We have a great idea for a mystery box (at least we think it is) but we've never done one before. We want the clues to be challenging, but not impossible. Anyone have any tips on what goes into making a good mystery box? Comments, suggestions, screams of agony?

hmmm... ok, tell me what the mystery is and i'll tell you if it's a good one.. MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHH just kidding. trying to sneak around the challenge. ;-D

see my earlier post for screams of agony. (just dont put any trig, calculus or complex logic in the clues)...

seriously though... i have found that 95% of most mystery boxes are "google-able" just type in either the name of the box, (or parts of the name), or a certain part of the clue into the googlebox and voi-la! so try to make it un-google-able.

btw, what gave away my short lived stonewall jackson training school box?

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btw, what gave away my short lived stonewall jackson training school box?

My mother was from Concord originally and at some point she happened to mention something about the DAR and Black Boys. Well, when I read your clues I was really stumped at first. then after sleeping on it, my brain somehow got its 3 brain cells in gear and kicked up that bit o' info. From there it just took some time to find on the internet to find the school since I knew what town I was in, or at least I figured it was a good starting point even if it didn't end up as the right town. So after a bit of searching and getting ready, we took off with those clues and the other Concord box clues. We searched high and low for that box! Man, you really hid it well! We were still searching hard when we were nicely asked to vacate the property by the State of NC. Whoopes... It turns out we entered by a back way and didn't see the sign marked "Private Property". Naturally we were just enjoying the history! "How old is it again and what lovely rocks and yes officer we'll leave right away..." hehehe Oh well, you find some you get kicked off some. At the very least it was a funny adventure which we joke about often!

Welll i guess I owe ya a special "something" for that.... like i said before, i'd been there about four or five times before i even thought about putting a box there. I was always taking pictures of some of those old buildings and the rocks and that bridge (i'm just fascinated by that bridge), but i have never had the courage to cross it and get to the really neat house (the "warden's house, i presume) on the other side.
but no one had ever stopped me.. even waved to a couple of cars at times. I guess they saw the camera and figured i was harmless. oh well.. i'll make it up to you!

cam

I only have one mystery box out there (see my listing for Riverbend), but like 3MS said, it is google-able if you put together the right combination of words.

I've seen and found mystery boxes with the following types of clues:

a photograph

references to places that aren't there anymore (this is a CLASSIC RI-type mystery - we all give directions like "you take a right where Korb's Bakery *usta* be, go down four lights and take a left at where Narragansett Racetrack *usta* be")

locations given according to what the Native American name for it originally was

literary references (like, you begin your quest at the place where Queequeq set off on his travels)

anagrams

topographical maps with all references erased, and an X to mark the spot

I only have two screams of agony - Dancing Men and Pine Barrens. Been trying to figure them out for 3 years. I also get frustrated after an hour or so of researching at a time. I'll get 'em. Someday.

Warrior Woman

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references to places that aren't there anymore (this is a CLASSIC RI-type mystery - we all give directions like "you take a right where Korb's Bakery *usta* be, go down four lights and take a left at where Narragansett Racetrack *usta* be")

LOL! I laughed out loud when I read this! I had moved to RI with my husband so both of us could work for Hasbro. I was so perplexed finding my way around..as people kept giving me directions using places that were no longer there! No one seemed to use turn signals either. It's as if they were optional equipment om RI vehicles. After years of shopping at huge NY supermarkets, I had to adjust to shopping at the butcher, the baker, the dairy, the produce stand, etc. RI's idea of a "supermarket" left much to be desired (at least back in 1987).

But the funniest thing was trying to buy an extra thick chocolate shake in RI. I went into this ice cream shop and asked for an extra thick chocolate shake and the kid asked me if I wanted ice cream in it!! Then he explained that in RI, a shake had just frothy milk and flavoring....MY version of a shake was called a frappe. When I said I wanted it extra thick, he said THAT was called a Walla-Walla. I am not sure if he was pulling my leg, but I knew I didn't want to drink something called a Walla-Walla! LOL I also learned that they have 3 flavors in RI..chocolate, vanilla and coffee, instead of NY's chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. It turns out that "coffee milk" is the official state beverage....milk with coffee syrup stirred in. Sure enough, my next trip to the drugstore found 10 brands of coffee syrup next to the Hershey's and Quik.

