Building a geocache into a museum exhibit

[+ByronForestPreserve]

Our small natural history museum is getting a complete renovation over the next 1.5 years. All of the taxidermy is on its way out, and we're in the planning stage with a design studio. Our director thought it would be a cool idea to design a geocache into the new museum...I absolutely agree! I know it's on the edge of being inside a business, but our local history museum has a letterbox hybrid in one of their exhibits. And yes, we're a free museum.

 

I've been mulling this over, and finally figured that you all would have way better ideas than I might come up with. The sky's the limit, or nearly so. It could be under a fake log in our woodland section for a more traditional feel or in a secret compartment in the rear end of a climbable buffalo statue. Most of the museum will be hands-on, but being indoors I don't foresee too many problems with muggles.

 

I'm not sure what the timing will be, but we're also in the early stages of planning a geotour. I'd kind of like to get the geotour done this year, so whether the museum cache is part of it or not is up in the air. I mention that because we'll have geocoin prizes for the tour, so people will be coming into the museum to collect those...a nice little "bonus" cache seems like it would be fun.

 

Throw any and every idea at me! It will have to fit in with our design, obviously, so things like a miniature space station wouldn't be appropriate (as cool as that would be), but anything that would fit in with a woodland/prairie/river nature theme would probably be do-able.

[+niraD]

Being indoors, I think your biggest problem is going to be incorporating accurate GPS coordinates into it somehow. It's similar to a library cache in that regard. A common approach for library caches is to have an outdoor component identified by accurate GPS coordinates, which then leads to an indoor container. Another approach is to have information inside the library that is used to produce coordinates, and then those coordinates lead to an outdoor container.

 

Another approach that has been used for GC1HQ1W is to have seekers collect information at various locations (specified with accurate GPS coordinates), and then to have seekers go to the visitors center. There, they show their answers, and if their answers are correct, they are taken to the cache location.

[+Uncle Alaska]

(IMO) Using air photos you can accurately put the coordinates where they fall in the building, but a good clue in the write-up (or hint) should be used if the location inside is not obvious. I use a website to fine tune some of my caches as the air photos are pretty accurate when you can see the actual cache location on them. Between averaging and this online tool I can place a cache very accurately anywhere (even inside a building).

Edited March 6, 2015 by Uncle Alaska

[+NanCycle]

Being indoors, I think your biggest problem is going to be incorporating accurate GPS coordinates into it somehow. It's similar to a library cache in that regard.

 

That may be why so many museum caches are Letterbox Hybrids and you may want to consider that type for yours also.

[+palmetto]

Not answering your question, but speaking to some of the issues raised in the thread.

 

Inside a free museum is probably okay.

 

niraD is correct about gps use. The easiest way to deal with this is an outside stage, referenced by coords. That stage can take people inside. One of the CCC Geotrail caches is in the interpretive center in a Florida state park. The first stage is a small plaque attached on the base of a piece of statuary outside. Nothing terribly fancy about either of the stages of the cache, they were retrofitted to existing displays.

I understand the Florida State parks geotour built one of their caches into a museum display of a 19th century bread baking oven ;-).

 

"ask for it" is problematic. It's fine for distribution of coins, because receiving coins is optional - but it can be an issue for getting a cache. I'd stay away from it, or at least clear it with your area reviewer first.

 

Doing a letterbox hybrid does not change the need for gps use. On Geocaching.com, a letterbox hybrid is simply a guideline compliant Trad+stamp, Multi+stamp, or Mystery+stamp.

 

All geocaches need to have a specific point where something necessary to finding the cache is referenced by coords. The seeker needs to be able to use a gps to get to those coords. Getting accurate coords for a location in a building using aerial views is mapping, not gps use.

[+niraD]

Being indoors, I think your biggest problem is going to be incorporating accurate GPS coordinates into it somehow. It's similar to a library cache in that regard.

That may be why so many museum caches are Letterbox Hybrids and you may want to consider that type for yours also.

Ah, yes, that reminds me of a museum multi-cache that I found a while ago. The posted coordinates took you to a location outside, where you obtained clue-style instructions for the rest of the cache. The clue-style instructions took you inside the museum, eventually taking you to where the cache was hidden. That was a lot of fun. The CO even worked out an arrangement for the docents to give finders some free souvenirs if they turned in an answer sheet with the answers correctly filled out.

[+MMaru]

What about setting this up as a puzzle cache where cachers have to find the coords by researching inside the museum, and then having the actual cache on the grounds outside the museum?

[+Walts Hunting]

What about setting this up as a puzzle cache where cachers have to find the coords by researching inside the museum, and then having the actual cache on the grounds outside the museum?

I seem to recall doing a couple of those Coords to the front door and then questions on the exhibits i.e. Go to exhibit the and for A-How many toes does the the toed sloth have?

