Natchitoches — St. Denis' Secret Plan
Uncover the hidden conspiracy behind St. Denis’ founding of Louisiana’s oldest city and expose the true fate of his secret plan.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In 1714, French explorer Louis Juchereau de St
Delve into the roots of Louisiana's oldest permanent settlement, Natchitoches, where French and Creole history intertwines since 1714.
Step into the shoes of Louis Juchereau de St. Denis, founder and commander of Fort St. Jean Baptiste, on a secret mission to secure the borders of New France. Your quest takes you through the Natchitoches National Historic Landmark District, a town rich with over 300 buildings predating 1930. At each stage of this ~135-minute, 1.5 km journey, your phone reveals augmented reality clues on the Creole facades of Front Street or historical monuments. An ancient map appears on Cane River Lake, a coded message displays on the tower of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, and the ghosts of Civil War veterans whisper secrets in the American Cemetery. This walking tour offers you the freedom to explore Natchitoches' heritage at your own pace, uncovering anecdotes and sites that traditional tour guides often miss. More than an outdoor escape game: an interactive visit immersed in 300 years of history, with anecdotes revealed at each stop and confidential sites that classic guides 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
The story that haunts this land
Your Natchitoches adventure begins on Front Street, the historic commercial thoroughfare dating back to 1714. Bordering Cane River Lake, this street, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, immediately immerses you in the atmosphere of Louisiana's oldest town. Admire the 18th-century Creole buildings with their overhanging galleries, typical of the region's architecture. It is here, just 0.2 km from Fort St. Jean Baptiste, that the film Steel Magnolias (1989) was shot, attracting 500,000 annual visitors and cementing Natchitoches' place in popular culture.
Continue to the Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site, founded in 1716 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis to protect the French colony against the Natchez and the Spanish. The fort, faithfully reconstructed in 1979 based on original plans, covers 3.6 acres and is surrounded by a cypress picket palisade. St. Denis, born in 1676, was the founder of Natchitoches and the commander of this strategic outpost until 1744, a key role in the development of this 1996 National Historic Landmark.
Located 0.8 km from Front Street, the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception stands as a testament to the faith of Natchitoches' inhabitants. Built between 1837 and 1840, this Catholic church was elevated to the rank of minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006. Its 32-meter bell tower, with its belfry made of bricks imported from Baltimore, dominates the historic district. It represents the continuity of European heritage in this Louisiana region, serving a community of 1,200 parish families in 2023.
The route then leads you to the American Cemetery, established in 1838 and located 1 km from Front Street. This municipal cemetery contains 5,500 graves, including those of Civil War veterans (1861-1865). The 1907 Confederate Monument, with its 4-meter obelisk, pays tribute to the soldiers. You will also find the grave of Pierre Casanova, a Creole mayor of Natchitoches (1819-1892), a figure who left his mark on the history of this oldest town in Louisiana.
Finally, the Natchitoches National Historic Landmark District, designated in 1996, encompasses 33 blocks around Front Street. It is here that the legacy of the Cane River Creole National Historical Park truly comes to life. As you traverse this district, you follow a 1.5 km walking circuit, discovering over 300 buildings, 80% of which are of Creole origin. This immersion into Natchitoches' heritage, through its monuments and architecture, reveals the fascinating history of this colony founded in 1714, a true exploration of what to do in Natchitoches.
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?
Pioneering Exploration
Trace the footsteps of Louis Juchereau de St. Denis and discover how he built the first French outpost in Louisiana.
Colonial Chronicles
Delve into tales of frontier life, trade with Native American Nations, and Franco-Spanish tensions.
Diplomatic Secrets
Decipher the subtleties of alliances and strategies that allowed Natchitoches to prosper despite challenges.
Natchitoches, where history comes alive
Explore Louisiana's oldest city through OddballTrip's riddles.
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 the roots of Louisiana's oldest permanent settlement, Natchitoches, where French and Creole history intertwines since 1714.
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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