Jerome — Copper Secret Conspiracy
Uncover the conspiracy behind Jerome's billion-dollar copper secret. Decode clues from haunted mines and sliding jails to expose the truth hidden since 1953.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In the shadow of Cleopatra Hill, Jerome boomed as Arizona's copper queen, yielding over a billion dollars in ore from the United Verde and UVX mines between 1876 and 1953
Delve into Arizona's Copper Rush era, where fortunes were made and lost to the rhythm of Jerome's mines.
Step into the shoes of James Douglas Sr., the visionary mining engineer who shaped Jerome's destiny. Your mission begins at Jerome State Historic Park, high above the town, the starting point of an investigation that will lead you through the remnants of an era of opulence and decline. At each stage, open your phone: augmented reality clues appear on building facades, commemorative plaques, and panoramic views. An old miner emerges from the past to reveal a secret, a forgotten map materializes on Main Street's pavement, the ghost of a millionaire whispers the location of a treasure. In ~165 minutes over 1.5 km, at your own pace, you trace your own history of Jerome, exploring Arizona's heritage—that of history books blended into the landscape. More than an outdoor escape game: an interactive immersive tour into mining history, with anecdotes revealed at each stop and confidential sites that classic guides overlook.
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 journey begins at Jerome State Historic Park, established in 1971 as Arizona's first state park. Here stands the Douglas Mansion, built between 1916 and 1918 by Phelps Dodge for the mine superintendent, James Douglas. The dwelling, erected for $60,000, spanned 6,000 sq ft and 12 rooms, offering breathtaking views of the desert landscape and the 1,000-ft deep United Verde Open Pit. This site preserves the legacy of the United Verde Copper Mine, which produced 260 million pounds of copper from 1889 to 1935, a wealth that shaped the town of Jerome.
Descending into the town of Jerome, you encounter the Jerome Sliding Jail, an unusual monument in local history. Built in the 1890s as the Yavapai County Jail, it slid 200 feet during a devastating landslide in 1935. This event damaged 30% of Jerome's buildings, but the jail was miraculously stopped by a retaining wall. Restored and reopened as a museum in 1996, at 210 Main Street, it testifies to the fragility of this mining town and the challenges its inhabitants had to overcome in the face of Arizona's nature.
Your exploration continues on Main Street, the beating heart of Jerome, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. This historic district preserves early 20th-century commercial architecture, a legacy of Jerome's copper mining peak. Twenty-eight buildings on this street survived the 1935 landslide that destroyed much of the town. The brick facades and wooden structures tell stories of prosperity and resilience, offering insight into the efforts made to rebuild and maintain the heritage of this ghost town mining heritage.
The path then leads you to the Connor Hotel, which opened in 1899. Destroyed by fire in 1902, it was rebuilt the same year with 20 rooms and is now Arizona's oldest continuously operating hotel, listed on the National Register in 1976. This establishment hosted figures such as presidents Theodore Roosevelt in 1903 and William H. Taft in 1909. Its history is intrinsically linked to Jerome's evolution, reflecting periods of boom and the town's attempts to reinvent itself after the mine closure in 1935 due to low copper prices during the Great Depression.
Your adventure concludes at the Jerome Grand Hotel, a 5-story building constructed in 1926 as the United Verde Hospital, Arizona's largest original hospital. It served up to 450 patients at its peak before closing in 1950. Restored as a hotel in 1996, it is now reputed to be the most haunted building in Arizona, a consequence of mining accidents and hospital deaths. This final stop offers a perspective on the human aspect of mining and the heavy toll paid by those who built Jerome's fortune. You take with you the spirit of this National Historic District, a true time capsule of Arizona's heritage.
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?
The Copper Era
Delve into the golden age and dark underbelly of the mining industry that shaped Jerome.
Living Ghost Town
Explore streets and buildings steeped in tales of miners, magnates, and legends.
The Great Slide
Discover how the mountain itself transformed the town, shifting both people and structures.
The past is never truly dead in Jerome, it just slides a little.
Uncover the tale of Black Bart the miner before the sands of time engulf it.
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.
Avis des aventuriers
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Your turn to play
Delve into Arizona's Copper Rush era, where fortunes were made and lost to the rhythm of Jerome's mines.
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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