I really enjoyed working with MASTERMIND's Scavenger Hunt in Northbeach for my team event total of 20! They really accommodated our group and went above and beyond on last minute changes. The hunt was super organized and everyone from my team was so engaged and had a great time searching for clues and also learning a lot from this experience. I recommend them to any team event, team building, if you want to build a memorable experience and team engagement! I will definitely reach out to them again for future events. read more

My team recently did Mastermind's Puzzles in the Vineyard event and it was a smash hit with everyone. I worked with Nikolai to plan this event - he was both professional and very quick to respond to all communications. Nikolai and Liz also hosted our event and they are so cheery and just all around easy going. The team did not expect to have to use so much brain power, which I think is testament to the quality of the puzzles and the thought that goes into them. This is a true team building experience! Mastermind is a wonderful option for those who want some fun and outside of the box team events! read more

I have done several public hunts with Mastermind over the years and they are always fun, challenging, and incredibly well run. The puzzles are varied and interesting and the theming and use of the local environment is creative and delightful. My partner did a corporate hunt with them and her team (of 20 people) had a blast! read more

My team of about 20 people were in Oakland for an offsite in June. I found Mastermind through the great Yelp reviews...and they lived up to the high ratings and reviews! We started at Jack London Square and were broken into teams to solve some puzzles and problems. Then, we hit to the streets on a great scavenger hunt covering several blocks. This could be as competitive, or relaxed as you make it. Some of us sprinted, some of us strolled. Nikolai was a great organizer and a pleasure to work with! The team really enjoyed being outside and working on problems together. This is the best team building activity we have done! read more

The Jack London square treasure hunt was a lot of fun. Nikolia was accomodating to a last minute request. Our team had a great time and there are lots of excellent venues for dinner and drinks afterwards. read more

Incredible events coordinator! My coworkers and I were looking for a fun, interactive, accessible, outdoorsy team-building experience that would be good for a small group of 5 people (including a pregnant woman and wide age range from 20s to 60s). Nikolai was very responsive, friendly, and communicative leading up to the event. On the day of, we met in Jack London Square in Oakland for 4 hours of treasure hunting. Nikolai told us that typically the treasure hunt lasts a couple more hours and there are usually other teams competing, but we had a time schedule and happened to be the only team that signed up for a Friday treasure hunt. Nikolai was very accommodating and flexible with our time schedule, and he was incredibly engaging even though we were the only team that day. He followed us around during the whole treasure hunt, taking AMAZING team photos of us (both posed and natural), and chiming in to provide us helpful (but not too helpful) clues when we were stumped. He was lovely company. For the treasure hunt, we spent about 1 hour at a public table working as a team to complete 11 puzzles and riddles that would take us to 11 locations that we could mark on a provided map. Then we walked around the area (about 5 x 5 blocks) to locate the 11 locations, where we had to complete more riddles/puzzles to decipher the final 11 answers. We were blown away by how creative, challenging, engaging, and well-organized the hunt was. The puzzles/riddles were well written and properly difficult for adults--a few stumped us and we begrudgingly asked Nikolai for clues--which I appreciated! The hunt took us around the lovely Jack London Square which felt safe and fun, and required us to really engage with our surroundings, be detail-oriented, and think out of the box. Our brains and bodies were definitely working hard the entire 4 hours. It was the perfect activity for our company. We felt refreshed appreciation for each other, our natural teamwork, and what each person brings to the table both professionally and personally. Thank you Nikolai and Mastermind team for putting together such thoughtful and engaging team-building activities. read more

I had team members for work visiting San Francisco, for many this was their first time in the city. I was in charge of planning a team building activity and I wanted it to be special to San Francisco. I'm so glad I chose Mastermind Treasure Hunts. Right from the planning, they were so easy to coordinate and get everything together. When we showed up on the day of the hunt, everyone had so much fun! People still keep thanking me for planning the team-building event. It was such a blast, a great way for team members to get to know each other, get out of the office and explore San Francisco. Highly recommend! read more

So much fun! It's right level of difficulty without being impossible. The clues are awesome and fun experience.