 

It doesn't have to be free. Many caches are in locations you have to pay to get into. There is one life he wants in the museum at Folsom Prison. Also outside of Jackson Hole where you have to take the paid tram ride to the top.

[+palmetto]

Back to your original question - one of the nice things about a cache inside a building is how safe it is, and how free you are to do unconventional containers, not having to deal with climate.

 

It's hard to make specific suggestions, much depends upon the specifics of your displays.

 

GeoTour caches, especially when low terrain and low difficulty, tend to be a death bed for trackables. They're highly visited, and will see a lot of novice visits, and people traveling, easy to grab a TB or coin and forget to log it when you're on the road. Just an observation.

 

If you do create a good sized interior trading cache, it will attract trackables. Perhaps advise about logging those right on the box itself, if possible. I've seen a "Trackables" box inside a large box, with some basic instruction on the lid.

[+ByronForestPreserve]

Back to your original question - one of the nice things about a cache inside a building is how safe it is, and how free you are to do unconventional containers, not having to deal with climate.

 

It's hard to make specific suggestions, much depends upon the specifics of your displays.

 

GeoTour caches, especially when low terrain and low difficulty, tend to be a death bed for trackables. They're highly visited, and will see a lot of novice visits, and people traveling, easy to grab a TB or coin and forget to log it when you're on the road. Just an observation.

 

If you do create a good sized interior trading cache, it will attract trackables. Perhaps advise about logging those right on the box itself, if possible. I've seen a "Trackables" box inside a large box, with some basic instruction on the lid.

 

I have done that with larger caches--put in a separate container for the logbook and trackables with info about how to log and move them.

 

Thanks, too, to the rest of you for some good info. I might have to rearrange a cache I have behind the museum on a trail to comply with the 528' rule if I put a container outside with instructions. I'll check with my local reviewer; maybe the cache being inside the building will constitute enough of a "barrier" that I won't have to worry about it.

 

Otherwise, I'll keep thinking about it. We have no idea what the design studio proposals will look like...I'll know at the end of the month and maybe have a better idea of what's possible. Fake badger with a cache in its hole? Fake underwater cache? I'm thinking about it a lot.

[+Ambrosia]

Back to your original question - one of the nice things about a cache inside a building is how safe it is, and how free you are to do unconventional containers, not having to deal with climate.

 

It's hard to make specific suggestions, much depends upon the specifics of your displays.

 

GeoTour caches, especially when low terrain and low difficulty, tend to be a death bed for trackables. They're highly visited, and will see a lot of novice visits, and people traveling, easy to grab a TB or coin and forget to log it when you're on the road. Just an observation.

 

If you do create a good sized interior trading cache, it will attract trackables. Perhaps advise about logging those right on the box itself, if possible. I've seen a "Trackables" box inside a large box, with some basic instruction on the lid.

 

I have done that with larger caches--put in a separate container for the logbook and trackables with info about how to log and move them.

 

Thanks, too, to the rest of you for some good info. I might have to rearrange a cache I have behind the museum on a trail to comply with the 528' rule if I put a container outside with instructions. I'll check with my local reviewer; maybe the cache being inside the building will constitute enough of a "barrier" that I won't have to worry about it.

 

Otherwise, I'll keep thinking about it. We have no idea what the design studio proposals will look like...I'll know at the end of the month and maybe have a better idea of what's possible. Fake badger with a cache in its hole? Fake underwater cache? I'm thinking about it a lot.

If you make your cache a multi, then it doesn't matter how close your containers are to each other. The saturation guideline only applies to separate caches.

[+ByronForestPreserve]

If you make your cache a multi, then it doesn't matter how close your containers are to each other. The saturation guideline only applies to separate caches.

 

The other cache is a traditional that's been in place not quite a year. Putting a physical container in place with instructions to find the final inside means I still need to abide by the 528' rule. Figured I could get away with it if the entire thing were inside. Maybe I can put the instructions right inside the front door...Guess maybe I should start a conversation with the local reviewer sooner rather than later...

[+Ambrosia]

If you make your cache a multi, then it doesn't matter how close your containers are to each other. The saturation guideline only applies to separate caches.

 

The other cache is a traditional that's been in place not quite a year. Putting a physical container in place with instructions to find the final inside means I still need to abide by the 528' rule. Figured I could get away with it if the entire thing were inside. Maybe I can put the instructions right inside the front door...Guess maybe I should start a conversation with the local reviewer sooner rather than later...

Ah, I didn't realize there was another cache nearby. Unfortunately, the saturation guideline is still in affect even if one cache is inside of a building. Some reviewers might make a slight exception if it's something like 450 feet away. It would be best to just talk to your reviewer, you're right.

[+ByronForestPreserve]

If you make your cache a multi, then it doesn't matter how close your containers are to each other. The saturation guideline only applies to separate caches.

