Chica and Jo Chica and Jo

DIY tutorials, party ideas, recipes, crafts, and tips for everyday life

Chica and Jo Chica and Jo

DIY tutorials, party ideas, recipes, crafts, and tips for everyday life

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Amazing Race Party Ideas

by: Chica
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Amazing Race Party Ideas
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During our summer vacation in Sanibel this year, we needed a fun party theme for Jo's cousin, whose birthday happened to be that week. It's tricky to find fun games for teenagers, but since she is a huge fan of The Amazing Race, we knew that hosting our own Amazing Race would be a great way to celebrate her birthday.

We had so much fun creating props for this event. From clues to signs to envelopes, our full collection of Amazing Race digital printables has it all! We've also since come up with techniques for making a clue box, fanny packs, and a pit stop mat. I can't wait to share lots of party planning tips with you to help you host your own Amazing Race party.

Making your own Amazing Race clue cards

You simply can not have an Amazing Race without clues! Our TAR printables collection includes a customizable template that you can edit to enter your own clues.

We've got all the typical clues types covered — Route Info, Detour, Road Block, and Fast Forward, and there are coordinating clue folders available as well. Just print the completed clues on cardstock, cut to size, and pop them in envelopes to start each leg of the race.

Amazing Race printable clues and folders

Amazing Race tear-strip envelopes

Any fan of the show knows that the most authentic way to present your custom Amazing Race clues is in a tear-strip yellow envelope. Nothing says "I'm starting a new leg of the race" quite like tearing open that pull-strip on the envelope to see what's inside, right?

Check our our full post about Amazing Race tear-strip envelopes for more pictures or to purchase some.

amazing race party ideas tear-strip envelopes

Create clue boxes to hold your clues

Once your clues are complete, you can put them into a clue box that you can make with our Amazing Race clue box tutorial.

amazing race party ideas make a clue box

Coordinating accessories and team clothing

If you want to get really serious with your flags, pit stop map, and coordinating clothing, be sure to check out our Amazing Race merchandise on Cafepress. This is a great way to get large items that are too had to print at home!

Jo also made some custom buttons for the racers to wear, so that spectators could see that they were on an Amazing Race. These buttons were super easy to create with large button blanks and yet another customizable template from our collection. She also decided that the race teams needed some way to identify themselves, so she picked up some inexpensive, brightly-colored hats that the teams could wear. T-shirts or bandannas in bright colors would also be a great way to identify the teams.

amazing race party ideas

Example tasks from our Amazing Race

We thought we'd show you some pictures from our The Amazing Race party in Sanibel, FL, which really show the fun that the teams had.

One of our Road Block tasks required that teams correctly count the number of post office boxes at the Sanibel US Post Office.

Amazing Race party

Everyone did surprisingly well with the counting and only one team had to count twice.

Amazing Race party

One of the other tasks in the race had the teams assemble some provided pieces of felt into a design that was shown on a photo.

Amazing Race party

We did this task at Three Crafty Ladies, our favorite craft store on the island. They were pleased as punch to let us work on their table in the store.

Amazing Race party

The final leg of the race finished up with a task that required one team member to drink a milkshake from Cheeburger, Cheeburger as quickly as possible.

Amazing Race party

Little Jo ended up doing this task for her team, and loved every minute of it, as you can clearly see!

Amazing Race party

If you have an Amazing Race party and have any clue ideas to share, please tell us about it in the comments. We'd love to hear from the racers out there!

More Amazing Race posts

Visit our whole collection of The Amazing Race party ideas to make your event as authentic as you can.

To make your final pit stop more authentic, why not decorate it with a Travelocity Gnome and some international flags? You might also want to hand out Amazing Race T-shirts to the winners!

Travelocity gnomeinternational flagsAmazing_Race_Tshirt

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137 comments so far:

  • 1
    Molly 07/14/2010 at 9:58 pm

    I love the Amazing Race and I love this idea! Thank you for sharing.

    (ps Saw this via One Pretty Thing)

  • 2
    Melissa 07/19/2010 at 5:05 pm

    We are planning an Amazing Race activity for our family reunion this week. These templates are just what we were looking for. Thanks so much for sharing!

  • 3
    Chica 07/19/2010 at 5:06 pm

    So glad we could help, Melissa. Please let us know how it goes!

  • 4
    Kim-Ling Sun 08/10/2010 at 9:26 pm

    Thank you sooooo much for this ! I am using it in my HS World Literature Class where my Theme for the year is "The Amazing Race"

  • 5
    Chica 08/11/2010 at 7:34 am

    How fun, Kim-Ling! We're glad we could help and we would love to hear all about your race afterwards :)

  • 6
    Tricia 08/14/2010 at 1:50 am

    I'm so excited. My BFF turns 50 this year and has always wanted to be on the Amazing Race so we are surprising her with the Amazing Race thru the Decades. We have friends from all over the country coming in that she doesn't know about just to participate. We will cap the day off with a BD Party Celebrating each of the 5 decades of her birth. Can't wait to see her face when she sees how authentic the clues and envelopes will look. Thanks so much for making it easier.

  • 7
    Jo 08/14/2010 at 9:11 am

    Tricia, you are such a great friend for doing this for her! We love the idea of it being a race through time. Please share some of your party pictures with us afterwards!

