If I can give this six stars out of five, I would. If you are a fan of the TV show Amazing Race, this will be right up your alley. While this is a 6-7 hour experience and it doesn't involve flying places, or dealing with obtrusive camera crews following you, and there aren't prizes for coming in first at every leg (there is a prize if you win the whole day), it's a nonstop experience with different elements of the amazing race. Solving puzzles. Memorizing facts. Some competitive play. Some cultural learning. My advice if you sign up is READ THE CLUES carefully. It was a joy teaming up with my wife as we zoomed through Orange County on a fun adventure. Bottom line, would I do this again? Absolutely. read more

How best to celebrate my wife's birthday? Do a strenuous, cerebral, and absolutely fun race together. I really appreciate all the effort that went in to putting this race on in OC today. Thank you! What a blast, we loved it beyond words. I'm still sore while I am typing this, but I couldn't wait to give this 5 stars. Thanks again, team Going for Goldie. read more

This review is for Race LA 2023 If you are an amazing race fan, this day was one of the most entertaining, most dynamic, most creative adventures I got to have that fulfilled my Amazing Race fantasy. It was just like a leg of the amazing race and more. What is it: A day long adventure of competition with other people, you open a clue and complete a challenge or race to the next location! Pros: - The Challenges were like the amazing race (Memorization, Puzzles, Acting, Building, Counting, Search and Finds, Escape Room Puzzles, and Math). - The organization was really well done. Each of the locations had clear parking and it we didn't have to pay for any of the parking - The locations were so neat and embraced different cultures similar to watching on the amazing race - The after party and hanging out with people was so much fun! - The staff and volunteers were awesome and did such a good job! Cons: Be prepared that there are equalizers. Just like on the amazing race there will be locations where you get stopped and other teams are able to catch up. At first I was frustrated because I was like we are losing time. This is a reality of the actual show! If you haven't seen the show before, just be prepared! Also know that if you are running in the back of the pack, they need to keep the pack connected so some people may get to skip a challenge. If someone passes you doing this you may feel frustrated, but know that you are there to experience cool things! Count it as a cool opportunity to get to do a challenge instead of skipping one! Tips for doing well and preparing 1) Read the whole clue (You will feel rushed and see people leaving and feel you need to leave. DON'T DO IT, READ THE CLUE) 2) Use Waze over Google Maps 3) The first half of the race is preparing you for the last half. There will be at least one equalizer! The last half of the race is what matters so learn from your mistakes early 4) Bring a ziplock bag to keep track of your clues 5) Go in and have fun. Connect with other teams! While winning is nice, the win is the fun you had along the way I would 10 out of 10 recommend this to any reality tv fans or people who love scavenger hunt races read more

Race/LA - The Cast - Scavenger Hunts Near Me - Los Angeles, California

See all

I bought the groupon for this and finally did it this morning. They tell you to meet at a location 10 minutes before the start time but they actually don't begin until 5 minutes after the starting time. Once you get there you sign in and get a sheet to record your answers on and then you wait until they hand out the clues and tell you to "go." You get exactly 3 hours and for every minute or so you are late you will be penalized so it's better to get there early! The one we did was the "Quest for Keys" in downtown LA and luckily it was pretty cool so we didn't die of the heat, although I can imagine on a hot day it would be pretty horrible. The clues are hard, I think this one was rated "moderate" difficulty but they are things that you have to get used to. Once my boyfriend and I got the hang of how to read the clues and figure out where they were leading us it helped. Helpful things: - Smart phone(s), my boyfriend doesn't have one which hindered us a little because only one of us was able to search things while the other couldn't - A clipboard or notebook to write on and use for scratch paper. We actually only wrote stuff on the notebook once but it's nice to have something to write on - Pen - Comfortable shoes/things you can run in - Sunglasses A lot of the clues are things you could look online but they are also answerable if you look around. For example in ours, a lot of the answers were written on these poles throughout downtown LA that described the history of the city. It is difficult to really appreciate where you are walking and what you are viewing because you're so caught up in solving the clues as fast as you can but it also led us to plazas in LA I've never heard of and random urban art pieces I never new existed! That was cool. Some of the questions dont require you to think that hard either, some we over thought and were stuck on them forever. Another helpful hint was to look at your surroundings when you're walking from one location to another because often you'll see something that you remember a question being on. So review the questions first so you have an idea of what you should look out for in case you come across it. We didn't come in the top 10 even though we got all of the answers except for one. But it was fun nonetheless :) you get to team build and see how you work as a team. read more

