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Geo-Caching in on King Tut in Philadelphia
First-Ever, Free Philly Scavenger Hunt and Tour
Press Release
GEO-CACHING IN ON KING TUT IN PHILADELPHIA
First-Ever, Free Philly Scavenger Hunt And Tour
PHILADELPHIA, April 25, 2007 - Philadelphia is launching the King Tut Treasure Tour, a geocaching trail and scavenger hunt connecting 12 Egyptian-themed sites in the city. The launch coincides with National Tourism Week (May 12-20, 2007) and awards prizes for the top finishers. The free game is just one component of the city’s king-sized celebration in honor of the boy king. Created by the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC), the activity runs from May 12 through September 30, 2007, the last day of the Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibition, presented by Mellon Financial Corporation, at The Franklin Institute Science Museum. Full details are available at gophila.com/geocaching.
Geo-caching in Philadelphia
Photo by R. Kennedy for GPTMC
The King Tut Treasure Tour is two games simultaneously. The easy version is played with a brochure and players don’t need a Global Positioning System (GPS) locator. The harder version, hosted at geocaching.com (search for GC10PZ9), goes to the same sites, but the clues are slightly harder and rely on the use of GPS coordinates.
At every stop, players will find a hidden box (cache) containing a stamper for stamping their game brochure or geocaching passport. There will also be a log book, since it’s customary for geocachers to sign in when they find a cache. At the final stop, players will present their fully stamped brochure to receive a small prize.
Geocachers are encouraged to take their time and visit the sites along the route. Of the 12 locations, six are museums/attractions, three are public indoor spaces and three are public outdoor spaces. No admission fees are required to reach the caches.
What is Geocaching?:
Geocaching is a high-tech scavenger hunt which involves hiding and finding objects using a Global Positioning System (GPS) locator. The hobby began in 2000 when the public was first
allowed to receive accurate GPS satellite readings. More associated with the woods and open landscape, geocaching is actually active in urban settings, as well. Of the 371,967 active caches on geocaching.com, 50 are in New York’s 10021 zip code and 47 are in Center City, Philadelphia. More than 1.5 million people in the U.S. geocache. The hobby appeals to puzzle-loving, tech-savvy families and individuals. Well on its way to becoming the first entirely wireless city in the U.S., Philadelphia offers geocachers several Wi-Fi hotspots along the route.
Tour Launch:
When the King Tut Treasure Tour launches on May 12, experienced geocachers will take on the challenge, and the first 50 competitors to finish will win prizes. The grand prize is an overnight stay at the Crowne Plaza Philadelphia, a private guided tour of the exhibition and a $1,000 pendant from a merchant on Jewelers’ Row in Philadelphia. The King Tut Treasure Tour is also meant for geocaching novices, who can play using a brochure that gives maps and clues to the 12 stops on the route. The brochure is available at www.gophila.com/geocaching or at The Franklin Institute, the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and the Independence Visitor Center.
The 12 Stops:
[Editor’s Note: Please do not reveal the cache locations before the May 12 competition.]
The route moves roughly west to east. All stops can be reached by walking or taking the Tut Trolley, The Phalsh, the Historic Philadelphia Loop or the RiverLink Ferry to Camden, New Jersey. The game begins at The Franklin Institute and moves onto the Free Library of Philadelphia, Masonic Temple, Reading Terminal Market, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Jewelers’ Row, Independence Visitor Center, Adventure Aquarium and more. The most dramatic stop will be a massive, all-weather, walk-through sand sculpture of an Egyptian city, built at Franklin Square. The clue will be embedded into the design.
Note to Editors: For photos of Greater Philadelphia, visit our Photo Gallery. On the pressroom, you can also subscribe to RSS feeds to receive updates on topics that are specifically of interest to you: What’s New, Dining, Events, Seasonal Travel, Hotel Packages and Tourism Research.
CONTACT:
Cara Schneider, GPTMC
(215) 599-0789, cara@gptmc.com
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