  • 8
    Denise 08/21/2010 at 9:18 pm

    I am planning an Amazing Race birthday party for my son's 9th birthday. It is our favorite show! These templates are EXACTLY what I have been looking for!!! Thank you so much. We live in Orlando and I am trying to plan it around Disney World. Any suggestions from all you experts would be great :-)

  • 9
    Erin 08/26/2010 at 12:37 am

    You are absolutely amazing! We have known since mid season of AR 16 that for our sons 10th birthday in September we would be doing the Amazing Race. After all, he is amazing and it has been a race to 10 - a quick one! I Googled Amazing Race Invite and found you. What you have done is EXACTLY what I was going to do! But now that you have made it so easy for me, I can spend time putting his favorite things and places in the race and not worrying about how I am going to make it look authentic. You have saved me a ton of stress and I appreciate it SOOOOOOOO much:)

  • 10
    Chica 08/26/2010 at 7:50 am

    That's wonderful to hear, Erin! Please come back and tell us all about the party afterwards, and we hope you enjoy the rest of our site as well :)

  • 11
    Cassy 08/26/2010 at 11:42 pm

    Fantastic templates! I am having an Amazing Mall Race party for my daughter's 12 birthday.

  • 12
    Dariti 09/08/2010 at 12:02 pm

    My Girl Scout Service Unit is having an Amazing Race theme for our Camporee this year, and everything you made is awesome! I've passed it along to the event director, who I am sure will be thrilled!

  • 13
    Chica 09/08/2010 at 12:35 pm

    Cassy and Dariti, we're so glad we could help. Please come back and tell us how your parties go :)

  • 14
    Meghan 09/08/2010 at 10:08 pm

    OH. MY. GOD. I have been planning and researching and planning and thinking and watching AR reruns and HOLY COW! I hit pay dirt with this information! My fiance and I are getting married....on our TENTH anniversary of being together and wanted to do something a little off the beaten path. Our "rehearsal dinner" night will be an amazing race to remember ... now that I have found your site! One question....about how long did it take for your participants to complete the race?

    Wow, thanks again! Looks like this site is popular and you've pleased a LOT of people with this info :) :) :)

  • 15
    Chica 09/09/2010 at 3:02 pm

    Meghan, we think that's a great way to have fun for your rehearsal dinner, and we're glad our templates are going to help you! Our race took about 2-3 hours, but of course the time will depend on what tasks you have in your race. Please let us know how it goes :)

  • 16
    Meghan 09/12/2010 at 8:38 pm

    Chica, That is perfect! I have a LOT of ideas, now it's time to whittle it down to just a few. I can't thank you enough for the details you included. What a huge help this will be to us! I will certainly let you know how it goes. Hopefully I will have pictures up on my website after the wedding. I'll keep you posted :)

  • 17
    Chica 09/13/2010 at 9:26 am

    You're quite welcome, Meghan. Can't wait to hear details!

  • 18
    Jason 09/16/2010 at 6:50 am

    Hi Chica and Jo!

    I'm a teacher in Western Australia and to end off the term and to integrate my maths and english lesson, I am going to have my class participate in The Amazing Race. You have cut out my time in making the templates!
    Thanks once again for your help!!

    Jason

  • 19
    Chica 09/16/2010 at 9:19 am

    What a great way to make learning fun, Jason. We're glad to have saved you some time, and we'd love to hear how your race goes!

  • 20
    Heather 09/16/2010 at 9:45 pm

    I am planning my daughter's 10th birthday party and was a little overwhelmed until I came upon your website. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!

  • 21
    Laurie Mann 10/05/2010 at 11:05 pm

    Thanks for the great ideas and templates. My five sisters and I go away together every 18 months or so and this gathering we have planned a cruise and wanted to do an Amazing Race as one of our activities. Since we range in age from 54-68, we have to be somewhat creative in our challenges, but we are game! I'll let you know how it turns out. Thanks! Laurie

  • 22
    Jo 10/06/2010 at 8:38 am

    Laurie, doing a race on a cruise ship would be a lot of fun! Please tell us all the details when you return!

  • 23
    kayren 11/14/2010 at 2:56 pm

    Love this. Thanks for all the great tips and downloads!! Every year our couples ministry at church do a scavenger hunt and this year we are wanting to do something a little different. The husbands always compete againts their wives instead of couples competing against each other. That we are going to keep the same. It makes it more fun when doing as a large group. The last clue will bring us all to the same location for our end of challenge meal. Who knows we may have it where the men sing for their supper and the women...watch....lol

  • 24
    jennifer 11/14/2010 at 5:12 pm

    I am a teacher in a Storyline school and I did a 9 week "Amazing Race" Storyline with my 2/3 class of 25 students. We "traveled" to 8 different countries and even went 3 hours away to our zoo for our final challenge. I really appreciated having some templates for clues, buttons, and envelopes. Thanks a bunch!

  • 25
    Chica 11/14/2010 at 7:01 pm

    What a clever idea, Jennifer. I'm sure your students learned a lot from your creative teaching method. Glad our templates could help you out :)

  • 26
    Gavin 11/28/2010 at 7:43 pm

    Hey .. tnx for the idea .. i'm a massive fan of the amazing race and me and my friends were thinking of doing this in our town .. now it will be possible ! thanks so much !!! :)

  • 27
    Jo 11/28/2010 at 8:30 pm

    Gavin, glad to help. Let us know how it turns out!

