There are two upcoming scavenger hunts in Hartford.
On September 25th, dozens of teams will be wandering, or, dashing, across the neighborhoods in Hartford to take part in community service projects, but they will be doing this in the style of a scavenger hunt. The registration site refers to 
teams as a “carload” and the team leader as the “driver”, but I’m betting this could be more easily done with a pack of bikes. There are shortcuts that bicycles can take that cars can not.
After the day of volunteer work, participants are invited to the Celebration of Service Party, which is included in the $20 registration fee. For those who want to party without doing the work, it’ll cost you $120. The money raised from the scavenger hunt and the party held at the Riverfront Boathouse will go to several good causes, which Hands on Hartford lists as “MANNA emergency food programs, the Peter’s Retreat supportive housing program for people living with HIV/AIDS, Center for Youth academic program, and all community engagement programs.”
The day’s activities begin at 10 in Bushnell Park, the scavenger hunt goes from 10:30-4, and the party lasts from 4 until 8pm.
If you want a scavenger hunt that involves no community service, you can head to the West End in October.
Jane Jacobs was a writer and urbanist who, according to Jane’s Walk, “helped derail the car-centred approach to urban planning in both New York and Toronto, invigorating neighbourhood activism by helping stop the expansion of expressways and roads.” Jane’s Walk, happening on October 9th in the West End, is an event inspired by Jacobs. The West End Civic Association is sponsoring this event, which they say is a “walking conversation designed to bring together people who share a common concern for making their neighborhood more livable. WECA’s Jane’s Walk will put participants in touch with their environment in the West End in new ways that they had not thought of and bridge social and geographic gaps across the neighborhood.”
The West End is an economically diverse neighborhood. To see what that means, start on foot or bike (the car goes too fast) at South Whitney where it begins at Park Street. You will walk by apartment buildings and multi-family houses in various conditions. As it becomes Whitney Street the houses take on a more middle class appearance. When this turns into Scarborough Street you will pass houses valued at greater than one million dollars. Check the tax assessor website if you do not believe me. This end of what is essentially the same street has homes maintained by landscapers; a few blocks away, there is at least one apartment building where bullet holes are visible.
WECA says that this event will have six activities: visit artist studios, participate in a scavenger hunt, sample food from restaurants, walk along the Park River (this will be a guided walk), take an architectural/historical guided walk, and talk with long time West End residents on their porches about how the neighborhood has evolved. Jane’s Walk goes from 10 until 4. For more information about this, contact David Barrett, the WECA President, at wecaadmin AT hotmail DOT com.