 

The other cache is a traditional that's been in place not quite a year. Putting a physical container in place with instructions to find the final inside means I still need to abide by the 528' rule. Figured I could get away with it if the entire thing were inside. Maybe I can put the instructions right inside the front door...Guess maybe I should start a conversation with the local reviewer sooner rather than later...

Ah, I didn't realize there was another cache nearby. Unfortunately, the saturation guideline is still in affect even if one cache is inside of a building. Some reviewers might make a slight exception if it's something like 450 feet away. It would be best to just talk to your reviewer, you're right.

 

I sent a message; I'll see what he says. I can certainly move my own cache if I need to.

 

I checked on geodistance, and the front door of the building is not quite 528' from the final of a multi that I don't own (the cache inside the museum would be). I could fiddle with things, I suppose, but I'd love for the whole cache to be a true terrain 1 and wheelchair accessible. I'd hate to have the initial stage around the back just to get that extra 20' or whatever. So...I started thinking about a puzzle cache. Of course the coords would still point inside the building, but we're for sure installing a touchscreen/smartboard with maps and events and museum info near the front door. It would be simple to have a page that acts as the instructions to find the cache in the museum (with an intro to geocaching for muggle visitors, perhaps, and a map of our geotour. I know that might make any trackable issues worse, but I'd be sure to put very clear instructions with it all). That might get around some of the issues, and it would be kind of hard to miss if I state on the cache page to look for a giant smartboard. I didn't think it would get so complicated. I will make it work!

 

Regardless, I still have to design the final hide...

[+Crow-T-Robot]

I think this would be a perfect opportunity to build a Wherigo cache. However, being indoors would be a problem for the GPS, so it probably wouldn't work very well.

[+MartyBartfast]

http://coord.info/GC30F0T involved visiting some historic sites in London related to the pirate Captain Kidd, the final co-ords were in the Museum of London, and the hint makes it clear where to go for the cache.

 

http://coord.info/GC2M0AF involves walking round the British Library collecting clues, the co-ords then lead you to a place in the grounds of the library where there is a micro container, which itself contains instructions for finding the main cache which is in a no reception area.

 

Both the above are excellent and interesting caches and entry to both buildings is free. Being inside the caches are also protected from muggling and were very large and always full of good swaps and TBs. I think your idea is a great one so go with it, my own view is that being in a museum you should make the cache a multi of some sort requiring people to explore the museum, rather than just making it a trad.

[+ByronForestPreserve]

http://coord.info/GC30F0T involved visiting some historic sites in London related to the pirate Captain Kidd, the final co-ords were in the Museum of London, and the hint makes it clear where to go for the cache.

 

http://coord.info/GC2M0AF involves walking round the British Library collecting clues, the co-ords then lead you to a place in the grounds of the library where there is a micro container, which itself contains instructions for finding the main cache which is in a no reception area.

 

Both the above are excellent and interesting caches and entry to both buildings is free. Being inside the caches are also protected from muggling and were very large and always full of good swaps and TBs. I think your idea is a great one so go with it, my own view is that being in a museum you should make the cache a multi of some sort requiring people to explore the museum, rather than just making it a trad.

 

I had considered making it part of our geotour. It certainly could be a bonus cache after finding the others, but I thought a standalone one would be better. Maybe? I want at least the one to be wheelchair accessible and family friendly. Some of the caches for the geotour will involve a bit of a hike. It would be nice, also, to be able to use it with Scout badges, and we wouldn't be able to travel between our different properties.

 

Those look like neat caches, though. I don't think the museum will be large enough to do anything with a tour between exhibits. It's not exactly a huge museum.

[+MartyBartfast]

I don't think the museum will be large enough to do anything with a tour between exhibits. It's not exactly a huge museum.

 

You could do something on a small scale, e.g.

Find the stuffed bird, ABCD=year it was stuffed.
Find the painting of the forest, E=number of  horses in the field.
Find the soldiers red coat , F=number of brass buttons.

 

Something like that could all be done in one or two rooms.

[+BCandMsKitty]

Good luck

 

I did a cache a few years ago that took folks to a free museum, and had to word the cache very carefully to keep it from any suggestion an agenda!

 

Footsteps to Freedom

 

And the cache wasn't inside the building!

 

Just urging folks to visit the museum apparently made it an agenda! Having the cache inside, I think, will be even harder to get approved!

 

Originally I urged cachers to go into the museum, but had to re-word the text to say "If you decide to go into the Museum, be sure to tell them you are GeoCaching. They will be interested to know."

 

I bet you'll run afoul of the "agenda" restrictions, but it sounds like something to go for, and I wish you luck. This was in 2008, so maybe things are different now, or your reviewers will interpret the guidelines differently.