See all

This is in direct response to T.D.'s review on 6/10/2019. I felt compelled to respond since she called my team out directly. We were the team that came in first. #twotimewinners You were upset there were times you had to "wait" until receiving the next clue? Ummm....did you ever stop to think that's because two of those times were when you had to drive to the next location and that this was put in to discourage participants from driving at unsafe speeds? Of course you didn't because every time I saw your red car you were swerving in and out of traffic and cutting people off. Twice you almost hit our car and once you almost hit us in a parking lot. But we still won. You were upset that at lunch teams were grouped together in batches based on when they arrived? Oh you mean like they do on the Amazing Race which this race is modeled after. Although I did hear you tell somebody that you had never seen that show. Sounds like maybe you should have done some research. And I'm not sure why you are complaining about the lunch break because your team did get the clue first. Don't you remember when the monitor was counting down from 10 to start the 2nd part of the race? Remember when she got to 2 and you took off for the clue? Remember when another team yelled "Hey, she left early!" No? We do and so does everybody else. It's called karma. But we still won. You were upset that at the last location you were told to park in a lot that was closed for an event. When my team arrived at this lot around 1:15p (in front of your team) we saw a sign that said "no parking 9a to 3p for private event" but we saw the event was over and cars were pulling out. So we pulled in and asked an employee from the event if we could park there and they said yes but we had to pay the meter. Sounds reasonable. And if it makes you feel any better, even if you did park there you still would have finished behind us because we crushed the challenges at the last location. You were upset that a full team finished in front of your full team even though you individually finished in front of the other full team. I'm not sure how to respond to that. Why even have a team if all that matters is ONE of you complete the race first? I don't think anybody would agree that your team should have been awarded 2nd because your team didn't finish 2nd. YOU did, not your FULL TEAM. You were upset that we (the team that finished first) had done Race/LA 5 times already and that "clearly gave us an advantage." I agree. We understood that being in the lead only matters at the very end. Just like every other sport or race it doesn't matter how far ahead you are or how long you are in the lead. All that matters is who FINISHES first. I don't know if understanding that is really an advantage because I think most competitors get that. And, if you recall, John asked everybody in the beginning how many of the teams had done the race before and at least half of the teams raised their hands. Side note - that is another endorsement for this fine event, Race/LA. When it's all said and done I think you were just upset because you got beat by a team of 40-something parents who never work out and like to eat pizza and you are taking it out on the race itself because there's no way you could have fairly lost to us. My teammate (my beautiful wife) and I hope you decide to race again. It would be such a thrill to earn our 3rd win knowing we beat such poor sports who choose to find fault in the race instead of just accepting you lost to a more superior team. Race/LA is a great experience and we highly recommend it. 5 Stars!!! Shoutout to all of the other teams that competed last Saturday. It was a privilege to race with you and wish you all the best of luck in the future. Parents Day Off! read more

My bf and I got a groupon deal for $35 for a pair (50% off) to enroll in CityRace! You can have up to 4 people on a team though. There were a lot of different days to choose from in different areas such as Old Town Pasadena, Hollywood, Santa Monica, Little Tokyo, etc. We chose Olvera Street because that fit best with our schedule. Although I'm a born and raised SoCalifornian living in LA, I can't believe I've never been to Olvera St! It's a shame, I know. It's such a tourist spot too. Anyways, there were a little over 20 teams on the day we participated, and it was a lot of fun trying to solve the clues and puzzles and find scavenger hunt items! It's similar to Amazing Race. We had to do a lot of searching on our iPhones to answer the questions as well as walk all over Olvera St/El Pueblo and Union Station too to find answers to some of the puzzles. We had a time limit of 3 hours which is a good amount of time where you're not TOO rushed for time but you can't really go snail speed either. Even though we didn't come in first place, we still had lots of fun! I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys these types of things! Tip: don't forget to bring a pen/pencil to write with! A clipboard can come in handy too. And having a smartphone DEFINITELY helps! read more

My boyfriend and I did the Disneyland CityRace this past weekend. We are huge Amazing Race fans and Annual Passholders to Disneyland, so we jumped at doing this race. We had so much fun!! We finished with 5 minutes to spare, the clues were challenging but doable and we finished in third place!! (We were just aiming for top 10 so 3rd was awesome) I highly recommend this race! We can't wait to sign up for one if the other city races or hopefully a California Adventure race! P.S. Take a clipboard and pencils! I found myself erasing a lot and the clipboard made life so much easier! read more

Race/LA - Top 10 teams for Disneyland CityRace on Oct. 5, 2013 - Scavenger Hunts Near Me - Los Angeles, California