I was tasked with planning our annual all staff Fun Day. I stumbled across Mastermind Treasure Hunts and frankly I was just happy to get it off of my long list of "To Do's". However, Nikolia and team exceeding expectations, and our Treasure Hunt was phenomenal. All 30 team members thoroughly enjoyed themselves - Our introverts, our extroverts, our extreme competitors and our laid back "to cool for school" types. It was great to do have the hunt in Oakland because so much of our group activities have been in San Francisco where we are headquarters. Our Oakland colleagues really appreciated the opportunity to showcase Jack London Square. The weather was great and we ended with great food at a Jack London eatery. I highly recommend Mastermind Treasure Hunts. read more

We asked Mastermind Treasure Hunts to lead a bridal shower in Oakland's Jack London Square for us. Nikolai was a pleasure to work with and very prompt with his responses. He made the planning process super easy and stress-free for us. The clues and puzzles were so well thought out. It was as though we were playing The Amazing Race and The Da Vinci Code mixed into one. Everyone had a fantastic time running around Oakland looking for clues and learning about the city's unique history. We would HIGHLY recommend this experience to anyone looking for a fun and interactive party or team building experience. 10/10!! read more

This was a second group even with Nikolai and Mastermind and it did not disappoint. I highly recommend this scavenger hunt for any personal or professional event. Such a great adventure exploring downtown Palo Alto while bonding and working together as a team. We look forward to another event in the near future. read more

Mastermind Treasure Hunts organized a fantastic team-building scavenger hunt for us at Jack London Square in Oakland. This is just one of the many Bay Area locations for which Mastermind has tailored activities that foster collaboration, critical thinking, time management - and most importantly - a sense of adventure! We knew we were in good hands with Nikolai and Ali, who kept our teams motivated and on point for the 2.5 hour problem-solving mission. Everyone on our 15-person team had a positive experience, and I recommend Mastermind to any group looking for an engaging and exciting team activity. read more

Please do set your expectations accordingly -- if you do, I think you'd have a blast. Basically, you get some initial puzzles to work through -- these lead to some locations around the city. You do some city exploration to actually solve the clue, from where you actually complete the puzzle. The price is super fair. You get some exercise / fun in. It's a great way to explore your city and enjoy the outdoors :) read more

Nikolai and his team were very responsive as we booked a last minute event for our corporate team outing. The communication was clear and frequent, and we made sure everything was set and expectations were laid out ahead of time. We had a great time in Jack London with our Treasure Hunt and it was a fun and unique activity that required team building, exploring Oakland, and strategizing. The puzzles were challenging but fun, and the Mastermind team was helpful when we reached a dead-end. Everyone on the team had positive feedback, even though some were a little weary of the activity. We're looking forward to booking another treasure hunt with Mastermind to explore another area of Oakland. Highly recommend! read more

I had reached out to Nikolai to do a Treasure Hunt in Jack London Square for a team building event that we were in the area for. Nikolai was extremely helpful and flexible as he was able to get it all set up fairly last minute. On the day of, we had an absolute blast. The clues and puzzles are super clever and definitely take multiple sets of eyes and lots of collaboration. The best part about it was the fact that it got everyone moving throughout the area and experiencing Jack London Square and everything that made it great. I would absolutely recommend this to any party that is looking to do something different in the team building space, or if you just love to do puzzles. read more

Such a fabulous experience! The team was funny, professional, and took care of everything, so I didn't have to stress! They are also A+ photographers who catch amazing mid-action photos of all the teams and a group photo. I plan on using Mastermind for all of my other group activities! read more

I have had the good fortune to participate in a few Mastermind Hunts. Nikolai and Rob are very creative and clever in their games which makes you think, work with your partners, and discover some of your strength and weaknesses. My latest game was "Dinner Bell". We had a blast and you will too. Give it a try, you'll be hooked. read more

My team of 30 did a scavenger hunt in Palo Alto and they had a lot of fun! Nikolai was very communicative and helpful setting up what we need for our team building. I unfortunately wasn't able to join, but my team loved it! Hoping to have them join our future events :) Highly recommended esp for a group that loves problem solving! read more

Fun treature hunt for our work team outing!! Just the right balance of challenging, yet not impossible. We did the hunt around Jack London Square which was perfect for wrapping up with drinks & dinner by the water at the end of the hunt. And it was great to have our super-friendly & organized guide Nikolai checking in (by scooter) as we moved through the neighborhood looking for and solving clues. Recommend!! read more

