Philadelphia — Paine's Hidden Legacy
Track down Thomas Paine’s lost manuscript pages hidden across Old City and expose the conspiracy that tried to erase his radical ideas.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In 1776, Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense ignited the American Revolution, but not everyone wanted his words to survive
Discover Philadelphia, the cradle of American liberty, where Georgian brick walls still whisper the nation's founding debates.
Step into the shoes of Thomas Paine, the revolutionary pamphleteer, in search of the hidden legacy of the Founding Fathers. Your mission takes you through the historic streets of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, following in the footsteps of the men who forged the Declaration of Independence. At each stop, open your phone: ancient documents appear in augmented reality on facades, maps come alive on ancient cobblestones, and portraits of iconic figures from 1776 spring to life. Over approximately 165 minutes of walking along a 1.5 km route, at your own pace, you'll explore the heritage of the eternal city, "Philadelphia sempiterna urbs," with no car needed. More than an outdoor escape game: an interactive tour immersed in 200 years of history, with anecdotes revealed at each stop and confidential sites that classic guidebooks overlook.
Les lieux que vous découvrirez
Les vrais lieux que vous explorerez au fil de l'aventure. Énigmes en réalité augmentée à chaque étape.
A game, a guided tour and a heritage guide — all in one
You're not just buying an escape game. You're carrying a living guide — historical anecdotes, forgotten legends, key monuments, hidden architecture — unfolding as you go.
At each stop, places ordinary guides miss — secret façades, sculpted crests, alleys steeped in history.
Every riddle is rooted in a real historical fact or local legend. You leave with dozens of stories to tell.
Learn to read buildings — flamboyant Gothic, Baroque, Art Deco — like a real art historian, while having fun.
Walk through the city like a novel's character — every alley becomes a stage, every square a theatre.
A voice walks with you at every step, tells the story of each place, reads clues, adds a cinematic feel.
Keep access to the guide & game for 1 year. Come back any time, share it with friends.
« You will not leave this city the way you entered it. »
How does it work?
Explore the city on foot solving puzzles based on real historical facts. No locked room — the city is your playground.
No app to download. Play directly from your browser. Guided step by step, at your own pace.
One purchase per phone is enough. Play with family, friends or as a couple — everyone participates.
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears and speaks to you in your language. Golden letters magically write themselves on the wall to reveal the puzzle answer.
Stuck? Progressive personalised hints. The character repeats the puzzle on demand — at your own pace.
French, English, German, Spanish, Italian + 27 other languages auto-translated by AI.
Want to go deeper?
Places tied to your adventure — optional entries, totally up to you · per person
« We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. »— Thomas Jefferson, United States Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
The story that haunts this land
Your journey begins at Independence Hall, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979. Built between 1732 and 1753 as the Pennsylvania State House, this 42-meter long Georgian brick edifice witnessed the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, and the United States Constitution in 1787. Here, the Liberty Bell, housed from 1752 until 1976, still resonates with the spirit of liberty. As Thomas Paine, you examine the foundations of this new nation, searching for clues left by the delegates who debated within these walls, which stand 18 meters tall at the top of the steeple.
Continue to Carpenters' Hall, a National Historic Landmark since 1970, built in 1774 by the Carpenters' Company of the City and County of Philadelphia, North America's oldest craft guild, founded in 1724. This 19m x 12m Georgian building, with its 10m high main hall, hosted the First Continental Congress from September 5-26, 1774. George Washington himself visited this site in 1775. Your quest leads you to decipher the symbols of the craftsmen, guardians of revolutionary planning secrets, where the first seeds of rebellion were sown.
Your path then takes you to Old St. Joseph's Church, the oldest Catholic church in Philadelphia, another National Historic Landmark since 1970. Built in 1733, it was the first public Catholic church in the Thirteen Colonies, served by Father Thomas Ury from 1730. Despite persecutions, it welcomed Irish and German Catholics in the 18th century. Its 20m tower, added in 1838, dominates the neighborhood. You search for hidden messages, aware that even places of worship housed crucial discussions for the future of Pennsylvania and the nation.
The Library Company of Philadelphia, founded in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin and friends as America's first subscription library, is your next stop. Over 500 books were purchased during the first subscription in 1732. The current building at 1314 Locust Street, constructed in 1792, was used by delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. With its collection of over 500,000 volumes today, this institution is a treasure trove of knowledge. You explore the works consulted by the Founding Fathers, looking for clues in the margins or indexes, where the ideas of the revolution took shape.