  • 28
    Jerry 11/29/2010 at 3:21 pm

    Great site and thank you for your Amazing Race guide. My daughter asked me if I would put together one of my famous Scavenger Hunts for her 18th birthday. But your outline and templates have convinced me that we need to do an Amazing Race party instead.

    My only question though is, is there a problem with everyone starting at the same place at the same time? Does everyone end up following each other?

  • 29
    Chica 11/29/2010 at 8:21 pm

    Jerry, we had some choices built in to our race legs (via Detours) so not everyone went the same way and did the same thing. If you start everybody off with options, that should help keep them from following each other around from task to task. Good luck with the party, and we'd love to hear how it goes!

  • 30
    MA 12/01/2010 at 10:33 am

    THANK YOU! Our kids love TAR and we are surprising them with a trip for Christmas and are using TAR clues for them to figure out what to do on each (small) leg of the trip. The templates are great and a source for the pull-tab envelopes was invaluable.

  • 31
    Jo 12/01/2010 at 11:36 am

    MA, what a great idea for making a trip even more exciting. Have a Merry Christmas and safe travels!

  • 32
    Leanne Black 01/10/2011 at 1:48 am

    Wow how great are you to share this with others - - you have made my 10 year old very happy as he is after a party just like this. The templates are excellent.

  • 33
    Chica 01/10/2011 at 7:14 am

    You're very welcome, Leanne. We'd love to hear how your son's party comes out!

  • 34
    Carlsen 01/28/2011 at 10:31 am

    Thanks for doing this up!! am trying to do an amazing missionary race for my church... :) some of this will come in handy!! Thanks a million! God Bless!

  • 35
    Phil 02/08/2011 at 1:11 am

    You guys are awesome, have just planned an Amazing Race party for my daughter's 8th birthday and everything I need is right here!

  • 36
    Chica 02/08/2011 at 8:00 am

    That's wonderful to hear, Phil! Let us know how the party goes.

  • 37
    Stacy 02/27/2011 at 8:53 pm

    Wow! thanks for the great ideas! You have saved this non-so-crafty mom. My son's birthday is gonna rock!

  • 38
    Meghan 03/07/2011 at 7:44 pm

    WOW! is all i have to say! Thanks to your templates, I was inspired to do The Most Amazing Race in Tampa for my "rehearsal dinner" the night before my wedding! WHAT A FREAKING GREAT TIME for our guests!!! We ended up having around 40+ people in teams of 4 travel around Tampa doing challenges, tasks and donations to our favorite charities! WHAT FUN! It took months of planning, but thanks to your site, I was REALLY inspired to push it to the next level for our wedding weekend! Thanks for the templates, ideas and inspiration :)....still waiting on our guests to send pictures!

  • 39
    Chica 03/08/2011 at 7:07 am

    Meghan, we're thrilled to hear about your enormously successful party! If you have any clue examples or photos to share, I'm sure our readers would love to see them as much as we would. Congratulations on your wedding, too :)

  • 40
    Melody 03/08/2011 at 11:07 am

    Wow, thank you so much for all this great stuff. We've done The Amazing Race 2 years in a row at my school and we made up our own templates, but they don't even begin to compare with what you have made. We're getting ready to begin our 3rd annual race and I can't wait to show everyone what I found! Thanks!

  • 41
    Chica 03/08/2011 at 8:05 pm

    Yay, Melody! Hopefully this year will be the best yet :)

  • 42
    Linda 04/14/2011 at 11:42 pm

    Ran across your website looking for Amazing Race material. I am planning to use the AR format instead of the usual egg hunt. My 3 grandchildren will have a lot of fun. Thanks for all the great ideas!

  • 43
    Liz 04/23/2011 at 2:46 am

    Hi, having a last min. AR party for my daughter 12th birthday. After I've been cleaning house all day and so tired I decided to look up ideas and came across your site so greatful for the temp. All I have to do is print out and figure out clues for them to play. Challenge is I have to keep it in the neighborhood, any ideas for clues? Again, thank you for posting templates for busy moms like me...

  • 44
    Chica 04/23/2011 at 10:40 am

    Hi Liz! It's definitely possible to come up with AR tasks that will keep the kids nearby. Here are a few ideas I can think of that are pretty typical of the types of real tasks performed on the show:

    1) have the teams eat a plate of food (pie, ice cream, chips, etc)
    2) memorize a popular song or dance or create a new one and perform it for a judge
    3) count a large number of items, such as bricks, rocks, straws, jellybeans, etc
    4) paint and/or assemble an item (think puzzles, paper airplanes, etc)
    5) search through a large number of items for one marked in a special way

    Hope those ideas help!

  • 45
    Claire 05/10/2011 at 4:39 pm

    Thank you so much!!!!! I had planned an amazing race for my Girl Guide group and your templates were the perfect touch!!!!! I know the girls will love the authentic looking clues!

  • 46
    Claire (another one!) 05/13/2011 at 9:49 am

    This is SOOOOOOOOO helpful for my son's 8th birthday! Can't wait to have the group of boys racing around the beach getting things done and winding up at our favorite pizza place and then ice cream later on!

  • 47
    Kay 05/22/2011 at 4:03 am

    I am organising my mums surprise birthday and decided to plan an AR party. Your site and templates are amazing it has helped me immensley and the templates are just perfect!! Thank you

  • 48
    Chica 05/22/2011 at 8:26 am

    What a fun surprise, Kay! We'd love to hear how the party went, so come back and let us know :)

  • 49
    Tina 06/17/2011 at 12:40 am

    I am so glad I found your site, I am planning my daughter's sweet 16 party and lets just say she is not your typical girly girl so this idea is perfect for her and her friends especially the drinking something gross and smelly! The templates will work perfectly.

