Coming Soon: A new way to discover old treasures

Coming Soon: A New Way to Discover Old Treasures

New Way to Discover RI Coming Soon

Attention Tourists: LRI Has a Gift for You

Scavenger Hunt Fans: New App Coming Soon

 

After four years of successfully running a Statewide Scavenger Hunt for Rhode Islanders, Leadership Rhode Island has won a $198,000 grant to turn the concept of hunting for the state’s historical, cultural and contemporary treasures into a mobile app for tourists.

LRI discovered the magic in scavenger hunts in 2010 when the Zeta IIs were sent on a “Rhode Tour” as part of their Hospitality and Tourism session day. Class members were given a map, a travel guide and a list of more than 150 scavenger hunt items.They had four hours to find as many as they could.

The original list was based on a Rhode Island “bragging book,” penned by Roberta Mudge Humble, 2001 Phi, a retired CCRI professor, president of Westerly Armory Restoration, and keeper of Rhode Island’s “firsts, bests, and uniques.”

The scavenger hunt quickly became a tradition and a highly anticipated activity for core program classes for more than a decade.  Even in 2020, when the Pi IIs were forced to go virtual because of Covid 19, they were able to participate in a modified outdoor version of the scavenger hunt.

In 2021, Chris Donovan, LRI’s former director of events and communications, proposed that the scavenger hunt be opened to the public, a change made possible by cellphones and software.  Over a four-year span, the Statewide Scavenger Hunt attracted more than 1000 Rhode Islanders interested in traveling the state in search of its vast array of intriguing, sometimes quirky, sometimes somber sites during weekend competitions each August.

Gina Kilday, an elementary grade school teacher whose entire family took part in LRI’s first public scavenger hunt, said the experience ”reinforced our belief that there is so much beauty, history and diversity right here in Little Rhody.”

It’s in the land and the people, from the forests and lakes of Northern Rhode Island to the sandy beaches of the South coast, the vibrant tourism scene in Newport, and the businesses that thrive in the cities.

And it all melds together in this place we call Rhode Island.

In a proposal that gives new meaning to Discover Rhode Island, one of the state’s earlier tourism slogans, LRI presented the idea of a non-competitive scavenger hunt to Rhode Island Commerce, which was seeking proposals to extend the state’s tourism season. In all, 24 organizations and small businesses won grants, funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

The overview of the LRI submission describes the proposal as “an investment in the future of the way that tourists and locals experience their state through a year-round custom augmented reality scavenger hunt app highlighting Rhode Island’s cultures, history, neighborhoods, and unique attractions.”

The app is being developed by Rocket Farm Studios, with illustrations by Mel Rainsberger. It will not only provide the clues for the various locations, but also “augmented reality” visuals of events and people, where today there is little trace of their very existence.

The initial year-round Scavenger Hunt will include 16 or so sites and is expected to be ready for launch in the spring of 2025.

Leadership Rhode Island’s Executive Director, Michelle Carr, 2014 Kappa II states that “the ‘hope’ is to cultivate lasting engagement with Rhode Island’s attractions, while creating opportunities for place attachment and investment in The Ocean State.”