Mastermind Hunts are always so fun, and "Dinner Bell" provided a great opportunity to connect with friends from multiple locations. It is so great that the Mastermind team has such a clever way to adapt a traditional in-person event to an online format, and I am looking forward to the next opportunity I have to play one of their clever games. read more

Great afternoon hosted by Mastermind treasure hunt. Fun event for families and team events. Multiple areas to choose from. We had a great time and recommend Mastermind to everyone. read more

Mastermind Treasure Hunts - Scavenger Hunts Near Me

Had a team outing this week with Mastermind in Palo Alto. Teams of 4-5 people competed in an Amazing Race-style scavenger hunt, solving puzzles which led us to locations where we had to find something. First team back to the start with the most correct answers wins. Much fun was had by all. I'd totally recommend them for future team events. read more

I've played many Mastermind Hunts over the years, and they are some of my fondest memories of adventuring and puzzling with friends and family. We recently played their new online game "Dinner Bell" and had a blast, conjuring a bit of the bustling puzzly goodness of their live events in the safety of our own homes. I can't wait for more creative solutions like this from the team! Highly recommended! read more

We had a company event with Mastermind in University St. Palo Alto. It was AMAIZING! we had a great time, everything was well organized, challenging on one side but still reasonably solvable. We got to see many new places we did not know in the area which we had not gotten to otherwise. The team was kind, fair and helping. I highly recommend this activity with this team! read more

I've done several puzzle hunts (both online and IRL) with Mastermind and they are always very well done, challenging and fun. The team is great to work with. read more

We did a Mastermind Treasure Hunt for my boyfriend's birthday and absolutely loved it! The clues were challenging but solvable and it was a wonderful bonding experience. My favorite part was walking around familiar areas and getting to know them from a new perspective. I highly recommend this for any group event whether it's a birthday party, staff party, or a just a group of enthusiastic puzzlers. read more

Already recommended this service to a colleague. Great team building event for work groups! Spent the morning with a group of ~25 people in downtown Palo Alto, and everyone had a blast. Mastermind Treasure Hunts does an excellent job melding creative and challenging puzzles with the natural environment. I would highly recommend this service to others for team building events and for anyone that enjoys solving problems. Good mix of riddles, arithmetic, puzzles, plays on words, friendly competition, and the great outdoors. Hope to see more of their Treasure Hunts in the future! read more

Clever, fun, challenging, and engaging: I have been lucky enough to participate in several Mastermind events. I've joined their city hunts held in San Francisco, Sacramento, and Petaluma. Their puzzles bring out unique contributions, knowledge, and abilities among team members, leading me to get to know my teammates better, and to appreciate their hidden talents! The Mastermind team are responsive to feedback and absolutely know what they are doing. They are professionals from start to finish, highly recommend. read more

We used Mastermind for a company retreat day, and it was a blast! We did the Downtown Napa hunt with 7 teams of approximately 5 people, and all teams were able to finish on time, had rave reviews, and were able to be collaborative while fostering some friendly competition. Nikolai and Slater obviously love what they do, loved running alongside us, gave helpful hints without solving anything for us, and took some great photos for us to treasure forever! Highly recommend this event for a collaborative and competitive company event, we would definitely use Mastermind with our company again. read more

We planned a Treasure Hunt for a Team Building activity for our team. Mastermind helped us during the planning and gave us all recommendations and guidance to be prepared for the day of the event. The day of, we met at the starting point (Cogswell Plaza, Palo Alto) and they were prepared with all the clues! The clues were pretty interesting and required team collaboration to solve each one of them. It was a nice and fun way to get to build our team groups skills. They also took a lot of pictures from us while solving the puzzles and at the places looking for the clues. The team enjoyed them later on while remembering and telling the stories. We randomly formed the teams before hand and had them pick their own name so we were prepared and ready to start the hunt. I would recommend 100% Mastermind for people to do their hunts and have fun team buildings. Pretty responsible team and a great imagination to create the clues and the puzzles. read more

My team of 35 had a great on a Jack London Square treasure hunt with Nikolai. It was very well thought through, the instructions were helpful, the material (maps) were clues in themselves. The clues were quite clever, and on the tough side for some of us but that made it even more fun, it was not about who can race to each spot first, it was really about teamwork and thinking and challenging ourselves. Several people commented that they would look into doing something similar for their personal events or celebrations. Fully recommend Mastermind to anyone considering a team building activity. read more

