No question about it, in 2020 we all lost a summer. No music festivals, no raging pool parties, and definitely no summer treks into some new city to soak up the local culture. The only travel that’s really safe right now is a domestic road trip into one of the nation’s many secluded forests or national parks, taken only with people in your quarantine bubble.
So news of a dramatically-socially-distanced treasure hunt for a cool million dollars? Yes, please. Let’s all go be Goonies.
The Blackbeard Treasure Hunt consists of 10 hidden treasure chests each loaded with $1 million, spread across the states of California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. As for the other 40 states? Sorry, you’re just not pirate material. For $49.99 — there’s the kicker! It’s a business! — prospective treasure hunters can download one of the ten maps, which are filled with clues and riddles that require you to “think like a pirate,” and task you with figuring out how to interpret a treasure map in the era of GPS.
“With the Blackbeard Treasure Hunt, our goal is to get people excited about getting outside, either by themselves or with friends and family, in order to have the adventure of a lifetime,” says Justin Cohen, managing director of the Blackbeard Treasure Hunt. “In the process of having the time of your life, you may just unearth a fortune.”
If you do find a chest, you and your pirate crew will find $1 million in cash, a location beacon, and a hidden camera to catch you in the act of making your claim. Once you find the chest, you’ll need to place a phone call to a given number to officially be declared winner. There are other rules, too, along with enough talk of disqualification that it seems almost 100% certain that the chests don’t contain real cash or gold and are instead filled with some sort of voucher.
Only Forrest Fenn was ballsy enough to do real doubloons.
If you believe so strongly in your treasure hunting skills, the Blackbeard Treasure Hunt is also offering a few treasure hunters the chance to be followed and filmed by a camera crew as part of the upcoming reality show The Hunt For Blackbeard’s Treasure. To be considered, email the Blackbeard treasure team after purchasing your map and let them know why you should be featured. Treasure hunters will need to bring their maps, riddles, and clues, along with a shovel, flashlight, cell phone, and a compass on their hunts.
In order to join the hunt you must be at least 16 years of age, unless you’re part of a larger team headed by a parent or guardian. Cheaters can be fined $250,000/ Treasure maps, clues, and riddles may not be resold to the public. No social media posts allowed. But… but… it’s a pirate treasure hunt, right? Have you read up on how horrible Blackbeard was? If anything, a little mischief and skullduggery should be embraced!