“@Z100NewYork The first person who gets to the hiding spot and tells Britney’s clown ‘I Seek Britney’ wins 2 ringside seats…. Pass to @BritneySpears”

Earlier this week the city of New York was taken over by Britney Spears fans on a scavenger hunt to win tickets to her concert. Meanwhile on the West Coast, many others have been participating in a month-long Wired scavenger hunt. The target for this hunt is author Evan Ratliff–find him and you win $5000. (It’s not too late to join this hunt. For more information go HERE.

It appears that scavenger hunts are making a come back. Or did they never go away? Either way, thanks (yet again) to Twitter, these city-wide events are becoming more popular than ever. In each instance, Twitter is used to send out clues to participants as they run around each city. While Twitter has definitely opened up the door for more exciting and fast paced challenges like these, it shouldn’t get all the credit. I can’t help but imagine that the rising popularity of these events is also due to people’s increasing need for free stuff. Even if you’re not one of the lucky few winners, playing along with these hunts makes for a good time and a thrilling adventure.

Roughly a month ago, CitySearch Los Angeles launched their weekly Friday scavenger hunts. In this case, they post clues to their Facebook wall. Their past prizes have included hotel stays, concert tickets, cooking classes, and free dinners. One week, the hunt even promised a free happy hour (sponsored by VeeV) at Bigfoot Lodge West to all those who figured out the clues. This scavenger hunt continues to grow in popularity each week and eventually they hope to roll it out in other cities. Check out their Citysearch LA Facebook page for all information on these weekly “city searches”.

For those of you who care less about the reward and more about the journey, there’s Race/LA. On October 3rd and 17th, teams of two will race all over Los Angeles in this day-long challenge. This is the fifth year that this Amazing Race inspired event will take place. The winning team gets a prize package that is not announced ahead of time and there is a $95 entry fee- further proof that you’re in it for the adventure. If scavenger hunts get your blood flowing then this one seems well worth the price. Their website promises to “…have you discovering new places, solving challenging clues, meeting new people and having a fun-filled day you’ll never forget!” http://www.racela.com  

Let the race begin!