  • 50
    Bill Harris 06/27/2011 at 9:33 pm

    I don't usually comment on sites but I felt compelled to respond to yours. I want to thank you for all the info on your site regarding the Amazing Race. I recently had an Amazing Race for my wife's 40th birthday and it was a huge success!! People can't stop talking about it and how fun it was. I owe you a huge thanks as your site helped me out greatly and made my wife's birthday, an event to remember. Thank you again

  • 51
    Chica 06/28/2011 at 7:03 am

    Bill, we are so glad you took the time to comment. Stories like yours are what keep us inspired to continue creating fun projects for our readers! Tell your wife Happy Birthday for us :)

  • 52
    Kate 08/13/2011 at 8:52 am

    Thank you so much for the ideas! We are in Zimbabwe, Africa and I'm planning an Amazing Race for my 13 year old son - ofcourse I am having to tweak it to suit Africa! Thanks so much!!

  • 53
    Charleen 08/16/2011 at 10:06 pm

    Hi Chicka and Jo,
    The Amazing 16th Birthday Race was AWESOME! I had a successful group of 8 teens in teens of two. I used detours and roadblocks and had them document with pictures and videos. Since I was the host and only adult I created enough legs in between pit stops to be everywhere, exhausting but worth it. The temp. did not help (101 degrees). I collected all the pictures and video footage plus the one I took running around and created an AWESOME video! I wish there was a way for me to share the video with you. You would love it, sound track and all. If there is a way let me know.
    Thanks so much again!)

  • 54
    Chica 08/17/2011 at 7:03 am

    Charleen, that sounds so great! I'll bet the teens had a fantastic time playing, and I'm sure it was worth all your hard work to pull it together for them. We would absolutely love to see the video, of course. It's probably too big of a file to email to us, but if it's not very long, perhaps you can post it to YouTube?

  • 55
    Charleen 09/10/2011 at 8:06 pm

    Hi Chica, I actually might try to post it to you tube thanks. I will keep you informed.

  • 56
    Elena 11/11/2011 at 4:59 am

    Thank you so much for the templates!I am part of a group that puts on events for our peers in the dorms of our university and we decided for our November event to do the amazing race... I'm in charge of all the clue making so finding this site was a God-send! We will be racing this Sunday and we hope to get 7 teams of 2 with six tasks to complete :)

  • 57
    Chica 11/11/2011 at 7:13 am

    Elena, I'm so glad we could help! Let us know how your race goes.

  • 58
    Dawn 12/05/2011 at 3:55 pm

    Thanks you so much for sharing Amazing Race templates, etc. It sure cut down on the planning end of it. We did a 16th birthday party, four cars, 16 kids plus a driver that was just that. The kids had to direct driver to each place they wanted to go. It was hysterical because they knew where they wanted to be but didn't know street names, N-S-E or W. We had taken all cell phones and electrical devices from them at the door and GPS system in car was not an option to use. A two hour race ended up going four hours but they sure had fun doing it. 16 teenagers had a ball, even in cold weather. Would love to plan one in summer in a park where we wouldn't have to use cars. Your site is great!

  • 59
    Chica 12/05/2011 at 6:42 pm

    Sounds like a great time, Dawn! So glad the kids enjoyed the Amazing Race.

  • 60
    Jessica 12/13/2011 at 4:58 pm

    I used this as a fun way to have my companies employees learn about benefits. This is more interactive and fun than a power point presentation.

  • 61
    Chica 12/14/2011 at 8:17 am

    What a clever idea, Jessica! It must be great to have an HR department that cares enough to come up with such creative ideas :)

  • 62
    Billie 03/05/2012 at 11:41 am

    You are awesome! My 14 year old daughter is having her amazing race for her birthday party this april. You made my planning so easy! Thanks so much!

  • 63
    Chica 03/05/2012 at 11:51 am

    So glad we could help with your daughter's party, Billie. If you've got any good task ideas to share, we and our readers would love to hear them!

  • 64
    AugustSeven 03/30/2012 at 5:49 pm

    I nearly burst into tears when I found this website! I'm the artsy-craftsy type, and have spent too much time trying to mimic TAR envelopes and clue cards. That's all gone now, thanks to you!

    Planning an Amazing Race for a graduating high school class of 60, being held first weekend of May. These kids are going to have a guaranteed BLAST! Y'all ROCK!

  • 65
    Chica 03/30/2012 at 7:03 pm

    AugustSeven, we're so happy that we made your job easier! We're glad you found us and hope you stick around to enjoy more of our project ideas. Let us know how your race goes, and if you have any task ideas to share, our readers love to hear them!

  • 66
    Candice 04/02/2012 at 8:03 am

    I am busy planning my 30th and I am SUPER EXCITED about this theme! Anyone got some GREAT IDEAS for a group of adults let me know

  • 67
    AugustSeven 04/02/2012 at 12:24 pm

    Task Ideas - I'm sitting at 10 so far, and don't mind at all to share them! Where? HERE? In this box?!

  • 68
    Chica 04/02/2012 at 1:52 pm

    If you can summarize your tasks and list them here as a comment, that would be great!

