Race LA Clue by Clue from Hollywood or Santa Monica
Each answer is your next stop. Your team races others across town, and every hint you ask for costs minutes on the clock.
This is a clue race that doubles as sightseeing. Every team meets at the starting line and gets its first clue. The answer points to a new location and a new clue, and so on to the finish. The operator, LARF Inc., which runs its games under the Fantastic Race name, says the winner is the team that solves every clue and crosses the line in the least time.
Sometimes the trick is finding the clue at all, the operator says. Each team gets a phone number for what it calls mission control. A hint adds five minutes to your time and an outright solution adds fifteen, so the first team home does not always win.
Pick your start when you book: Hollywood or Santa Monica, both at 11:00 AM. As of October 17, 2026, the listing was selling both on Saturdays, with up to nine travelers per booking. Starts vary by day, so your confirmation carries the exact spot.
Half Day Small Group Los Angeles Tour and Scavenger HuntClue race with Hollywood and Santa Monica starts at 11:00 AM. Race transport, snacks and drinks included. Full refund if you cancel 24 hours ahead.www.viator.comThe Hollywood Race Rides Metro to Downtown and Back
The operator calls the Hollywood race its flagship. It runs from Hollywood to downtown and back, every player gets a Metro TAP card for the ride, and it is the operator's most puzzle-based game, with stops such as the Chinese Theatre, the Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl alongside lesser-known corners. A 2021 player on this route wrote that there were a few hills, but the puzzles gave the team the energy to finish.
The operator's booking notes put the Saturday start at picnic area 10 in Lot D, across Highland Avenue from the Hollywood Bowl's main entrance. You can park there for free at first. After the first clue, the notes say, every team goes back to its car and moves it to the shopping complex at Hollywood and Highland or other legal parking in Hollywood, which you pay for. Plan to arrive 15 to 20 minutes early to sign in.
The Santa Monica Race Starts on the Sand by the Pier
The Santa Monica race is the beach version. The operator says players solve puzzles, play boardwalk games and run into its staff of operatives while racing from Santa Monica to Venice Beach, the Third Street Promenade and more. It times this one at about 3 to 3 and a half hours.
Its booking notes place the start on the sand beside the main parking lot just north of the Santa Monica Pier. Parking on the pier or in that lot costs extra. The same notes warn that beach weather can swing from very hot to windy and cold, so bring a layer.
No Guide Walks Alongside Your Team
The listing includes a tour escort and describes a small group with a guide. The operator describes the same game as part scavenger hunt, part self-guided tour, part race. Once the race begins, the operator says, no one tells you what to do. Staff sign you in and run through the rules at the start, operatives turn up along the route, and mission control is a phone call away.
The small group is your own team. The operator forms teams of two to eight, says four works best, and starts every team from the same line. If you book alone, the listing says you will be placed on an existing team.
Time, Age and What the Ticket Covers
- Time: the listing books five hours. The operator times the Hollywood race at about 3 and a half to 4 hours and the Santa Monica race at 3 to 3 and a half, and the day ends with an awards ceremony at the finish line.
- Included, per the listing: a host, race transport, snacks and drinks. The operator serves its complimentary drinks and snacks at the finish and gives prizes to top finishers.
- Not included: hotel pickup, gratuities and, per the operator, parking.
- Bring water, a snack, comfortable shoes and sunscreen. The operator warns the race can run long.
- Fitness: the listing asks for at least a moderate level, and the operator says competitive teams end up running around.
- Age: the listing does not recommend this for children under 10, and an adult has to make the booking.
- Cancellation: cancel at least 24 hours before the start for a full refund through this listing. Inside 24 hours it is not refundable.
📍 The pin marks the Santa Monica Pier for the beach race. The Hollywood race starts in Lot D across Highland Avenue from the Hollywood Bowl. Bookings close an hour before the 11:00 AM start. After that it is your team, the first clue and the clock.