BEAUMONT, Texas — If you're looking for family activities this summer the City of Beaumont may have just what you're searching for in the form of Geocaching.
Geocaching is basically a real-world scavenger hunt using GPS to help lead you to each cache.
The Beaumont Convention and Visitors Bureau got involved in the fun by placing Geocaches in 25 spots around the city to set up their own "Geo Tour."
Each cache will have a very small container that contains a log that you can sign when you find it. The containers will be hidden or camouflaged in plain sight.
They can look like fake nuts and bolts or be nondescript plastic or metal containers like magnetic pill boxes or film containers.
"It's a real world scavenger hunt, you can do on your own completely free," said City of Beaumont Communications Director Lauren Monitz-Durie. "You just download the geocaching app and then you can basically navigate and find clues to get to any of these caches. It's actually a physical element that you find in the ground or in the air or somewhere else, based on clues and based on GPs coordinates."
The Beaumont CVB started the activity during Covid as a unique way for people to maintain social distance, and have fun.
But what is "Geocaching"?
"Geocaching is basically a global treasure hunt and our program in Beaumont is actually ranked number four in the state," said Beaumont Convention and Visitors Bureau Marketing Manager Sadie Atha. "It brings in visitors, but it's also great for residents."
It's beneficial for the city, bringing tourists from unexpected places to participate in geocaching.
"We have people from France and Germany who just completed it actually," said Atha.
With Beaumont being an official "Geo Tour" for geocaching, there are local spots to find these hidden treasures.
"It's these 25 spots that we think really highlight the area," said Monitz-Durie.
"You go and solve all these clues. Once you solve them, you can redeem those clues for prizes, especially here at the CVB," said Atha.
Some caches are easy to find, but some on the other hand, are a little harder.
"We tried to make it sort of medium-hardness here," said Monitz-Durie. "But some of the really hard ones like you have to scuba dive to. They're really intense and they really show you things that you wouldn't have seen otherwise."
But if you participate and you're having difficulty finding a cache you may need to double-check the map on the app.
"If it's not obvious, you're probably not in the right place," said Monitz-Durie.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.
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