**my review is for CityRace. not Race/LA** in CityRace, teams of 2 to 4 players must utilize all their skills to solve a challenging series of clues leading them on a 3-hour hunt through one of the many diverse neighborhoods/cities of SoCal. these hunts require brainpower: you'll crack codes, solve challenging puzzles, uncover little-known facts and more... all while racing against other teams to be first to the finish with the most correct answers. but of course, in the end, it's all fun & games. at least, for us it was :P i bought the CityRace for a 2 for a 1 deal off of Living Social :) decided to take my bff Maggie W. as a early bday gift to her. looked at all the locations for the CityRace urban scavenger hunt adventures and decided for Laguna Beach. haven't been there in awhile or i don't even know if i've ever been. but little did i know, she's never been there! so, definitely killed two birds with one stone! unfortunately, the day we went, it was very gloomy :( it was really hot back home but as we drove closer and closer to Laguna, we noticed more clouds and the sunlight dimming and dimming :( but it's all good, we both still had a fantastic time together. and it was definitely a good first time experience for the both of us! we were so happy when we actually found clues and we even met a local resident who helped us find some of the clues and was so nice to us. people there are definitely friendly as strangers. and lots of dogs on beach blvd. saw about a good amount of those weimaraner dogs! they are soo cute except for their penis looking tails :P on a serious note, it definitely was challenging for us. during the 3 hours, we probably found about half of the clues, got tired and took a break, so we munched at a nice little cafe that another local resident recommended. will review it after this one :) but overall, had a fun time. learned a lot about Laguna Beach and got some good exercise in. physically AND mentally. boooo-yah!! read more

Race/LA - photo courtesy of Maggie W. - Scavenger Hunts Near Me - Los Angeles, California

See all

This is the poorman's dream of being on the real Amazing Race. I can't afford to take off 4 weeks and do the real thing. This is as close as I can get. The Race/LA is their big 7 hour race. It happens only 3 times a year. My buddy and I who are fanatics of the show signed up for one of the races. There were about 20 teams who participated. I got to see places in LA I never knew existed. Running/driving around solving clues was an adrenaline rush. We were all over the city. Navigating with only a paper map and asking for help was nostalgic and ancient. We had trouble reading maps. Luckily people were very friendly. Asking for help was also probably the fastest way to solve the clues. It's just like the real show with clues where you can choose between two activities, or clues where only one person completes the task. The crappy part was having to pay for parking everywhere. If I do this race again, I better be in shape. I didn't expect so much running. Also make sure to have paper and a writing utensil, good thing we did. I got to ride a tandem bicycle for the first time, probably my last time too. The race was organized very well and everyone was extremely friendly. I'd totally recommend this. read more

Wow! After having done a similar race through a different company a few months back, I am sincerely impressed with how well put together this company is! After speaking with the "monitors" I learned that each race they put on is ran through with 3 teams to work out kinks and time issues. They have a large selection of CityRace events for you to choose from depending on your level of expertise and fitness, and also region. I've done two races with them. One was a CityRace in Downtown LA about a year ago. I also participated in the Race/LA this past weekend which was a super intense version that takes place in multiple neighborhoods and cities in the LA region. I would recommend to everyone who signs up to read through the instructions very carefully. They tell you what to bring with you. CityRace allows smartphones and I highly highly recommend you bring one.. also any neighborhood guides as permitted. The one I did, we were given boundaries on a map. Unfortunately the boundaries were quite large, but if you complete the clues in order, you didn't end up running to the far end of the play field. I felt the CityRace questions were much more challenging because you ARE allowed to use technology. It's less physically intense because you are limited to the neighborhood you sign up for. Having said that, there was much for physically challenging CityRaces that involve biking, skating, etc so don't hold that against me! As far as other things to bring, wear a small backpack. Purses and messenger bags are a pain to hull around when you are trying to run! Inside your bag should be: a few pens/pencils, a small notebook, maps of the are you are racing, city guides if permitted, a water bottle, sunscreen, and cell phone. For RaceLA, we brought 3 maps. 1 highways & major streets map, 1 city of LA map, and 1 LA neighborhoods map. Race LA does permit you one cell phone to make calls to their "Roadside Assistance". Put that number on speed dial so you can call them quickly and save time! You do get deducted time at the end for using their help. When I called to help, I had all the clues correct but was still sorely lost.. The monitor wasn't too much help but we finally figured out where we were supposed to go. They tell you don't spend 15 minutes or more driving around lost to your next destination. I think this was one very helpful hint we should have listened to!! If it weren't for us getting lost we would have placed much higher. This set us back so far and it was the one location where we were supposed to merge with another team (who must have been more lost than us because we ended up sitting around waiting on them and they never showed up!). The monitors were accommodating and allowed us a Fast Lane card which gave us the ability to skip that task and catch up. Somehow we didn't finish dead last! Not only should you read the instruction guide, read all of your clues very carefully. I heard some teams lost quite a bit of time because they skipped the parking directions or only read half of a clue only to get there and realize they were in the wrong place. Work with your teammate and don't bite each other's heads off! Many people partner with their significant other, parent/child, or best friend. It is so easy to be used to taking advantage of each other, but in stressful situations you don't want to become hostile towards one another or waste time fighting! Remember this is about having fun and bonding! read more

We did the Hollywood CityRace last week and after running around for 3 hours I feel like I didn't really SEE anything. Grauman's Chinese Theater, The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, The Kodak (Dolby?) Theater, the Walk of Fame - all complete blurs. You're so consumed with finding the particular clue you need then dashing off to find the next. That being said, we did have fun. Well, fun and one minor arguement LOL. Some clues can be found with google though most you actually have to figure out in person. My tips for future City Racers: -Read the questions caaaaarefully. Some are worded in a tricky way. -Bring a compass - a lot of the directions referred to N,W, E, and W. I downloaded a compass app on my Blackberry but it didn't work at all. -Don't trust the guys selling Hollywood and Celebrity Home tours. They will stop you and claim to know "all of the answers" but they don't. read more