  • 69
    AugustSeven 04/02/2012 at 3:32 pm

    Detour: FISH or CUT BAIT
    FISH: fishing pole with reel/line/hook. Object is to "land" (pop) 3 fish (inflated balloons tied to a board). CUT BAIT: reach into a dirty, grungy cooler and pull out small container marked 'live bait'. Person has to eat what's inside. Surprise! It's just sushi.

    Detour: SURF or TURF
    Both parts are similar in design. Have to fill a small vessel to the mark. SURF: fill it with water, using only a small plastic syringe. TURF: fill it with sand, using only small plastic spoon. BIG trick: sand and water are not close by. Doing this at a home, and water/sand will be in backyard. Vessel will be on a table in driveway or front yard.

  • 70
    AugustSeven 04/02/2012 at 4:03 pm

    Detour: THE LIBRARY CAPER
    (Our public library is next to the city park). Once in the library after Route Info card, teams must locate specific reference book (one that's never checked out so it'll always be there), and find a cipher key; read the decoded clue to find a bookshelf. Envelope taped to underside of shelf contains clue to find last book that gives a bit of history on the park's Indian mounds. Find the right mound and the next clue. ("Search the area for the person who could help you best." )Volunteer nearby with Roadblock envelope.

    ROADBLOCK: Swing Batta Batta
    On marked off little league baseball field, need 3 ball bats. 1 on home, 1 at 1st and one at 3rd. Forehead to ball bat, spin 10 times and run (HA!) to first. Spin again, run to 3rd. Spin again and run to home. At home, pick up cup and saucer filled with water and walk it to the volunteer sitting where 2nd base would be. Complete it and get the next clue. ** BE SURE TO VIDEOTAPE THIS LEG ESPECIALLY **

  • 71
    Chica 04/02/2012 at 4:26 pm

    Those are great task ideas, AugustSeven. Thanks for sharing!

  • 72
    AugustSeven 04/02/2012 at 4:47 pm

    DERBY DAY DETOUR:
    At each stop, teams will be given a key to keep with them until used later. This is where they'll use the key. After Route Info and clue to find a local self storage business, they will have to try all the keys they've collected to unlock one specific unit. In the unit will be a broomstick and another clue. Clue is to go to local mall, and find the next route marker.

    At one end of the mall, we will have a table set up in a corner. On the table: cotton batting, muslin material, string, yarn, needle and thread.

    Each team will have to assemble a stick pony (completed one shown for guide) and gallop (not run!) to a designated point in the mall (food court), turn around and head back to the finish line (table). Complete the task and receive next clue. Must bring the pony to the FINAL pit stop (the party location).

  • 73
    AugustSeven 04/02/2012 at 5:03 pm

    Detour: CANNONBALLS or WATERFALLS
    We have a very large cemetery in our Tri-State (OH-KY-WV) area, with graves as far back as the War of 1812.

    CANNONBALLS: Find all the cannons, and count the number of cannon balls. Go back to a specific cannon and, using that number, take that many steps due SOUTH to so-and-so grave. [Behind this grave will be a cammoflauged container]. From the clue, need to take the provided tutu and find the mausoleum of the murdered ballerina. Once there, they have to strike a ballet pose and snap a picture on their cell phone camera. Return the tutu and get the next clue.

    WATERFALLS:
    One street beyond the cemetery entrance bridge is an old cement plant. It's been dismantled and condemned, but there is a stream that runs behind it. Beyond one wall, there is a very beautiful, mosaic tiled wall that the stream water runs over and into a shallow pool.

    The clue leads them to the cement plant, where they have to find the mosaic wall. Someone will get wet feet or arms; beneath the waterfall will be a plastic bottle, weighted down, with another clue inside.

  • 74
    Lisa 04/07/2012 at 2:36 am

    This is great- all of it, including the comments! So not only thanks to Chica and Jo, but to AugustSeven as well!!! (LOVE that "Cannonballs" detour.)

  • 75
    AugustSeven 04/11/2012 at 12:35 pm

    I am making 'Racer kits' for the teams.
    We are providing:
    - A small spiral-top notebook (3/$1)
    - An ink pen AND a mechanical pencil
    - A Sharpie marker (use to write name on the poker chip they get for completing each task - later to be put in bucket and drawn out for prizes at end of the night)
    - A color chart (tailored to each group of teams so they know which color-coded clue to grab next)
    - One small toy compass ($1/ea)
    - Packets of Wet Ones handiwipes
    - 3 feet of yarn (used to assemble stick pony for gallop through local mall)
    - Maps of the area

    We opted not to go with disposable cameras. It would be nice for the hostess to have copies of the pictures of her friends as they did their tasks, but with everyone having cell phones with cameras, they will use those instead. If the hostess wants copies, she'll have to have her friends text them to her! Besides, don't most disposable cameras get thrown into a drawer after an event and not developed for months (sometimes years) later?

    We're providing bottled water at each new route marker.

    Sorry this is so long! I didn't mean to dominate.

    HAVE FUN!!

  • 76
    Chica 04/11/2012 at 12:42 pm

    AugustSeven, thanks for sharing all your tips and ideas!

  • 77
    Lachlan 06/04/2012 at 3:06 am

    Hi. I'm Lachlan and I'm 12 years old. I've been thinking about making an Amazing Race for a while now. I always make scavenger hunts for neighbours, friends and siblings around the house and street. But now I can create a full on Amazing Race! Thanks alot!

