Lambert's Seafood Restaurant, and the live demonstrations at the Fudge Shop are a "must see" for great entertainment and free samples. The St. Louis Union Station was once the largest and busiest passenger rail terminal in the world and her history is presented in an exhibit, and the elegance of the building has been restored, part of its architecture revealing one of our clues. We didn't have to go far to find another clue, that was right across the street from Union Station at the Aloe Plaza Fountain. The fountain represents the union of the Missouri and the Mississippi Rivers.
Our final historic landmark was the New Cathedral, a century old church with an 83,000 square foot mosaic collection, the largest in the world. Among these mosaics and gold we found another clue.
Our kids were delighted that the fifth clue was to be found at Ted Drewes Frozen Custard Shop, a St. Louis landmark and great reward for treasure hunters.
After putting all five clues together, we had solved the mystery and our treasure.... a glass vial of real gold dust and flakes was revealed!