Fun and somewhat challenging puzzles. However, customer services is a bit lacking. We were the last ones to check in and the guy didn't even direct us where to get our clues. Luckily we had seen him direct others to a second man sitting, so we knew where to go. Also, DO NOT forget to bring a pencil/pen with you bc they do not have any. For $35 pp, they really should supply at least cheapo golf pencils. Prize at the end is also pretty small (a medal and I think gift cards), which they do state in advance on their website. There are definitely several ways this company (or any competitors) could improve. Tips: You do not need to go all out in your running gear, etc. to win! Several other teams who looked like professionals didn't even place. Also, access to Internet is a MUST despite what anyone says. Seriously - we were able to figure out a few clues without having to actually locate the site by using the Internet. Also, there were a few we prob wouldn't have figured out without the Internet! If you really want to win, make sure you do the extra bonuses, though it will prob cost you some money to purchase. read more

Today I took part in the CityRace for Olvera Street/Union Station. I purchased a deal on Groupon for this a while back. Word to the wise, if you get the Groupon, register early! I waited too long and finally only had one option of race to choose from. Although I probably wouldn't have chosen Olvera Street as the race I wanted (but had to because it was the only one left), in hindsight, I'm so glad I chose this one over Hollywood or Santa Monica for my first CityRace (I say first because I do plan to do it again!). I'm unfamiliar with Olvera Street, so I felt like I learned a lot! It's a lot less race, and more about keenly solving the puzzles and making your way around using the people and maps you can find along the way. I liked that. We made some great connections with shop owners and bonded with a woman at the visitor's center, who even referred to us as "her boys" and "the sons I never had" by the time we left. Great to actually connect with people from the city you live in. The questions ranged from easily google-able to definitely challenging. We did run a few times, but briskly walked for most of it. It was a good excuse to get off the couch and get moving. The organizers were friendly and engaging. All in all, it was a great day, and I hope to do it again sometime! read more

The boyfriend and I completed the Santa Monica city race today. It was AWESOME! I bought a living social deal online and it was so worth it. I don't think I would've payed $90 for both of us, but $40 for both of us for 3 hours of fun was worth it. You checkin about 10 mins before the race at a designated check in spot and you get your answer sheet and a button. They didn't start until 5 mins after the start time. A guy went over rules and basics. Then they give you your clues and you're off! It was fun running through the pier and the promenade. Be careful because most clues are solved just by looking at your surroundings or asking people that work/live there. BOnUs - WE WON A CUTE LITTLE SLINKY FOR HAVING THE MOST CREATIVE TEAM NAME!! Tips: - wear comfy shoes - bring a smart phone or iPad - sunscreen! - clipboard is a must or at the very least scratch paper and pen - a backpack or bag to hold bonus goodies We hung out in santa Monica afterward which was fun. We finished 18 out of 45 teams so not bad. I'm totally getting another deal and booking my next race! -1 star because I wish the button they gave had the name of the race so I can collect buttons from all different races...lol. read more

SUPER FUN! Admittedly, I am a geek for this sort of thing, but there are still degrees of fun to be had. I've done similar events with a number of different organizations, and I have to say these are my absolute favorite. I've done five (? I think) flavors of Race/LA and have had a blast every single time - even when I didn't win. There's a lot of running around, but a lot of thinking too - these races are exercises for your brain as well as your body! read more

RaceLA is a great way to explore the city, bond with friends and family and HAVE FUN! If you're a huge Amazing Race fan or have never seen the show - it doesn't matter. Just imagine an awesome LA Scavenger hunt and you get the idea. I've done almost every CityRace (Pasadena is my favorite - I'll never look at Old Town the same again!) and every Race/LA since 2005 and I wish I could do them all again. If you like brainteasers, learning more about our fabulous City and (again - it can't be said enough) having fun, then you should definitely give it a try! read more

We did one of the big races that they only do once or twice a month -- teams of two compete in a giant race that spans pretty much every corner of Los Angeles, from Venice Beach to LAX. It's a ton of fun, and most definitely worth the price. They seem to get a decent turnout most times, because we were competing against at least 20-25 other teams. It makes it that much more fun to be gunning it to the next clue, neck and neck with 30 other people who want to beat you there!! I was really impressed by the depth and complexity of the competition. You'll be taking all kinds of transportation to get around, and the ban on GPS adds another dimension to the challenge. We were driving, running, canoeing, biking and elevatoring our way all over town, and with so many teams running around, your really feel the pressure to get going!! Most locations have one or two challenges before you're off to the next thing, so it's always fresh and interesting. I don't want to spoil the surprises, but just to give you an idea of some of the challenges we did during our race: - Run down Venice Beach examining surfboards to help decipher a coded message - At the top of the observatory at LAX we had to choose one team member to place airlines on a map of the world, associating them with the countries they're from. This was super tense!! - Carry an entire carton full of eggs on our body and walk around the block in Culver City without breaking them -- using NO HANDS!!! There was a great camaraderie amongst the teams too, as you get to know everyone. You're competing, but you start to form impromptu alliances as well. The team does a great job of emulating the Amazing Race experience, even if you're not jet setting around the world. Big recommend, it's a blast! read more