  • 78
    Chica 06/04/2012 at 7:04 am

    Lachlan, you sound like a fun neighbor to have. Thanks for saying hi, and we hope you enjoy hosting your own Amazing Race. Let us know how it goes!

  • 79
    Ruy 06/13/2012 at 11:42 pm

    Fantastic ideas, thanks a lot. Im looking to make my daughter's 10th birthday party memorable for everyone. We live by the beach & there's lots of restaurants, a lifeguard tower, shower rooms, a pagoda to climb upto, a basketball court, a kiddies play area with slides, seems like the kids will be busy scrambling around completing their challenges & finding their clues, my head is filled with more ideas than i can type right now, thanks again :)

  • 80
    Chica 06/14/2012 at 6:45 am

    Ruy, that sounds like a plentiful set of ideas and locations. Hope your daughter's birthday is the best. We'd love to hear about some of your most successful race tasks if you want to come back afterwards and share!

  • 81
    Robyn 07/18/2012 at 10:15 pm

    Just wanted to say thank you so much for the great ideas. My son is turning 10 in November so we have heaps of time to plan and I've been inspired by your website. Your printables will make it all look just like the show!

  • 82
    Heidi 08/15/2012 at 2:13 am

    Thank you for sharing your ideas. I'm using the Amazing Race idea with my freshmen students as a way to engage them with learning math and science. Appreciate it!

  • 83
    Chica 08/15/2012 at 12:00 pm

    Great idea, Heidi. Glad we could help you inspire your students!

  • 84
    Amalia 09/07/2012 at 2:20 pm

    My Women's Ministry Team L.I.F.T. (Ladies in Faith Together) are organizing an Amazing Race for our kick off event in October in Brantford, Ontario. We are using canoes to cross the Grand River, making them feed each other baby food in the local mall's food court (while wearing a bib) and many other fun filled tasks. Your site will help us sooooo much!

  • 85
    Chica 09/07/2012 at 4:28 pm

    Amalia, it sounds like you are going all out! I love that you've managed to work in fairly complex tasks like paddling canoes and going to the mall. Have a great race, and we're glad we could help!

  • 86
    Sandy J 10/17/2012 at 11:30 am

    Thank you! Thank you ladies! My husband and I are also going as Amazing Racers for Halloween and are huge fans of the show and wanted to be as authentic as possible! Thank you for taking all the time your probably did to come up with such great stuff! Am now following you on Pinterest! :)

  • 87
    Chica 10/17/2012 at 11:32 am

    Wonderful, Sandy! Happy to have you as a fan :)

  • 88
    Sarah Vasilauskas 10/21/2012 at 9:42 pm

    Thank you so much! What is your name on Pinterest so I can follow too!
    Sarah

  • 89
    Chica 10/22/2012 at 7:10 am

    Sarah, our Pinterest board is here: http://pinterest.com/chicaandjo/

  • 90
    Fiji Brodie 11/27/2012 at 2:34 am

    Hi. I am planning our Christmas party this year and we're planning to do an Amazing Race here in Suva, Fiji Islands. I have been looking for weeks for ideas and am so glad to come across your site today (via pinterest). Will be doing it on the 8th of December and will email you link of photos. Thank you thank you thank you.

  • 91
    Chica 11/27/2012 at 4:31 pm

    Brodie, I'm so glad we could help! Fiji is one of my dream vacation spots... too bad I can't come out and help you with the race! Can't wait to see your photos.

  • 92
    Gavin 11/27/2012 at 7:46 pm

    My family and friends get together every season for the finale and I used the clue templates for our clues which inside has a clue with the a country that the teams visited during the season. The people who get a clue must cook a dish from that country and bring it to the finale. Last season I had received Azerbaijan. I just want to say thank you and how amazing the clues turned out. Thank you!!!! :)

  • 93
    Chica 11/28/2012 at 8:20 am

    Gavin, that's a wonderful idea! Thanks for sharing it.

  • 94
    Brandon 12/04/2012 at 2:42 pm

    This stuff is all so awesome! I am actually a Program Director for a Cub Scout camp and one of our camp themes this next year is The Amazing Race. I am so Happy I came across your website for all these great ideas! Thank you so much!!

  • 95
    Chica 12/04/2012 at 6:42 pm

    So glad we could help you out, Brandon! We'd love to hear how your event goes.

  • 96
    Shannan 12/20/2012 at 9:38 am

    So excited, we are doing the amazing race for our 5th grade winter party tomorrow! The teachers & kids are stoked about it! Thanks for all your hard work, y'all rock!

  • 97
    Chica 12/20/2012 at 2:48 pm

    Sounds awesome, Shannan. Let us know how it goes!

  • 98
    Joy Myers 03/02/2013 at 1:47 pm

    I LOVE this idea. I am putting on the supervisor retreat for my company and we want to do this exact race but I wasnt sure how to put it all together. How did you go about getting the shop owners involved in letting you use their space and be involved in the race?

  • 99
    Chica 03/03/2013 at 5:59 pm

    Joy, we just stopped in and talked to the shop owners ahead of time and they happily agreed!

