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Forget Jelly Beans: Here's What To Hide In Eggs For An Adults-Only Easter Egg Hunt

by Cat Bowen

It's true that most Easter egg hunts are geared towards children, but that doesn't have to be the case. Some of the best hunts are designed with parents in mind and can happen alongside the children's hunt, or on a different day. There's a certain whimsy to it. It can make you feel like a kid again, and that's always a good thing. I've put together seven adult Easter egg hunt ideas that will take your spring party up several notches, and have everyone cheerful and excited.

Adult Easter egg hunts are a fantastic addition to spring bridal showers, bachelorette parties, baby showers, and backyard barbecues. They are definitely kitschy, but who cares — you'll be among friends. They can also get downright hilarious the more ridiculous the prizes and themes become. When it comes to planning these parties, you need to gauge your audience. A boozy Easter egg hunt is probably not the best way to go for a baby shower. Likewise, if you're having a joint party with children, it's not the time to stuff the eggs with edibles if you live in a state where recreational marijuana is legal. Also, it's key to have more goods to hide than you think, and make a map of where you hide them, because some will usually not be found and you'll need to round them up.

1

Needle In A Haystack

This is my favorite one, but I cannot take the credit for it. When I was in college, I had a theatre professor who was amazingly creative, and this is his idea.

Get the cheapest baby pool you can find. Buy a huge lot of fillable or fixed Easter eggs. (And you can reuse these every year, or donate them to a church or school.) Then fill most of them with something silly and biodegradable. My professor used birdseed, but you can use popcorn kernels, or even leave them empty. Mark a small number of the eggs with a sticker or marker. In those eggs are the prizes. I like lotto tickets, gift cards to restaurants, or beer and wine.

In the case of prizes too big to fit in an egg, you simply write it on paper and have the prize ready.

Fill the pool with the eggs, and set a timer. Each person gets 30 seconds to find the good eggs, but here's the rub — you can't throw the other eggs out of the pool. It's tricky.

2

Beer Hunt

Who says an Easter egg hunt has to use eggs? No one, that's who. Use bottles of craft beer or tiny bottles of booze. Tie a festive spring ribbon around the neck, and you're good to go. Just make sure you don't do this one at a public park; you don't want kids finding the remnants.

3

Scavenger Hunt

You know the drill. Make a series of riddles, each one leading the contestants to the next set of riddles at the next location. Each location will have several copies of the riddles — one for each team. You can do this just at home, in your neighborhood, or across the city. The winners get the prized Easter egg. It's some of the best fun you'll ever have.

4

Unexpected Surprise

Oh yes. Jell-O shots. Those ubiquitous goodies from college. Well they're still delicious, and now you can afford better liquor. Hide Easter eggs full of these puppies, or better yet, just have a bunch on a platter and get to it. Bonus points if you remember how to shoot them, because that always made me gag. My brother was a champ, though.

5

Just For Couples

If it's just you and your partner and you're looking for a cheap date night while your parents have the kids, why not do a naughty egg hunt? You could fill each egg with something sexy like a pair of lace knickers or a bit of edible massage oil. You could also write IOUs or instructions on a piece of paper you place inside. "Good for one backrub." Or "finder must take off one piece of clothing for the remainder of the hunt." Just make sure you find all the eggs before your kids do. Because they don't need to find that new egg-shaped vibrator you bought for the game.

6

Paintable Easter Egg Party

I love this idea for a baby shower or bridal shower: paint your own Easter egg party. Buy several packages of these, along with simple acrylic paints and brushes, and you're off at the races. If it's a baby shower, how wonderful would it be for everyone to make one for the baby that the baby then gets to use as they grow up? So sweet.

7

Sample Party

Admit it. You have a ton of samples from Sephora, Kiehl's, and Birchbox laying around that you haven't touched because they don't work for you. Use them as egg filler. Have your guests bring their samples, too, and you can do a swap at the end.