Did this twice (Santa Monica & Long Beach) and doing more! We're so impressed with how much attention to detail was put for each question. Just when you think you know a city well.. there's so much more to learn. I walk by certain areas all the time and NEVER even noticed a lot of the artwork & historical plaques right there. Definitely opened my eyes to each city. Love how you walk away with more knowledge, understanding and tidbits of info! Can't wait for Race/LA 2013! Two thumbs up, five stars, a high-five to the company & their great staff/monitors! read more

As a big fan of The Amazing Race, I was really looking forward to participating in this event. And I absolutely was not disappointed!! I was a first time participant in Race LA and I loved it!! It was fun; the activities were varied and challenging. I'm from LA and I learned about new places I will be sure to revisit. The race organizers and volunteers put on an excellent event and the after-race get together was a nice touch. I only wish the awards went to the third place category rather than just the top two. We came in third out of 28 teams, so of course my perspective is a bit shaded by self-interest. Way to go Team SEA-MAC!!! I absolutely recommend this for anyone looking for a fun all-day activity! read more

We did the WEHO event. There was about 75 people in the hunt. I was a little disappointed. I have done a Watson's tour at the Getty and it was a lot of fun and I much preferred it to this one. I felt it was too difficult. We were given 30 clues for a large coverage area. I would much have prefered it if the clues were in a certain order or if there was a flow of it. Walking along Santa Monica and then all the way up to Sunset to look for a clue was too far. The duration was 3 hours. After 2 hours we started to look in some furniture stores and then we went home. On a plus side it was nice to walk around WEHO and see some new sights which we hadn't seen before. read more

So far I've done West Hollywood, Chinatown, Culver City, Pasadena, and Long Beach and have placed pretty high and will return until I win! Yes, that's a threat! Every city race is still so painstakingly planned and the experience is like nothing else. I'm not giving any tips because I don't want any of you to beat me. :p read more

My son and I have participated in about 7 of these races. These City Races are so much fun. We have won and we not won, but one thing is for certain, we always have a great time. We get the questions and we read them, then we look at each other as if to say "we should just go home, we'll never figure these out", then we look around a bit and sure enough we figure out one answer, then another, then it' s full steam ahead and we are all into the competition. I am so impressed with how the questions are just hard enough to make us really think and yet not so hard that we give up and go home. Be sure to read the clues CAREFULLY, and pay attention to any words that seem like they are extra, because those words are probably important. Take a few dollars and pen and pencil and scratch paper and a smart phone is invaluable. Some people bring a clipboard but not really necessary. I indicated "not sure" if it is good for kids because it would depend on how competitive you want to get. It would be fine if you are just there to have fun. The guys that run it are super and you can tell they love this city and the little neighborhoods we explore. I encourage everyone to try this race, its fun and it not only exercises your body but also your brain. read more