  • 100
    Dina 03/05/2013 at 7:38 pm

    Hi~ My school is planning a family literacy night and we are interested in an "Amazing Race" theme. I was wondering is you would share some possible ideas. I've never watched the television series so I'm struggling with ideas. The focus will be on literacy and managing a lot of families. Any suggestions would be so very much appreciated. Thanks~Dina

  • 101
    Chica 03/06/2013 at 7:23 am

    Dina, that sounds like a fun theme for your event. I would strongly suggest watching a few episodes of the show in order to be inspired, and so that you're able to keep your challenges as true to the show as possible (otherwise the real fans in your crowd will be disappointed). For tasks with a literacy theme, you could have people read through books to find the fifth word on each of a handful of specific pages, perhaps to then unscramble the words into a common phrase? Or maybe have people sort books by author alphabetically? I'll bet your school librarian will be a great source of ideas!

  • 102
    pamsy 03/10/2013 at 5:50 am

    Hi! We are going to have a class reunion and I wanted an 'Amazing Race' theme wherein every challenge has a corresponding memory from the past. You made my day complete. ;) Thank you so much.:)

  • 103
    Krista 04/27/2013 at 1:05 am

    Using this idea for a prom "Amazing Race" day idea. Thanks so much!

  • 104
    Rita 05/05/2013 at 12:03 am

    Great work! This will give me some ideas for our family reunion this Aug. The templates will be very useful.

  • 105
    Andy Z. 05/20/2013 at 1:54 pm

    Hey Chica & Jo -
    Thanks for the great inspiration. I just ran a Boy Scout/Cub Scout Amazing Race, and it went great. We had 13 teams compete at 5 locations around town, including a tennis club, bowling alley, nature museum, food pantry, and the Scout Shop. All the proprietors loved the idea and donated their involvement. (We donated to the food pantry as part of the event.) Your printables gave a professional touch to the event, and the kids & parents all loved it! Next year is bound to be bigger! THANKS!

  • 106
    Chica 05/21/2013 at 2:56 pm

    Andy, it sounds like a great time was had by all! If you've got any fun task ideas to share, I'm sure everyone would love to hear them.

  • 107
    aunt katie 06/08/2013 at 6:58 pm

    i've never seen the show but have promised my nieces an AMAZING RACE birthday party next month. if I use the template and customize the challenges and detours (whatever those are) in order, will it be the same as the TV show? I suppose I should YouTube the show and see what I've gotten myself into!

  • 108
    Chica 06/09/2013 at 1:48 pm

    Aunt Katie, our templates and challenge ideas will get you pretty far, but to ensure you have the right "feel" for the game, we do recommend you watch the show a few times. I think they play full episodes on cbs.com so check there!

  • 109
    Dena 06/25/2013 at 1:09 pm

    Thank you for this! My husband's Amazing Race: Season 40 is a 3-day event to celebrate his special "season." You have saved me the leg work to make this happen. Can't wait . . .

  • 110
    Amy 08/03/2013 at 5:16 pm

    Thank you for these amazing templates. I am the principal of an elementary school and we just had an AMAZING Race for our entire staff as part of our pre-planning. It was wonderful for teambuilding and you can see all of the fun on Twitter #Sharon1314

  • 111
    Chica 08/05/2013 at 8:49 am

    Awesome, Amy. Thanks for sharing! We'd love for you to mention @chicaandjo in one of your race-related tweets :)

  • 112
    Margaret 08/17/2013 at 11:22 am

    Thanks for sharing! Great ideas!

  • 113
    Georgina Parker 09/07/2013 at 4:17 am

    Thank you so much, I am in NZ and teach Special needs students. My class is a transition class and will soon be leaving school. None of them will ever hold a drivers license. Therefore they have to learn to navigate themselves around the city using public transport. This term they have been learning to get to places they will need when they leave school. The assessment will be an Amazing race at the end of the term. I have been wondering how to do this. NOW thanks to you clever people I'm really excited and can't wait for it to happen. Thank you, thank you.

  • 114
    Chica 09/07/2013 at 10:24 am

    So glad we could help, Georgina!

  • 115
    Raka 09/27/2013 at 5:16 am

    Hello from Indonesia!

    My friend, who's also a big Amazing Race fan, is having his birthday today! I searched for 'detour card amazing race' on Google and I found this site. I'm sure he'll have a blast.

    Thank you so much :)

  • 116
    Stepheff 10/12/2013 at 2:34 pm

    Thanks so much for the great ideas and printables. Almost ready for the most "amazing" 11th birthday party this afternoon!

  • 117
    Sam 10/19/2013 at 12:36 pm

    I am having an amazing race party soon. Thanks for all the ideas.

  • 118
    Joy 10/30/2013 at 10:39 pm

    Perfect for a Halloween costume!
    Thanks so much!

  • 119
    Sue 05/02/2014 at 1:59 am

    I did an Amazing Race party for my son's 10th birthday..it was 5 years ago now, and his friends and their parents STILL talk about it whenever we're all together! Most of my activities revolved around "10". ie: putting a golf ball into the hole from 10' away, bowling one perfect "10" strike, tossing a cornhole bag into the hole from 10' away, etc. I had 5 dads drive the kids around Cleveland, Ohio and believe me, it was truly an "Amazing Race"!!

  • 120
    Chica 05/02/2014 at 9:09 am

    What a wonderful memory you've made, Sue! I love the "10" theme in the tasks.

  • 121
    Lydia 05/04/2014 at 10:02 pm

    This sounds so fun, but some of my friends don't know what the "Amazing Race" is. I watch it, but will it still work If my friends have never heard of it?