A cool state full of mansions, great jewelry manufacturers, and yuppies commuting to Boston. Yet I was shocked to meet people in Providence who had never seen the ocean. I wanted to say, "Um...did you know it's only 40 minutes away?!?!"

Lock Wench (with fond memories of a quahog dinners)

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How old is it again and what lovely rocks and yes officer we'll leave right away

Hummm....maybe I should study up on geology. I would be perhaps less suspicious if I sounded like I knew what I was talking about. (in a case of poking through a rock pile)

"Oh yeah, this area has beautiful limestone!"

;-)

S~N~K

You worked at Hassenfeld Brothers? I *usta* live in Darlington, on Hunts Avenue, which faced the front door of Hassenfeld Brothers on Newport Avenue. And the "Korb's" that I was referring to was an actual place - just follow Newport Avenue towards East Providence (where Narragansett Race Track *usta* be), and it was at the intersection of Newport Avenue and Armistice Boulevard, across from Kip's Diner which is next to where the Darlton Theatre *usta* be!

Wow! Are we going to bond at the Desperately Seeking Sun Event!

Warrior Woman

Lock Wench said:

"But the funniest thing was trying to buy an extra thick chocolate shake in RI. I went into this ice cream shop and asked for an extra thick chocolate shake and the kid asked me if I wanted ice cream in it!! Then he explained that in RI, a shake had just frothy milk and flavoring....MY version of a shake was called a frappe. When I said I wanted it extra thick, he said THAT was called a Walla-Walla. I am not sure if he was pulling my leg, but I knew I didn't want to drink something called a Walla-Walla!"

Somebody *was* pulling your leg. There's three levels - a coffee milk, a cabinet, and an Awful-Awful. A Walla-Walla must have been a knockoff of an Awful-Awful (the original name of the extra thick shake that was made by Newport Creamery, now defunct). The term "frappe" is only used if you go over the border into Attleboro, MA.

My favorite thing in life is walking into an out-of-state diner and asking for a cabinet and a grinder. I should take photos of the faces of the waitstaff!

Warrior Woman

Thanks for clearing that up! I bet he actually SAID Awful Awful...but I heard it as Walla-Walla. Because it WAS a Newport Creamery! I am not sure an "Awful Awful" sounds any better...

Yes, a grinder is the same as a submarine or a tunnel...can you guess where I have lived in the past? I use one of those terms in my mystery box and no one ever gets that one....

Also, when I ordered a hot dog in RI....I got this short spicy thing like a sausage. Was I supposed to order a weiner?

LW

Lock Wench asks:

"Also, when I ordered a hot dog in RI....I got this short spicy thing like a sausage. Was I supposed to order a weiner?"

If you ordered a hot dog and you got a short spicy thing like a sausage, then you got a saugy. Not to be confused with a hot dog. Which is actually a frankfurter.

If you had ordered a weiner, you would have gotten a frankfurter with spicy meat sauce, chopped onions, and a half a ton of celery salt on top of it. These are affectionately known as "gaggas".

In Rhoe Dylandeeez -

hot dog = saugy
frankfurter = what you were expecting a hot dog to be
weiner = frankfurter with meat sauce, onions, and celery salt

Warrior Woman

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I actually figured out the location of that box by 3M's and then noticed that it was taken out of AQ before I got there!! God knows, I don't figure out that many mysteries (I think I need a brain upgrade) and then when I do it's revoked before I get there!!! Not to mention it would have been nice to know that you were going to just mention the clue hint right here!

well i figured since i had to pull it, i could at least talk about it.... i'm sure i'm not the only one that accidently put a box on private property...oh, wait.. maybe i am..

