Fort Caroline — Menéndez's Secret Map
Decipher Pedro Menéndez de Avilés's secret map to uncover the hidden French codes and thwart the Spanish conspiracy that doomed Fort Caroline in 1565.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In 1565, Spanish conquistador Pedro Menéndez de Avilés marched on Fort Caroline, the fragile French Huguenot outpost on the St
Fort Caroline — Menéndez's Secret Map
You are a modern cryptographer, secretly recruited by a direct descendant of René de Laudonnière in Jacksonville, USA, in the present day.
In 1565, Spanish conquistador Pedro
1564 — Pedro Menéndez charts his route to French Florida
« Que se pueble y fortifique la Florida, pues de no hacerlo, los herejes franceses se harán dueños de estas costas »— Philippe II d'Espagne, Instructions à Pedro Menéndez, 1565
Jacksonville — Florida's First European Port
In 1562, Jean Ribault established France's first colony on the Saint Johns River, which he named River May. Two years later, René de Laudonnière founded Fort Caroline, transforming the estuary into a Protestant outpost on Spanish Catholic soil. Madrid's reaction was immediate: Pedro Menéndez de Avilés received orders to reconquer Florida by any means necessary.
On September 20, 1565, after massacring the Huguenot defenders of Fort Caroline, Menéndez renamed the site San Mateo. For three centuries, Jacksonville remained a strategic Spanish port, gateway to the peninsula's interior. The modern city preserves traces of this violent founding: from Spanish cannons to French street names, Jacksonville's history begins with a European conflict on the banks of the Saint Johns.
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 Route
5-10 curated sites across the territory
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 · 14,90€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
Strategic port
Discover how the Saint Johns River became the key to Spanish conquest of Florida
Military cartography
Reconstruct 16th-century Spanish naval reconnaissance techniques
Colonial conflict
Relive the Franco-Spanish confrontation that determined North America's future
Conquest begins with reconnaissance
Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, Adelantado of Florida
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
Decipher the eight symbols that Adelantado Pedro Menéndez de Avilés marked on his secret reconnaissance map of Jacksonville in 1564, one year before his massacre of French colonists at Fort Caroline.
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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Decipher the smugglers' hidden network that secretly supplied Fort Caroline's starving Huguenots in 1565, evading Spanish patrols along the St. Johns River bluffs.
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