The Fence — Uncover the Truth Behind Matthew Shepard's Murder
Decipher the hidden evidence and testimonies scattered across Laramie to expose the conspiracy of silence surrounding Matthew Shepard's brutal 1998 hate crime and demand justice.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
On the night of October 6, 1998, Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old gay student at the University of Wyoming, was lured from a Laramie bar by two men posing as fellow gay patrons
Delve into the poignant story of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, exploring the sites that shaped a student's destiny and transformed a Wyoming town.
Step into the shoes of an investigative journalist in 1998, tasked with reconstructing Matthew Shepard's final days. Your mission takes you to Laramie, following the trail of an event that shook the nation. From the University of Wyoming's Visual Arts Building, your phone transforms into an interactive guide: augmented reality clues appear on the mid-century modern brick facades, archival photographs emerge on the pavements, and virtual documents unveil key facts. In 165 minutes, over a 1.5 km route, you'll explore Laramie's iconic sites, from the Wyoming Union to the Buckhorn Bar, to unravel the threads of this tragedy. More than an outdoor escape game: an interactive tour immersed in Wyoming's contemporary history, with anecdotes revealed at each stop and sites that bear witness to collective memory.
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
The story that haunts this land
Your investigation begins in front of the Visual Arts Building, built in 1958 as the Fine Arts Building, housing the University of Wyoming's art and architecture departments. Located at 2111 East Willett Drive, Laramie, this 10,000 m² mid-century modern brick building is your starting point. You examine virtual archives projected onto its facade, revealing the first testimonies concerning Matthew Shepard. A short walk away, the Wyoming Union, built in 1954 at 1000 E University Ave, serves as the student center. Renovated in 2015, this community gathering place, including a 500-seat ballroom, was also a focal point for events related to Matthew Shepard's memory on the Laramie campus.
The route then leads you to the Buckhorn Bar and Parlor, a historic bar open since the 1940s at 114 Ivinson St, Laramie. It was here, on October 6, 1998, that Matthew Shepard met Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson before his abduction. This location, formerly the Fireside Lounge, is known for its jukebox and Western ambiance, frequented by University of Wyoming students. Exploring this site, approximately 1.3 km from the Visual Arts Building, allows you to confront witness accounts and visualize the events of that fateful night, highlighting the importance of this place in the tragedy that unfolded in Laramie.
Continuing your investigation, you reach the Albany County Courthouse, a neoclassical edifice built in 1920, located at 525 E Grand Ave. This seat of Albany County, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 with its 20 m high copper dome, hosted the preliminary hearings of Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson's trials in 1999 for Matthew Shepard's murder. 1.2 km from the starting point via campus, this Laramie monument is a landmark in judicial history, where justice began to be served, leaving an indelible mark on Wyoming's heritage and the fight against hate crimes.
Your path takes you to the Ivinson Mansion, a Victorian mansion built in 1892 by Benjamin Ivinson, located at 603 E Ivinson Ave, 1.4 km from the Visual Arts Building. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, its 27 rooms and Queen Anne architecture with 18 m towers make it a unique site. Although not directly related to the crime, this National Register of Historic Places site, managed by the Laramie Plains Museum Association since 1979, offers a glimpse into life in Laramie in the late 19th century, contrasting with the dark events of 1998. It helps to understand the social and historical context of this Wyoming town.
The journey concludes with the Matthew Shepard Memorial Bench, installed in 2010 near Prexy's Pasture on the University of Wyoming campus, 0.4 km from the Visual Arts Building. Dedicated to Matthew Shepard (1976-1998), this space has become a place of remembrance for the LGBTQ+ community and a symbol of post-mortem efforts for hate crime awareness in Wyoming. Finally, Coe Library, built in 1958 at 1000 E University Ave, 0.5 km from the Visual Arts Building and renovated in 2011, houses over 1.5 million volumes and special archives on Wyoming history, completing your immersion in Laramie's heritage and Matthew Shepard's legacy.
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?
A Legacy for Justice
Commemorate a life and understand how a tragedy inspired a movement for social change.
In a Student's Footsteps
Discover the vibrant University of Wyoming campus and the places that marked Matthew's journey.
Chronicles of a Legacy
Reconstruct a memorial dossier, revealing the timeline and lasting impact of Matthew Shepard's story.
La mémoire est une arme contre l'oubli.
L'histoire de Matthew Shepard continue de forger un monde plus juste.
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, WhatsApp, 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.
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Your turn to play
Delve into the poignant story of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, exploring the sites that shaped a student's destiny and transformed a Wyoming town.
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
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