Your exploration of the Independence National Historical Park concludes at Washington Square, a 2.6-hectare park. Formerly 'Hangman's Square' with its gallows during the War of Independence, over 2,000 soldiers are anonymously buried there, commemorated by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier monument from 1957. Developed as a public park in 1825, the 'Hangman's Tree' recalls the executions of 1778. This place, imbued with the sacrifices of the revolution, allows you to summarize the fragments of history you have gathered. You carry with you the spirit of liberty, sacrifice, and perseverance that defined Philadelphia and the United States.
The Route
8 stages through the city
The gameplay: AR, camera, hidden clues
At each stop, open your phone camera: an augmented reality character appears on the façade and speaks your language. Hunt the clue — it materializes as golden letters on the real wall or floats in front of you. When you find it, the phone vibrates, an AR chest opens and reveals your answer fragment. 8 stops, 8 clues to find with the camera, 1 final code.
The stops on your route are a surprise. You'll discover them one by one, guided by your phone, starting from the meeting point.
How does it work with a group?
One phone = one team. Pick the number at checkout (1 to 10).
Solo, or a group sharing the screen. One team, one code.
Family, couple, or 2-3 teams competing. Each phone has its own code and its own score.
Friends, bachelor/bachelorette, small office outing — each their own code, each plays at their own pace. Tiered pricing then €6 flat per phone from the 6th.
- ✓All codes are independent — play at the same time OR separately, each team advances at its own pace.
- ✓Leaderboard between your teams + global game leaderboard — each score appears in the public ranking.
- ✓More than 10 phones or need a personalized quest? Discover custom tours.
Ready to live this adventure?
Get my code · 12€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
Fragmented Pamphlet
Reconstruct the lost writings of Thomas Paine, the master of revolutionary words.
Influential Discourse
Delve into the bold ideas that propelled independence.
Revolutionary Strategy
Discover how words became weapons in the fight for freedom.
These are the times that try men's souls.
Let yourself be guided by the words that ignited the flame of freedom.
9 features nobody else has
OddballTrip combines gamified play, augmented reality and AI. All our competitors deliver 1 or 2 of these angles. We deliver all 5.
AR treasure chest
A golden chest floats in front of the monument. Tap → opening animation → reveals a secret message.
AR narrator character
Point your phone at the façade: a knight, witch, monk, sailor, detective or ghost appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language with their dedicated ElevenLabs voice (each character has their own unique voice) — your living guide.
Magic golden letters
At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's the puzzle answer. An unforgettable visual effect.
Written + audio narration
Every puzzle available as text AND voice-over: read at your own pace or listen eyes-free while walking. Great in groups and for accessibility.
360° radar + vibration
A mini-radar shows the target even behind you, and the phone vibrates when you aim in the right direction.
Heritage storytelling
Every puzzle weaves in real historical facts (architecture, era, anecdotes). You learn by playing — like a gamified audioguide.
Progressive AI hints
3 levels of AI-generated help: vibe → where to look → answer format. You're never stuck.
AR selfie memento
At the end of the game, capture a selfie with OddballTrip banner + mascot, shareable on Instagram, TikTok.
Zero app to install
PWA technology: open the link, it plays in your browser. Same quality as an app, no App Store hassle.
Frequently asked questions
Q01Do I need to download an app?
No, never. You get a link, you click, it plays in your browser. That's the point of a PWA: same as an app, without the hassle.
Q02Does it work offline?
GPS yes (handled by your phone). Maps yes (tiles cached). AI and hints need an intermittent 4G connection.
Q03How long does a game take?
1 h 30 to 2 h 30 depending on your pace. The timer runs but only for the leaderboard — you play at your own tempo.
Q04What happens if I'm stuck?
You get 3 levels of hints per puzzle (increasing penalty). If truly stuck, you can skip the step (45-min penalty but you keep going).
Q05What's the age range?
From 12 without an adult, from 6 with an adult reading puzzles. Works for families, couples, friend groups, companies.
Q06What if my city isn't in the catalogue?
Pre-register or contact us — we'll email you as soon as your city is live.
Q07What is augmented reality exactly?
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language. At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's your answer. After each puzzle solved, a treasure chest floats in front of you. Seeing is believing.
Avis des aventuriers
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Your turn to play
Discover Philadelphia, the cradle of American liberty, where Georgian brick walls still whisper the nation's founding debates.
1 purchase = 1 phone. Play several on the same device.
No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
🪙+24 TripCoins granted with your booking
Other escape games in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
See all games in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States→More ideas for self-guided walking tours, scavenger hunts & city quests in the same city
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Independence Hall — Crack the Founding Fathers' Cipher
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