<sitting down really fast and hiding behind the tall kid in the back of the class>

Too funny,
I have two favorite RI speak.
My daughter who lives there gives me directions that say "Turn left at the Dunkin'Donuts go 3 DD to the one on the right, turn. . . Really, most corners do have a Dunkin Donuts.

The other is also a Dunkin' Donuts story. I ordered a Caufee Regular with cream really thinking I would get a Caffinated Coffee with Cream. Instead I got a Coffee with cream and sugar and more cream. It seems that Caufee Regular come with cream and coffee.

Such a tiny state with so much attitude - I love it!

LindaFay

Oh my god..I had forgotten about all the donut lpaces! It's SO true! Of course, each state has their idiosyncrasies. It's just most noticeable when it comes to food. Here in Syracuse NY, no cookout is complete without "salt potatoes." These are tiny new potatoes boiled in heavily salted water with their skins on..and served with melted butter. But in the town I am from, you couldn't show up without bringing "tomato pie." This is a semi-crispy crust covered with a seasoned tomato sauce...so thick that when you slice it it leaves an edge. Then it is covered with parmesan cheese and the whole thing is served cold. I can drive as far west as Little Falls and still get it, and as far east as Canastota. Outside of that..they look at you like you are daft. I was so excited when Syracuse opened a "Tomato Pie" place..only to look in horror as they used melted mozzarella cheese!!!!

When I visited cave country in Kentucky..every waitress asked me if I "wanted gold with that." After nervously saying no...I finally decided to say yes..and she covered my entire plate with melted butter..my steak, fries, and peas! Yipes!

And when I was in Georgia, I tried to order an english muffin and they brought me grits. When I asked the waitress why I got grits instead of an english muffin, she explained ..."Because grits is good for ya, honey!" LOL Anyone else have a regional food story?

Lock Wench

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I can drive as far west as Little Falls and still get it, and as far east as Canastota

See????? I even screwed THIS up! Is it any wonder I'm always confusing my left and my right in my clues?!?!?!

LW

Anyone else have a regional food story?

Down here in Georgia, we have Waffle Houses on every corner like the Dunkin Donuts in RI and Boston. I still can't stomach Waffle House, myself. (I'm sure I'll get razzed over that statement, but it's true.)

We also have sweet tea just about everywhere in the southeast and it's difficult to find it served outside of the south.

Last year when I visited Toronto, I noticed that there was a pizza place EVERY three blocks, a SubWay every three blocks, and a Starbucks EVERY OTHER block.
And that was driving down ONE street!

I guess those Canadians really like their coffe, pizza and subs, eh?

-Celtic Quinn

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We also have sweet tea just about everywhere in the southeast and it's difficult to find it served outside of the south.

Sweet tea is the house wine of the South! In high school we took a band trip to Boston. I drank soda the whole time because no one could get the tea right and even adding sugar didn't help. And everyone kept asking us to say stuff over and over because they thought the way we talked was funny/amusing/an anomoly/weird/hateful in the eyes of God/etc depending on who we were talking to... Oh well, the architecture was gorgous anyway!

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Welll i guess I owe ya a special "something" for that....

*grins* We'd sure like that!

But really, it was a fun adventure and my son thought it was really neat that there were all these rocks to climb on! Now I can add that to my list of experiences!

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So what are you trying to say about KEMB? Do they look like the suspicious sort? Perhaps I should have been tipped off by that Demented Pigeon I found by them.

BUWHAHAHAHA! Now you see my evil plan...

you know you're in the South when you get grits with your breakfast wether you order them or not

S~N~K... who kinda likes grits, but grew up on oatmeal

Can't believe anyone in Bawston would make fun of the dialect of others! Having come from the Midwest, lived in Texas and now in South Carolina, I am proud of my eclectic lingo. The Southern "talkin'" is easy to acquire. Too bad that people equate dialect with intelligence....that's a serious mistake.

