The Great Tallahassee Scavenger Hunt has been solved! Congratulations Jeanette Mims of Tallahassee. Jeanette found the FSU golf ball peeking out from under the rocks near the pedestrian bridge at Okeeheepkee Prairie Park in Tallahassee. The exact coordinates of the ball were 30.4952303, -84.3098230.

Here is a recap of every clue giving during this scavenger hunt:

1. Water water everywhere. (The golf ball was not only hidden near Lake Jackson, but it was surrounded by references to water: Northshore Dr. and Lakeshore Dr. to the east, Waterline Dr. to the south, and Lake Breeze neighborhood to the northwest.)
2. You can get coffee and learn self defense nearby. (This is a reference to businesses on North Monroe that are close to the golf ball, like 7 Brew Coffee less than a mile away.)
3. There’s a path that makes a loop. (This refers to the walking path that goes around Okeeheepkee Prairie Preserve Park.)
4. You won’t have to travel far for seafood. (Wahoo Seafood Grill is less than a mile away.)
5. There are three public elementary schools within 2 miles of the golf ball. (Astoria Park, Sealey, and Springwood Elementary Schools are all within 2 miles.)
6. North of 90. (It always helps to eliminate a big chunk of Tallahassee during these scavenger hunts. This clue helped by ruling out the entire southside of the city. The golf ball was hiding north of U.S. Hwy. 90.)
7. West of Meridian. (Another huge chunk of the city ruled out with this clue. This time we can rule out the entire east side of town. Combined with clue #6 this really helped to narrow down the map.)
8. Nearly half a mile away is a reference to a location in the old country. (This was a reference to Derbyshire Rd. to the east. “Old country” of course refers to England. Derbyshire is a county in England.)
9. There’s a reference to a city in Georgia nearby. (The Macon Community, located to the southeast, is considered one of the oldest intact communities in Leon County. On Jan. 31, 1876, Henry Macon Sr., a freed slave, paid $1,600 for 320 acres, according to Leon County records.)
10. 4,189. (Probably the most cryptic clue of this scavenger hunt. 4,189 refers to the number of hits by Ty Cobb, one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Ty Cobb Road is just a short distance south.)
11. Just to the northwest, it’s where Bob Seger wanted to go when he was feeling down. (You may have thought this was a refernce to “Mainstreet”. But it was actually a reference to Bob Seger’s song “Katmandu”. The actually city of Kathmandu is in the country of Nepal. And just to the northwest of the golf ball’s hiding spot is Nepal Drive.)
12. To the east is something named after the family whose house on North Gadsden Street used to serve as a hospital for wounded soldiers during the Civil War. (Megginnis Arm of Lake Jackson is named after the Megginnis family in Tallahassee. Their house at 125 North Gadsden Street was built in 1854 and served as a hospital for wounded soldiers from the Battle of Olustee. The Megginnis family owned thousands of acres of land on the southern tip of Lake Jackson.)
13. To the north there used to be a quail plantation that was started by the same man who founded Tallahassee’s first TV station. Near the golf ball, you can learn about invasive species. (This is a two-fold clue. The first part refers to Phipps’ Plantation, which used to serve as a quail hunting plantation. It was started by Ben Phipps, who also founded WCTV in 1955. The original Phipps plantation house is still in the same spot on the land. The second part of the clue was to help those who already knew the general area of the ball. A few hundred feet from the golf ball there is an educational sign that tells about local invasive species.)
14. The golf ball is approximately 3,000 feet southeast of one of the most siginficant archeological sites in Leon County. The golf ball is also precicely 2,000 feet from one of the most famous houses in Tallahassee. (This was a big clue! Referencing Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological State Park, one of the most important archaeological sites in Florida as well as the ceremonial center of the Fort Walton Culture inhabited from 1050–1500. The complex originally included seven earthwork mounds, a public plaza and numerous individual village residences. It is located on the south shore of Lake Jackson. The complex has been managed as a Florida State Park since 1966. And the famous house refers to the Lewis Spring House designed by the legendary Frank Lloyd Wright. The house is just to the south. The first drawn of only two “pod-shaped” houses of Mr. Wright’s long, productive career, Lewis Spring House is the only Frank Lloyd Wright designed private residence built in Florida. It was built on ten acres of hardwoods and was designed during the same period as the Guggenheim Museum and both are based on a confluence of arcs that make the two buildings similar and revolutionary.)
15. Look up for the owl. Look down for the ball. (Near the hiding spot of the golf ball is a screech owl habitat marked by a sign. The owl lives up in a tree. But the golf ball was hidden on the ground.)
16. The golf ball is peeking out from under some rocks. (There are only a few spots in this park with these small white limestone rocks. The golf ball blended in nicely with them. The golf ball was slightly sticking out of these rocks at the base of the pedestrian bridge.)

Here are all of the past scavenger hunts we have done prior to this one:

• Bobby Bowden’s Hat (Dr.  Charles L. Evans Pond Park)
• Rob Nucatola’s Bow Tie (Southwood)
• Tallahassee Tiger Sharks Hockey Puck (Lafayette Park)
• Tomahawk (Debbie Lightsey Nature Park)
• Gene Deckerhoff’s Microphone (Piedmont Dr. Near Rosemont Cemetery)
• Rocky Hanna’s Boxing Gloves (Miccosukee Greenway)
• Centennial Coin (Pimlico Park)
• FSU Softball (Governor’s Park)

Each scavenger hunt winner gets $1,000! You could be next. Just remember to only search during daylight hours and never trespass or go on private property! Get ready because the next Great Tallahassee Scavenger Hunt is coming soon!

Click here to visit our Scavenger Hunt Archives!