Appomattox Court House — Lee's Secret Testament
Appomattox, 1865: Decode the hidden testament of General Robert E. Lee, concealed amid the surrender sites. Uncover a final Confederate plot before it rewrites history forever.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
April 9, 1865: In the village of Appomattox Court House, General Robert E
Walk in the footsteps of Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant in the village of Appomattox where the Civil War ended on April 9, 1865.
Step into the shoes of Robert E. Lee's aide-de-camp during that historic day of April 9, 1865. You arrive at the Appomattox courthouse, first act of an investigation that will lead you 1.5 km through the buildings that witnessed the Confederate surrender. At each stop, open your phone: augmented reality documents appear on red brick facades, a phantom general emerges before the McLean House, handwritten letters reveal themselves on the walls of Clover Hill Tavern. Over ~165 minutes of walking through this village preserved on 1,700 acres, you reconstruct the final hours of the Confederacy. More than an outdoor escape game: an interactive visit immersed in the final episode of four years of civil war, with anecdotes revealed at each stop and hidden sites that classic guides forget.
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
The old Appomattox courthouse, built in 1846 and restored by the National Park Service, has housed the historic park's visitor center since 1954. This red brick building served as the Appomattox County seat until 1892, silent witness to local administration when Lee and his 28,000 men converged on this Virginia village. Here you discover the first pieces of the puzzle: why did this isolated place become the theater of Confederate capitulation?
The McLean House faithfully reconstructs Wilmer McLean's residence where Robert E. Lee's surrender to Ulysses S. Grant took place on April 9, 1865. This white wooden house, open to the public after reconstruction, preserves the atmosphere of the parlor where two generals ended four years of civil war. McLean, who had fled Bull Run in 1861 to escape fighting, ironically saw the war end in his new home. Period furniture recreates the moment when Lee signed the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia.
Clover Hill Tavern, built in 1819 and restored to reflect its 1865 appearance, served as a stagecoach stop in this isolated Virginia village. This red brick tavern hosted preliminary negotiations between emissaries of both armies. Its thick walls keep the secret of the last Confederate hopes and first peace discussions. The establishment is part of the interpretive program of 1865 civilian lifestyles, when Appomattox was just a country town transformed by History.
The Confederate cemetery commemorates soldiers who died in the April 9, 1865 battle, the final clash before surrender. These aligned graves in the historic park testify to the price paid by Richmond's last defenders. Interpretive signage reveals the identity of these men who fell hours before peace, unaware their sacrifice marked the effective end of the Civil War. Meeks Store and Bocock-Isbell House, original 19th-century structures, complete this village frozen in time where civilian families witnessed History.
Your journey through Appomattox reveals how a lost Virginia village became the symbol of American reconciliation. In 165 minutes of walking, you followed Lee's steps from his headquarters to the McLean house, discovering places where 620,000 civil war deaths finally found meaning. The 1933 transfer of this site from the War Department to the National Park Service consecrated Appomattox as a national memorial, sanctuary of restored union that you carry with you.
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?
Appomattox Archives
Explore hidden documents and inscriptions that reveal the behind-the-scenes story of Lee's surrender.
Lessons of History
Dive into the heart of the decisions that sealed the fate of the Civil War and America.
Spirit of Reconciliation
Discover the gestures of magnanimity and the desires for peace that followed one of the most devastating conflicts.
The past is never really dead. It's not even past.
William Faulkner
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
Walk in the footsteps of Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant in the village of Appomattox where the Civil War ended on April 9, 1865.
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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