Nobody makes iced tea like the good folks in the South. Now about grits..........?????
Zoemomma

but zoemama...

grits is good for ya!! and a big ole fried livermush biscuit too!!! LOL

Amyrica said:

"Down here in Georgia"

True story about Georgia.

In the late 70's, I decided to drive from RI to Miami to visit extended family. Drove Rt 95 the whole way. Made my first overnight stop in Georgia. Went into a Howard Johnson's, sat down, and ordered a coffee milk and fried clams with the bellies.

"Coffee milk? Y'all mean coffee with milk in it?"

10 minutes of explanation ensues, at which point I ordered:

2 cups of hot black coffee
1 large glass of cold milk
1 large glass of ice
12 packets of sugar

Then came, "you want fried clams with what? Bellies?"

"Uh, huh"

"Do y'all mean hush puppies?"

"WTF are hush puppies?"

You can see why it took nearly an hour from the time I walked in the door to the time I actually got my food.

Which was not coffee milk and fried clams with the bellies.

:-)

Warrior Woman

Waffle House is GROSS (this from a native North Carolinian) We used to call it "Waffle Hell" when I was in college. We only went there because it was the only place that was open at 2am when the bars would close. And at 2am with a buzz on, you aren't too picky about what you're eating!!! :-)

-Amanda

And by the way, I had cheese grits with my Thanksgiving dinner at my Mom's house (NC) on Tuesday! :-) Here in California today at my sister's house I had Salmon(Native American 'turkey') and I'll be having potstickers before I leave and go back to work!!

-Amanda

I didn't "grow up" in Atlanta but my family lived there for six years when I was little. I still call my father Daddy.

Biscuits are made with no sugar. Them sweet biscuits are n'rthen and an abomination. Biscuits are made every Sunday morning around here (the only time I cook regularly). One is shaped to resemble something and called the "mystery" biscuit. This idea predates our knowledge of letterboxing and carving, though I imagine the impetus is much the same. If you come to a local gather, and spend the night in our hobbit hole, you might get some. Unrelated to the South, when my farmer great grandfather found the biscuits cold he rolled one back into the kitchen as complaint. My folks used to serve biscuits with ham and red eye gravy.

Turkey is served with corn bread stuffing with giblets with giblet gravy.

The road side place was Stuckey's with cinnamon pecan twirls. These were peeled layer by layer in the car while driving at night past construction marked off with endless rows of lit kerosene, cannon ball shaped, lanterns.

About the worst "food" I ever tried was New England's soda pop called Moxie. I double dog dare you to try it. Among the best foods I ever tried was a family recipe chowda' on Cape Cod at their gather.

Scarab of the Doubtful Menus

Calling your father "Daddy" isn't necessarily Southern. While the "eats" may vary, I suspect that many of us share common stories of growing up.

However, that dry stuff Southerners call cornbread leaves something to be desired. Northern variety has a hint of sweetness. Also, I never quite acquired a taste for country ham...too salty. Never had any sweet biscuits unless it was a coffee cake type.

I do remember eating the twirls or even just cinnamon rolls layer by layer...and I remember the kerosene cannon lanterns too. Trying to decide whether to go to a movie this evening or rent one and discovered my kids have no idea who Edward R Murrow or Bobby Derron (sp?) were. They have heard of Johnny Cash, however.

I fear I am becoming my mother!!!!!!
Zoemomma

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Calling your father "Daddy" isn't necessarily Southern.

Speaking of names... I have a question. I had a friend who couldn't understand why southerners had so many names for grandparents. Is this a Southern thing or not?

Common names (at least ones I'm familiar with...)

Nana & Papa
Ma-Maw & Pa-Paw
Maw-maw & Paw-paw
Grandma & Grandpa

Don't forget "Meemaw"

Never thought of it before myself. Sorry, can't help you there.

Growing up (in Ohio) I just had my two Grandmas. I referred to them as Fat Grandma and Skinny Grandma. My Mom put a stop to this. I'm sure to keep from insulting her rather large Mother-in-law. God rest her soul.

S~N~K