Treasure Quest is back and bigger than ever in 2024 as the unofficial kickoff of The Rook Room’s 5th anniversary – so get ready for adventure!
Join us Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, July 12th through 14th, to search the greater Des Moines metro area for hidden Artifacts. Use your intellect to solve puzzles and uncover clues leading to your next challenge. Complete the quest for honor, glory, and even prizes.
Starting Friday at 6 PM we’ll release clues here on our website and on our social media accounts to help you begin your quest at one of the quest locations across the Des Moines metro area. Follow the clues to every location to complete the quest.
This is The Rook Room’s 4th annual Treasure Quest, a city-wide scavenger hunt designed to help adventurers of all ages discover some of the Des Moines area’s many amazing places and neighborhoods.
Treasure Quest is completely free to play and fun for the whole family. Take on the role of adventurer armed with a smart device and head out on a quest to follow clues, solve riddles, and fill out your adventure journal.
Starting on Friday at 6 PM, we’ll release a series of clues. Decipher these clues pointing to locations across the Des Moines metro.
At each location, you’ll:
Treasure Quest runs Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, July 12th through 14th. The event will begin at 6 PM Friday and officially run through 6 PM Sunday – so you’ll have all weekend to complete your quest. This isn’t a race, so we recommend taking your time and enjoying each Treasure Quest location.
Treasure Quest is free to play, but you will need an internet-connected device to participate. We also recommend bringing a notepad and a pen in case you need to take notes.
Other things to keep in mind for a fun, enjoyable quest:
Having fun on your quest? Take a photo and post it on social media using the hashtag #rookroomtreasurequest and tagging @therookroom!
Important: You will need to scan QR codes or visit URLs to play. If you’re unsure how to scan a QR code, click here for a handy how-to guide.
Thank you, adventurers.
All of the Artifacts hidden across the Des Moines metro have been recovered in no small part thanks to the many, many of you who decoded the clues, tracked down the locations, and solved the Artifact puzzles.
This year’s Treasure Quest truly was the biggest and best yet.
Thank you for playing and supporting our partner locations along the way.
Until next time, adventurers.
RR
Mission Status: COMPLETE
Congratulations to our archeological research team. They have successfully decoded the last journal page. The combination of coffee, monstera leaves, couch, and rose logo helped them to identify this Artifact location as The Slow Down Coffee Co. in the Highland Park/Oak Park Neighborhood.
** Click Here for Accessibility Text – Spoiler Alert **
Description: Table full of papers. Map of locations. Journal. Journal page with drawings and script. Research notes reading, “Monstera plant = non-native to area climate. Indoor location or imitation. Analysis of rose illustration as potential logo mark: several options found. Cross-referenced with locations associated with coffee, mug, couch, and plant. Conclusion: The Slow Down Coffee Co.”
Please see below for earlier updates. This is your final research update. All Artifact locations have been identified. Go find them all, adventurers!
Our archeological research team is narrowing down its research and is down to the final couple of journal pages. They got the biology team involved in this one, combining the hops, bicycles, and patio design in order to identify Confluence Brewing Company as an Artifact location. Please view the research notes below to help you on your quest.
** Click Here for Accessibility Text – Spoiler Alert **
Description: Table full of papers. Map of locations. Journal. Journal page with drawings and script. Research notes reading, “Biology unit identified plant illustration as a variety of hops often used in beer production. Distinct pergola structure found to match a location near Gray’s Lake. Analyzed above factors against locations along bicycle routes. Conclusion: Confluence Brewing Company”
Please see below for earlier updates. More to come as our research team progresses.
The archeological research team is back at it and has provided its first research update of the day. They have been poring over the structure in the journal page with the book and found that it has to be pointing to Reading in Public in the Valley Junction district. Please view the research notes below to help you on your quest.
** Click Here for Accessibility Text – Spoiler Alert **
Description: Table full of papers. Map of locations. Journal. Journal page with drawings and script. Research notes reading, “Analysis of the archway structure identified a match in the Valley Junction district. Bubble object illustration = ceiling lamp. Unique design. Cross-referenced the above with locations focused on books and cafe beverages. Conclusion: Reading in Public.”
Please see below for earlier updates. More to come as our research team progresses.
Our archeological research team is providing one more research update before they head home for the night. They’ve been closely examining evidence referencing some sort of outdoor structure and have now identified it conclusively as the Jamie Hurd Amphitheater in West Des Moines. Please view the research notes below to help you on your quest.
** Click Here for Accessibility Text – Spoiler Alert **
Description: Table full of papers. Map of locations. Journal. Journal page with drawings and script. Research notes reading, “Unique architecture design appears to be used for audio amplification. The design near the bottom found to be an overhead view of the location. Shape of the space along with the design of the platformed area indicates some sort of amphitheater. Search of area amphitheaters narrow down to one option. Conclusion: Jamie Hurd Amphitheater”
Please see below for earlier updates. More to come as our research team progresses.
The Rook Room archeological research team just released yet another update. Their analysis concludes one of the Artifact locations is Mars Cafe in the Drake Neighborhood. Please view the research notes below to help you on your quest.
** Click Here for Accessibility Text – Spoiler Alert **
Description: Table full of papers. Map of locations. Journal. Journal page with drawings and script. Research notes reading, “Beverage container identified as a to-go coffee cup. Diagram shows four planets with the fourth circled. That indicates Mars. Space theme continues with what appears to be an astronaut in a spacesuit. Combining indicated keyphrases point to space-themed cafe location. Conclusion: Mars Cafe”
Please see below for earlier updates. More to come as our research team progresses.
Incoming – another archeological research team update has just come in. This time they cleverly cross-referenced a few key objects to narrow the search. Please view the research notes below to help you on your quest.
** Click Here for Accessibility Text – Spoiler Alert **
Description: Table full of papers. Map of locations. Journal. Journal page with drawings and script. Research notes reading, “Recurring symbol appears to be book-related. Chairs matches unique designs only found a few places. Mentions of ‘beaver’ must be referencing the Beaverdale neighborhood. Cross-referenced booksellers in Beaverdale. Conclusion: Beaverdale Books”
Please see below for earlier updates. More to come as our research team progresses.
Adventurers, our archeological research team has been poring over all the information we have and they’ve made a breakthrough. Please view the research notes below to help you on your quest.
** Click Here for Accessibility Text – Spoiler Alert **
Description: Table full of papers. Map of locations. Journal. Journal page with drawings and script. Research notes reading “Pointing to a location in the Avenues area. Clearly a food venue judging by the hamburger illustration. Perhaps a place with a mobile element given the automobile. Cross-referenced with locations with prominent ‘L’ in the name. Conclusion: Lachele’s Fine Foods.”
Please see below for earlier updates. More to come as our research team progresses.
Welcome to the quest. A map has been discovered in some old research journals that speak about hidden Artifacts spread across the greater Des Moines metro. This map appears to point the way. Maybe you can use it to locate the artifacts.
This journal page was also discovered with the map. Our team of archeologists are trying to figure out what it means, but in the meantime see if you can do anything with it.
** Click Here for Accessibility Text – Spoiler Alert **
Description: Drawing of monstera plant leaves. Drawing of a rose logo. Drawing of a couch. Drawing of a stoneware coffee mug. Text reads: Real? Mural? Plant motif. Symbol found at location. Repeated. Rose? Beverages? Tea? Coffee? Other? Prominent seating area. Focus on comfort?
Check back here throughout the weekend for updates as our team comes across them.
Good luck, adventurers!