My best friend and I participated in this last weekend and came in 3rd. I would have given 5 stars, but want to make note of some issues that came up for us that might be beneficial to future participants. We would have most likely finished in 1st place had it not have been for a few issues: 1) We were ahead of schedule (and the rest of the group) for most of the clues, and there were 3 points throughout the day that allowed everyone to catch up. For the first one we were told to find someone at a specific location, but told she wouldn't be there until 10:15. We got there at 10, so had to wait 15 minutes for her to get there, meaning that a few of the other teams caught up with us. 2) We were disappointed by that, but kept on racing forward, and remained in the lead, but dealt with it again when we got to another location, once again, 15 minutes ahead of time. The team who got there behind us arrived about 7 minutes after we got there, but we were all given our next clue, one after the other (with no breaks in between), so we were on even playing field again with about 10 teams (the rest of whom got there during the 15 minutes that we were waiting to be given our next clue. 3) Lunch - same thing. Had to wait for ALL the teams to catch up at this point. They did stagger the race a little bit, based on when you arrived for lunch, but only had 2 minute intervals between each group. We were in the first group, but still had about 8 other teams leaving at the same time as us. It just seemed less like a race at that point than just wanting everyone to finish close to the same time, in which case, it shouldn't really be called a race. 4) At the last location, we were told to park in a specific parking lot, but when we got there, there were signs in every parking space saying that the lot was closed for a private event, and that if you parked there, your car would get towed. Having seen other comments on here about people from previous races getting parking tickets, etc, we decided to do the "right" thing, and look for other parking, since it would be a shame to have our car towed for a race where you don't even really win a cash prize, other than the cost of entry. We ended up having to park in a lot that was in a shopping center, and there was a line of cars waiting to get in, so we lost about 15 minutes there, parking our car, and then racing back to the area where we had to be (at least a mile on foot). 5) In racing to the finish line, my team member crossed the line before the team that was directly behind us, but we weren't given 2nd place because they judge it based on both team members crossing. I can understand that, but it was disappointing nonetheless, considering the fact that we were ahead of everyone from the start. 6) We found out that both teams who finished in 1st and 2nd place parked their car in the "tow away" parking lot, and also found out that the team who came in first have done this race 5 times already (with a lot of the same clues!) They made it clear that they didn't think it gave them an advantage, but obviously it did! Surprisingly we were still ahead of them until the very end though! The team who came in second even tried to share their medals with us (so sweet), and a few of the other teams who we saw cross the finish line said that they assumed we had won, based on the fact that we were ahead until the very end. Obviously we are very competitive, and wanted to win (what would be the point in participating otherwise?) So the disappointment just comes from the fact that it isn't really a race if people are given so many opportunities to catch up along the way. That information was not on the website, and I think it should be so people who are racing don't over exhaust themselves in the beginning for no reason. I still feel completely beat up from running so fast throughout the day, and it would have been nice to at least have something to show for it (bragging rights to winning). I think this could be a truly incredible event if a few things were just a little different. If there have to be moments for people to "catch up" for whatever reason, then teams should be given their next clues based on when they arrive at that rest stop. So if the first team arrives 10 minutes ahead of the next team, they should be given their next clue 10 minutes before the team that arrived next. That is the only way to keep it fair, and keep it as an actual race. Otherwise, anyone has an opportunity to win, no matter how slow they are in the beginning. Doesn't make sense... read more

I participated in the special "Best of Broadway" CityRace as part of a special celebration in honor of the revitalization of Broadway in downtown LA. My team and I had a blast. And we came in 4th out of 45 teams! Do you like video or computer games where you have to explore a cool environment and make observations and solve lots of puzzles along the way, while racking up points and racing against a clock? CityRace is like that -- but real life! We were given a big booklet of clues, and then three special bonus activities, that had to be completed during certain time ranges. Our clues were all along Broadway, from Olympic to 3rd street; other races probably cover a wider geographic area. The clues were hard enough to be challenging, but not so hard that they were impossible to solve. My advice: go through the entire booklet of clues with your team first, so you get an idea of what you're looking for. Cross clues off or rip them out of your booklet once you've solved them. Have paper to help you keep notes (we didn't need a clipboard). And wear sunscreen, and bring water with you! You're allowed to use smartphones, but don't count on them. There were a couple of clues that we got wrong because we used a smartphone answer, rather than the answer we could have found walking around the street. One downside: there was one clue that I thought (based on what the internet tells me) was factually inaccurate, but there's no way to contest an answer. Also, one of the clues was looking for two culinary regions. Our group put Italy and New Orleans, and the answer was Italy and Louisiana. They didn't award us the points for our answer -- so there's NO flexibility with the answers, even when another answer seems basically the same. Because it was a special event, it was free for me to register. First prize for our race was a $50 gift card to a local restaurant and a pack of CityWalk cards (and medals.) Prizes may be different (and I think there are more of them) for paid races. I'm not sure it would be worth paying $40/person to play, which is the normal fee. We had a lot of fun, but $160 for my team of 4 would have been awfully steep for a few hours of running around after clues. Take this with a grain of salt, though, as the paid races might be different from the race I experienced. read more

We came in just outside the Top 10 out of 58 competing teams. That is pretty good for 1st timers. Had a lot of fun running around Disneyland. Some clue were tough, some were easy, but all were educational and fun. Must bring clipboard and pencils next time. There will be a next time. Beware: if you competing in the Disney ones, there will be teams there that live & breath Disney and will know most of the answer without breaking a sweat. My wife and I broke a sweat!! It was fun to see my wife get competitive :) read more

I participated in the West Hollywood race last Saturday as part of a birthday celebration. I found a discount on LivingSocial ($40 for two vouchers. 50% off.) There was a little confusion with the registration since we had a larger group but the RaceLA staff was extremely prompt and helpful with their email responses. A+ service! Now for the actual race, I was a little disappointed. Yes, this race gives you a great educational tour of the areas but as a company that sells themselves as "an event inspired by The Amazing Race", I expected it to be more like...well, The Amazing Race. Many of the clues didn't even require you to actually go anywhere since you could easily just look it up on your phone. You were given a stack of clues to just go about as you please. I expected it to be more "Amazing Race" style where you would go from location to location and actually either prove you were at that location (with a picture) or to perform some sort of task/activity at that location. Long story short, it was a beautiful day and I did have a good time. However, definitely not worth the original $40 they charge. Be sure to find a deal online before you go! read more