  • 122
    Chica 05/05/2014 at 8:01 pm

    Lydia, it's true that some of the finer points of the game might be lost on people who have never seen the show, but as long as you give a quick summary and put them on a team with somebody who knows the show well, they're sure to have a blast!

  • 123
    Susan 06/09/2014 at 9:59 am

    I love the templates you've created but I have a question. I'm using the Amazing Race framework for an activity with my church youth but want to change the name from The Amazing Race to The Amazing Journey to better go with the over-arching theme of the day. I know editing is possible for clues. Would I be able to make changes to the title strips?

  • 124
    Chica 06/12/2014 at 3:41 pm

    Susan, the titles are not editable in our current printables collection.

  • 125
    littlelamb 06/19/2014 at 8:22 pm

    Hi! Hope your day has been a blessed one.
    I do not have a working printer right now....... so I need to know if this digital file is a file by which I can save my customization on a memory stick and print at some place like Office Depot. Also, clues are constantly evolving so is this file assessible more than once? Or does a person have to have all clues, etc prepared prior to assessing file because its a one time assess file?
    I would love to be able to use your printables!
    Thanks!

  • 126
    littlelamb 06/19/2014 at 8:25 pm

    @ AugustSeven
    LOVE your ideas! Post more!

  • 127
    Chica 06/22/2014 at 8:43 am

    Littlelamb, you can definitely copy the printables files onto a memory stick and take them somewhere to be printed. You can also access and edit them repeatedly, and save whatever copies you want. Enjoy!

  • 128
    littlelamb 07/03/2014 at 12:35 am

    Awesome! Will purchase printables soon.

  • 129
    Rachel 11/21/2014 at 8:34 pm

    I am running my own amazing race camp for my girl guide group everything here is perfect!!!!

  • 130
    Jenifer 02/26/2016 at 6:38 pm

    Thanks for these ideas. Creating an Amazing Race event for a Youth leadership group this summer! This will make it awesome!! Can't wait to get the files. :) This is going to rock!

  • 131
    Shavavian 05/02/2016 at 11:35 am

    We just completed our second annual amazing race for my church!! Here's a list of the tasks we did:
    1. Michael's - Detour
    One team member to either crochet a chain of 11 and single crochet back across one time or paint the detour arrow blindfolded, with their team members giving them instructions. (hilarious, people were shouting in their team members ear, LOL)
    2. Essex or Bargain Hunt- they had to run into the store, find and buy something 90% off or more, then show their receipt to the station coordinator
    3. Southern Adventures- Detour
    this place has an arcade and batting cages
    They had to buy tokens and either have 2 team members hit 4 fast balls each OR play arcade games until they had 15 tickets, have the Station Coordinator count them, then give their tickets to a random child
    4. Carousel or Skating Rink- The Station Coordinator was skating around, they had to find him without running onto the rink floor, then he gave them their next clue
    5. Gym (basketball)- They had to make 12 points, all team members had to participate. they could only make two 3 pointers and two layups. all other shots had to come from various points on the court.
    6. Wal-Mart- we had a Station Coordinator wandering around Wal-Mart. They had to find her and take a selfie with her to get their next clue.
    7. Gym (building robots)- we used boxes (head, body, feet) and cardboard piping (arms, legs) as body parts. They had to do a clothes relay (first team member put on clothes, run down, get one body part, run back, take off clothes and tag next member) until they had all the body parts, then build the robot according the photo we had, then take a photo with it.
    8. Track- They had to do two relays. First, they received a spoon then spread out to four points around the track. The first team member got a ping pong ball and had to walk to their next team member without dropping it. Then they had to transfer it using only the spoons. If they dropped it, they had to go back to their starting point. Second, they tied a big plastic cup to their head, and stood in a straight line. Then they had to go down the line and transfer the ping pong ball from one cup to the next without using their hands, then go back up.
    9. Church Youth Center- They had to complete an instructions test. This didn't go as we had hoped, but it worked out.
    10. Pit Stop- They had to tell me every stop that they went to. Two teams had to go back out because they missed two stops!! hilarious. they had seen another teams truck and stopped their instead of going where the clue told them to go!!

    All the station coordinators wore red shirts with stickers that said, "The Amazing Race, First Church" and their name underneath. Everyone had a blast and I'm sitting here planning for next year's race right now, LOL.

  • 132
    Chica 05/02/2016 at 12:18 pm

    Shavavian, thanks so much for sharing your task ideas! Sounds like you had a great race.

  • 133
    Renee 05/06/2017 at 12:46 am

    love the ideas

  • 134
    Joann 09/07/2017 at 5:01 am

    Hi what great ideas!!! I would love a copy of the templates. I am doing an amazing race style birthday party for my daughter's 10th birthday.

  • 135
    Chica 09/07/2017 at 9:53 am

    Joann, our templates are available for purchase here. Have a great party!

  • 136
    #Roadtorutherford 07/24/2018 at 4:54 pm

    Just wanted to let you know that my fiancé and I had an amazing race wedding party event. It was great. It was everything we envisioned. Everyone loved it.

  • 137
    Chica 07/25/2018 at 10:27 am

    We're so excited to hear that!

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Chica and Jo

Hi there! We are Chica and Jo, best friends who love to create whenever we can. From fun DIY projects to elaborate parties to delicious recipes, you're sure to find ideas that will inspire you. Take a look around and follow us @chicaandjo to see what we're up to today.

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