I owed my team (mostly software engineers) an amazing offsite to celebrate some great achievements, and our treasure hunt in the Financial District of SF definitely delivered! We had a group of 24, and it's amazing the way Nikolai and Steven got us oriented, kept up with us (we split into 5 teams) to take photos and, occasionally, offer encouragement when we were close but... not quite figuring something out. It was good--the puzzles and clues weren't too hard or too easy, but solving and finding everything in a fixed time created interesting challenges. Most of the time we were on our own as a team, charging ahead (or scanning for plaques and inscriptions), but just often enough we'd spot Nikolai or Steven, or one of the other teams, to heighten the feeling of competition. We had several new team members, and even a few folks new to the area, so it was a great team building experience and way to learn the city too. Overall -- it was the perfect way to enjoy the beautiful SF weather, get some steps, and use your brain for something outside your normal routine. Highly recommend! read more

I organized 2 events with Nikolai and his team and both were a HUGE success. They were well organized, well planned, interesting and fun. The teams all had a great experience and got to bond really well over interesting parts of the neighborhood. The questions and clues are thoughtful, challenging and creative. I can't recommend them enough! read more

Mastermind Treasure hunts put on an amazing scavenger hunt for my organization last week in Jack London square. Teams of 5 worked together to solve puzzles and find visual markers throughout the area. They honestly thought of it all, including planting themselves at locations that were a little more challenging for people to interpret. If you're looking for a fun team building or social activity for your group, I highly recommend Mastermind Treasure Hunts. read more

This company is by far the best for team building. Our company wanted to do something different and I came across in working with Nikolai and he was very detailed and organized. We did the treasure hunt in Palo Alto and everyone couldn't stop talking about how fun and exciting the event was! They even took pictures while all the teams went on their hunt. We will for sure do another event with Nikolai :) read more

Whether a birthday party, corporate event or just a bunch of friends wanting a FUN outing in San Francisco, consider the clever and entertaining Mastermind Hunts. After meeting the Mastermind folks at one of their 2014 public hunts, THE FOX CASE at the SF Public Library, I was so impressed with their professionally detailed mystery hunt that I planned my landmark birthday party to be hosted by Mastermind in San Francisco. They have 5 San Francisco hunts to choose from that have been scoped out for big fun. I picked 'Operation Greenbacks", which wove through the historic Financial District, ending at the Embarcadero, so we were able to retire to a fabulous lunch at the Slanted Door. And for a little extra fun, I added personal trivia in to the hunt clues. I was able to gather 20 friends and family, so we had four energetic teams of sleuths, all vying for the top prize of coming in with the most correct answers and best time overall. My friends and family are still "clucking" about what a great time they had and how much they learned and saw in San Francisco that day. Great job to the Mastermind Hunt team, they are the best! read more

A great team-building experience for our firm. The hunt took place around the Sacramento State Capitol and it was engaging, challenging and a lot of fun. Nikolai was very professional and organized. The corporate event price was reasonable and their team made our event successful and entertaining. read more

We had a team building corporate event and it was awesome! We did the brand new Napa hunt - it was the perfect size for our team (a nice walk but not too much for anyone) and the difficulty level was just right - we felt challenged, but not overwhelmed by the puzzles. Nikolai and Rob were great! From the beginning of planning, straight through the hunt, and after when they sent us fun photos of the day, their communication was on point. We had a blast and highly recommend it! read more

Spent a wonderful afternoon in North Beach (SF) doing the Mastermind Treasure Hunt. I highly recommend them! I didn't have much of an idea beforehand, but it totally surpassed my expectations. The activities were intelligent, sophisticated, very well thought out, and above all, a lot of fun! Plus there were many other little perks like the interpersonal dynamics, the team work, and discovering so many interesting aspects of the neighborhood and city. read more

We had an amazing team building company event with Masterminds in Oakland. Nikolai and Kim were awesome facilitators--communicative, organized, energized and helpful. The clues were challenging, but solvable. Plus, we got to see historic landmarks around downtown Oakland. Co-workers were really happy with event, and grateful that they did not have to engage in anything embarrassing to solve the clues. Would definitely recommend for your next company event! read more