I participated in the first-ever hunt that CityRace offered in Santa Barbara this past Saturday and my team had a really great time! The 3 hour time limit gave you more than enough time given the amount of clues and the size of the search radius -- my team ended up finishing first (and under 2 hours), but in our haste to beat some of the other teams that always seemed to be hot on our trail, we got a little sloppy and didn't read some questions thoroughly, resulting in some wrong answers and thus not even finishing in the top 10. Despite our failed strategy, we learned some things about our town that we didn't know, and had fun running around downtown while having friendly competition with the teams that were on the same pace as us. The directions were good and the clues weren't too difficult to decipher (with the exception of one that they gave to us as a freebie because it turned out to be a bit ambiguous -- I'm guessing they are going to swap that one out in the future though). Overall, I thought that this hunt was well-organized, well thought out, and tons of fun. I definitely want to do another race, and apply what I learned about this type of hunt to the next time. Looking at their schedule, they offer several really cool races that I'd really like to do. It's a shame that they don't change the clues the subsequent times they come to your city (so you can't really do the same location more than once), but they offer races all over, and it will just give us a chance to learn interesting things about another neighborhood. I highly recommend this scavenger hunt if you want to do something fun with a few friends that's a little different than your normal activities -- something that requires solving clues and a slightly athletic aspect if you decide to sprint past those other teams. read more

I participated in a race in old town Pasadena with my company. The clues were very tough to crack, and you really needed to use your head. It's a great event for team collaboration, building lasting memories, and encouraging each other to do well. I'd definitely participate again. read more

We are doing another Race/LA event tomorrow! A scavenger hunt for my birthday weekend!!! We have done a couple of others in the past and their new escape room (Cavern) that's still in testing. We always have fun at the scavenger hunts. (Even when I disagree with the "right" answer when we go over the answers at the end...I'm super competitive, so I play to win.) It is a fun way to get some exercise and see the city in a unique way. The Cavern is the 12th escape game I have played in Los Angeles...first one of this company. It's got a great ambience and feels very authentic is decor compared to others, however there are a lot of set decorations/props that are simply that and not really part of the puzzles that could distract you. Biggest turn off: the groups are too big! My husband & I were put in a group that may have been fine until the last 4 people showed up at the very last second. The group dynamic was chaotic and ruined the experience for me. Someone in our group literally removed a clue that I was working on that was attached to an object (not to be moved) and threw it down somewhere else in the room. I've heard about nightmare groups from others, but this was my first time experiencing it. I recommend doing their scavenger hunts and other experiences for yourself. They are cool. read more

What a blast! We bought this deal on Living Social just to try it out. I have already bought our tickets for the next hunt! We did the Old Town Pasadena hunt. We weren't sure what to expect and were a little shocked when we read on the website that most races take 6-7 hours! This race, however, did not. It look a total of 3 hours start to finish. Some clues were a little more difficult than others, but I would definitely bring a smart phone and a city map to our next race. I would strongly suggest this activity for anyone that is looking for something "different" to do. We didn't place, but we had a blast. read more

We participated to a race around Pershing Square in celebration of a friend's birthday. We had so much fun and learned about some hidden treasures in LA . I would love to try other ones they offer in other locations. read more

We completed the Ventura race and it was amazing!! We loved that it was a physical race- but you had to use your brain too! It made it way more fun and interesting! It was well organized and the instructions were simple! We will be doing this again for sure!! read more

