A scavenger hunt and curated insiders’ guide that will have you exploring Vermont’s outdoor environment, arts, culture, history, and its cheeses!

September 1 – October 24, 2024

#vtcheesehunt

A scavenger hunt and curated insiders’ guide that will have you exploring Vermont’s outdoor environment, arts, culture, history, and its cheeses!

September 1 – October 24, 2024

#vtcheesehunt

“This was fantastic … We used The Hunt to come up with ideas on exploring Vermont. It made for the perfect weekend getaway!”

HOW THE HUNT WORKS

HOW THE HUNT WORKS

We divide Vermont into six regions and provide a Hunt Clue Packet (i.e., things to do and find) for each region. To complete a clue packet you MUST complete Clue #1 and then four of the other nine available tasks/puzzles. Once you complete a clue packet per its instructions, you’ll need to submit your answers to our upload site to complete The Hunt by the end date to be entered into our random prize drawing. Anyone who uploads a completed set of answers will be qualified for our prizes–boxes of mixed Vermont cheeses shipped right to your door. You can create an entry for each person in your team that does The Hunt with you (e.g., a family of 4 can have 4 entries) and you can enter answers for every region you do. (Limit one prize per person.)

What are the clues and experiences like? They vary. One might have you exploring a local walking trail or cycling through a valley; another might have you picnicking in an apple orchard; another may have your visiting landmarks in the area. You can check out ABC News 10’s 2020 coverage of the event here to learn more – and note that there are 3 videos of “how it works” on this page.

For folks who just want to use The Hunt to guide your travels/adventures around the state: Do it! We have been told by many folks over the last few years that they used The Hunt’s clue packets as a travel guide of sorts to help them find things to do and places to explore–without any tracking answers or focus on prizes–and that they loved it! Tag us with #vtcheesehunt on your social media, so we can see your adventures!

COST TO ENTER

Free to participate. Some clues may have a fee associated with an activity, but we try to ensure that all clue packets have options that do not require fees.

END DATE

All answers must be submitted either electronically online or be postmarked via snail mail by October 24, 2024.

QUESTIONS

Email hunt@vtcheese.com

We divide Vermont into six regions and provide a Hunt Clue Packet (i.e., things to do and find) for each region. To complete a clue packet you MUST complete Clue #1 and then four of the other nine available tasks/puzzles. Once you complete a clue packet per its instructions, you’ll need to submit your answers to our upload site to complete The Hunt by the end date to be entered into our random prize drawing. Anyone who uploads a completed set of answers will be qualified for our prizes–boxes of mixed Vermont cheeses shipped right to your door. You can create an entry for each person in your team that does The Hunt with you (e.g., a family of 4 can have 4 entries) and you can enter answers for every region you do. (Limit one prize per person.)

What are the clues and experiences like? They vary. One might have you exploring a local walking trail or cycling through a valley; another might have you picnicking in an apple orchard; another may have your visiting landmarks in the area. You can check out ABC News 10’s 2020 coverage of the event here to learn more – and note that there are 3 videos of “how it works” on this page.

For folks who just want to use The Hunt to guide your travels/adventures around the state: Do it! We have been told by many folks over the last few years that they used The Hunt’s clue packets as a travel guide of sorts to help them find things to do and places to explore–without any tracking answers or focus on prizes–and that they loved it! Tag us with #vtcheesehunt on your social media, so we can see your adventures!

COST

Free to participate. Some clues may have a fee associated with an activity, but we try to ensure that all clue packets have options that do not require fees.

END DATE

All answers must be submitted either electronically online or be postmarked via snail mail by October 24, 2024.

QUESTIONS

Email hunt@vtcheese.com

HOW TO VISIT & WHERE TO STAY

We have curated a list of Lodging Providers that others have loved staying at–just to give you some ideas on where to stay in Vermont!

PRIZES

EVERYONE WHO COMPLETES THE HUNT GETS…

A digital swag bag will be emailed to participants who complete The Hunt; these will go out at the END of the Hunt, so watch your inbox for them in early November!

RANDOM DRAW PRIZES: CHEESE!

Winners will be selected randomly from all submitted/completed Hunt entries and randomly paired with these prizes as follows:

  • One grand prize winner
  • One prize winner for each region
  • All remaining cheese boxes will be awarded to winners drawn from all remaining entries

Last year, about 20 boxes of cheese were awarded as prizes!

FAQs

How long does it take to complete a Clue Packet?

It varies a little bit depending on what tasks you choose to do. Some clues take less time than others–like finding something, then taking a selfie with it. Others take longer, such as those that have a hike or longer bike ride associated with them. And some are in the middle–like having picnic stop! While everyone must complete Clue #1 in their clue packets, whichever other four clues you want to complete–the shorter duration ones, the longer ones–it’s up to you. You can create a half-day outing, a day trip, or a weekend adventure. You can also choose to complete your clues anywhere between now and the last day of the event; so, you can do a few clues this week and a few clues next week. It’s entirely up to you! In general, if you begin and pursue The Hunt in the region in which you reside, we’d guess it will take you 3-5 hours to complete most versions of The Hunt if you don’t choose to complete a clue requiring a longer hike or bike ride.

What should I bring with me on The Hunt?

We recommend you read through all the clues in your packet before heading out, so you will know if you’ll need to load up your car with your bike, hiking gear, bug repellant, a picnic, water, sunscreen, cheese (yes, you might need this!!) or anything else. And if you are using the “printed” version of the clue packet/answer uploads, bring a pencil or pen with you!

Who is eligible to participate?

Anyone.

Can I hunt and submit entries from more than one region?

Yes.

Our team has more than one person doing The Hunt together; can each submit an answer entry to win?

Yes, any member of a team that participates in completing ALL the clues for which answers are submitted may submit an entry. So, if you have a family of four who participates in completing their clue packet together (meaning they each participate in completing EACH OF the required five clues to complete The Hunt), all four may submit an answer entry independently (i.e., four people on a team can submit up to four entries). If a team member stops participating partway through The Hunt and doesn’t ACTIVELY participate in completing five clues total, this person should not submit an entry.

If we have a multi-person team, can we split up the clues so that one person does three clues and another does two, such that together they complete 5 clues?

No. For any person to say that they have completed The Hunt, that person must complete the required 5 clues. However, they can do it WITH other people.

If we need help finding something, where should we go/what should we do?

Ask locals–shop owners, visitor or welcome centers, chambers of commerce!

What do we do if we think something is wrong with a clue?

Please email us at hunt@vtcheese.com with your information/comments.

I am a lodging provider, visitor center, or other organization that would like to request marketing materials that I can share for this event; to whom should I reach out for more information?

Please reach out to hunt@vtcheese.com for this.

NOT ABLE TO VISIT VERMONT THIS TIME AROUND?

You can always order cheese to your doorstep using our Online Sales Directory or join our mailing list to hear about upcoming other events!

SPONSORS & PRIZE DONORS

A giant thank-you to all of our sponsors and prize donors!

♦ GOLD SPONSORS ♦

♦ SUPPORTING SPONSORS ♦

Lake Champlain Chocolates  •  JK Adams