photo by: Chris Conde

The Watkins Museum, at 1047 Massachusetts St., is shown on Sept. 15, 2018.

In an effort to get children involved in non-virtual activities, the Watkins Museum of History created a Halloween History Hunt throughout downtown Lawrence and is offering prizes to those who complete it.

The hunt is geared toward families with children aged 5 through 13, but it’s really for anyone, said Emily Wellborn, an education and outreach assistant at the museum who created the program.

“I think families should do this hunt because it is one of unfortunately very few…activities that’s out from behind a screen,” Wellborn said. “That was the goal…to come up with an activity that didn’t require a computer or zoom or sitting passively…it gets you back out in your community.”

The hunt will take participants to seven locations on Massachusetts Street: Weaver’s, The Eldridge Hotel, Liberty Hall, Merchants Pub and Plate, Game Nut, the Douglas County Courthouse and the Watkins Museum. Each location has some type of spooky connection, which is noted in the history hunt packet, available as a free download on the museum’s website. To receive a prize — such as bubbles, buildable airplanes and more — participants must turn in the completed history hunt checklist to the Watkins Museum.

Wellborn said the activity should be a safe one, since families can complete it on their own. In order to keep track of people who come into the museum to receive a prize, each checklist includes a place for participants to put their name, phone number and email address. This will make contact tracing possible, should it be necessary.

To pick up a prize for completing the Halloween History Hunt, participants must return their completed checklists to the Watkins Museum — located at 1047 Massachusetts Street — between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.