Race/LA - Can't believe we won!! Too fun! - Scavenger Hunts Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Disappointing, NOT fun, and rude staff! First of all, let me say that my boyfriend and I were SUPER excited for Race/LA. We've watched the Amazing Race and done many scavenger hunts around LA (such as MouseAdventure and the Murder Mystery Scavenger Hunt), as well as over 20 escape rooms around the country. What we got was a mediocre game, tons of additional expenses, and attitude from the staff running the event! The scavenger hunt itself did not rely on puzzle-solving skill at all. Most of the "skill" required for this game seems to revolve around knowing the city and landmarks really well, not puzzle-solving. One of the first puzzles we were asked to do was to go to Staples Center, look at 6 of the statues, and memorize about 30 facts & dates on each statue before going to another location to answer questions by memory. This felt so pointless to me, I think you'd have to be crazy to think this was fun. One other frustrating thing about the game was that we had to buy tickets to use the LA metro. We were behind another team by literally 30 seconds, but that was the difference between getting on a train or waiting 20 minutes for the next one (yes, one train passed by at 10 minutes but it was out of service). This just felt like random & arbitrary luck, but makes a big difference between the frontrunner teams & the teams in the rear. Okay, so then my team busted ass to catch up to the next checkpoint. I was given an "Intersection" card where I had to go into a nearby shopping area and buy some items. When I returned, the team behind us had gotten skipped ahead! We had spent all this time working to accomplish something, only to learn that the team right behind us got fast tracked. Maybe this works for a TV show, but it wasn't very fun in practice. So finally we got back to our car, and we had parked on the street. The problem is, you don't know when you park your car how long you'll be at that location. Will you be there for 15 minutes or 2 hours? They purposely don't give you any idea. With all the delays with the metro, we got back to our meter past the timer, and we ended up with a $63 parking ticket! The staff can very easily write on the clues how long you'll be at an area. I don't think this gives away the game AT ALL. Personally, I feel this is an idiotic rule. At this point the frustrations were mounting, but oh well, so it wasn't quite what we'd expected. We clearly weren't going to win the race since there were a lot of locals and past winners participating, and maybe we'd even have to resign ourselves to last place, but we could still enjoy ourselves and have fun! Right? We bust ass again to get to the next checkpoint, a "rest stop" (and paid another $12 for parking). As soon as we arrived, the staff member greeted us expressionlessly and told us we had 2 minutes before we had to start the race again. We were mostly confused. Two minutes? Weren't we 15 minutes early for the cutoff time? During this time, she completely ignored our questions, staring instead down at her phone while we were clearly trying to talk to her. Right after the 2 minutes were up, she thrust the envelopes at us, and then walked off without another word. My bf and I looked at each other like, what just happened? We had the impression the staff was behind schedule, but at this point we were being treated like a burden, like we weren't worth the 2 minutes it'd take to say something like, "I'm really sorry about the situation but unfortunately we have to keep things going." I don't know about you guys, but I play games to have FUN. At no checkpoint did ANY of the staff welcome us or say, "You made it to the checkpoint! Great job!" Every stop was a soulless check-in on a $230 walking tour of LA. We had heard from other friends that CityRace scavenger hunts weren't that good, but we wanted to try it anyway. Lesson learned. We actually left the race at noon. We had more fun GOING HOME than sticking around. I'm sure there are lots of people for whom this will be super fun. There were definitely highlights. They incorporate people into the experience, so you have to talk to storekeepers and we helped out a "lost couple" at the train station which was the best part of the day. I have also seen CityRace put on some fun events, for example I enjoyed their scavenger hunt at Disneyland. I know RaceLA wasn't exactly like I expected, but I still feel the staff could have done MUCH more to make the experience enjoyable and professional. For a team that's been running this for 12 years, I was expecting much more. read more

I've done several city races and the big race. They are good challenging fun! If you're like me and dying to be on Amazing Race, this helps fills the need. The City Races are more scavenger hunt based and the big race includes tasks, u-turns and some of the other terminology from the show. It's also well-organized which is key. If you want to win, be prepared to run. But I did the Santa Monica race with my 60 year old mother and her bad knees and we still had a blast. read more

I mean this in all sincerity, this was an absolute blast! My 15 year old daughter and I did the Chinatown race this past Sunday, and it was one of the most fun things we'd ever done. It's competitive too - we ran around for 3 full hours, and we came in 10th! Be ready to hit the ground running. The clues are tough - most are not things you can just google, you actually have to run around the neighborhood to figure out. Great mix of people, nice staff, and great creative clues. This is one of the best values I've seen - run, don't walk - sign up for a race immediately!!!! read more

RaceLA--for people who can't make the cut on the Amazing Race. Definitely fun, exciting, and an awesome way to see cool sites around LA you didn't know existed. read more

What a great activity for friends, family or out of town visitors. Today four of us zipped through the streets of Long Beach researching clues and running around for the chance to guess the answers for about 25 clues. We didn't win...or even come in the top 10, (LOL) but we have a blast. A few things to bring. Tennis shoes, water, backpack, pen, smart phone and a few snacks to keep up your energy. My group is already talking about doing another one in another city! BIG FUN! read more

My wife and I have been doing City Races as well as the all day Race/LA events for a couple years now, and we have a blast every time. It's truly a fun way to explore new areas in Los Angeles. The puzzles are inventive requiring knowledge from all areas - good thing they allow smart phones! We particularly liked: Quest for the Keys and the LA Metro Arts City Races. It's a good team building activity as well. read more

We were a team of four and chose the Olvera Street location. All of us had a blast!!! We didn't win anything, not even close (we didn't even make it into the top ten) but it was such an awesome experience that at the end of the day we didn't really care. Tips: 1.) Having a clipboard definitely helps 2.) Bring something to write with... pen/pencil etc 3.) Having a smartphone REALLY helps 4.) Make sure you read the ENTIRE question 5.) Don't be in a rush to get to the finish line if you are well within the allocated time limit. It's more important that you get as many right answers as you can before finishing the race in the minimum possible time. Have fun!!!:) read more

It's Los Angeles mini version of The Amazing Race where teams scramble to hunt down and solve clues. Lots of fun racing to be the first team or the team with the most correct answers. We did the west Hollywood challenge and staffs pass out awards for best team name and then they explain rules and boundaries (that way you don't go off searching for a clue that you will never find because it's out of bounds). Then they give you a map and you're off on your way and let the games begin. After all the teams arrive by the deadline then they announce the winners read more