Would you ever round up a group of girlfriends and go on a road trip, without knowing exactly where you were going? Would you ever embark on a scavenger hunt that could take you into unknown terrain or to places you’ve never been?
Well, 4 of my girlfriends, Anna, Karen, Soheila, Solmaz, and I did exactly that a few weeks ago! The only certainty we had was our means of transportation: a 2019 Buick Envision. Truth be told, I have two sides to my personality. While I have a huge sense of adventure and like to be spontaneous, I also like to have control and plan all the details (especially for trips). So, going into a road trip ‘blind’ and allowing someone else do the planning was a little scary, but at the same time exhilarating!
You might recall that I took a road trip with Buick Canada to Niagara-on-the-Lake last year (you can check out this blog post to see what I did!) And the year prior, I test drove a Buick Envision on a weekend road trip to Montreal. That said, I feel like I could be pretty much considered a pro when it comes to handling Buick Canada SUVs, so I knew we’d be totally okay on the road! And I mean, even if we ended up in the middle of nowhere, there are so many features of the Buick Envision that we’d be able to rely on to bail us out, like the OnStar button (which if you don’t know gives drivers added confidence with in vehicle safety and security technology backed by a human touch!)
How the Scavenger Hunt Works
Other than the transportation, Guess Where Trips arranged our entire scavenger hunt and handled the logistical details. They went above and beyond to customize the scavenger hunt for us, including hand delivering our package with clues, liaising with restaurant and store partners for each stop, crafting clues that were challenging and fun to solve, and selecting stops that were Instagrammable! If you’re interested, the process is simple: pick a budget and trip duration on their website, fill out a questionnaire with general details about your trip, and then they do the rest!
Before your trip, you get a package with clues, snacks, and key information you’ll need. You’ll get a general sense of what to pack, how many stops there will be, and what the timeline will be. Right before hitting the road, you open your first envelope, which reveals where you go for the first stop. While en route, you can open up the second envelope for a clue leading to the second stop, and so on. If you get stuck along the way, there’s an answer key (which I’m happy to report we never had to use)!
Getting There and Back
I was the designated driver for the scavenger hunt, and I drove a Buick Envision. It’s a sophisticated compact SUV that’s slightly larger than the Encore I drove last year, without being too big and without compromising on style. In fact, as soon as I sat in the driver’s seat, I had an immediate feeling of comfort and familiarity, and the handling while driving was super easy! Both the exterior and interior are luxurious and stylishly designed. I love the new front grille, which is pretty sculpted and sleek, and features the classic Buick insignia.
I also found the technology on this SUV to be very intelligent. There are so many features that are designed to make life easier, like:
- The hands-free power liftgate, which opens when you put your foot under the sensor (SUPER convenient if you’re carrying a lot of things or don’t have a spare hand to open the trunk!)
- The Head-Up Display, which projects your speed onto the inside of your windshield (so you can avoid having to constantly look down to monitor your speed while driving)
- Wireless charging for your phone, meaning no more looking for the USB port or getting your charging cable all tangled up
- Keyless Entry, which means no more searching at the bottom of your bag for the key to open the door
- The Rear-View Camera and Surround Vision, so you could not only see behind you, but also get a birds-eye perspective when reversing (this makes it really easy to manoeuvre the Envision into tight spots or reverse onto a busy street, for example).
In terms of safety and fuel efficiency, there were a few things I noticed right away. The Buick Envision has Stop/Start technology, which turns the vehicle off when stopped and back on when you’re ready to accelerate (though if this is not your thing, you can easily turn this feature off as well). The driver’s seat vibrates to alert you to something, like possible front and rear end collisions, the SUV will also automatically brake if you get too close and a collision is imminent.
Apart from design and safety, there were a few extra luxuries I really appreciated while driving the Buick Envision. The day of our scavenger hunt turned out to be sunny and warm, so it was nice to be able to open the panoramic sunroof and feel the wind blowing through my hair for the first time this year! The 4G LTE Wi-Fi still remains as one of my absolute favourite features of any Buick vehicles. You can connect up to 7 devices at the same time (essential when you have a vehicle packed full of other bloggers, who want to be able to manage their social media accounts while on the road 😉). Last, but not least, you can download the myBuick app, which gives you diagnostics about the vehicle and can even start the engine remotely!
The Buick Envision embodied the best of all worlds in terms of style, comfort, and safety! Safe to say I absolutely loved it!
Where we went on our scavenger hunt
Okay, so now that you know how we got there, you’re probably wondering where we went and what we did! So, I’ll take you through some of the clues and each of the 5 stops on our scavenger hunt.
Stop 1: Presqu’ile Provincial Park
This was my first time at Presqui’ile Provincial Park, near Brighton, Ontario! There are lots of areas within the park, like trails and beaches, but we were on a mission to find the Marsh Trail Loop.
For this stop you’ll have to go on a little stroll,
hiking the Marsh Trail Loop is your goal,
look for the answers between signs 9 through 14,
your answer will steer you towards drinks & cuisine.
Each stop on the Marsh Trail loop had a sign with its name. We had to figure out the location of our second stop by filling the names in on a key card and deciphering an address, which turned out to be 990 Closson Rd. (The Grange Winery).
Stop 2: The Grange Winery
Coincidentally, our scavenger hunt brought us to Prince Edward County! I say “coincidentally” because I’d just been in PEC a few weeks before (as you might remember from my blog post on things to do in Prince Edward County). But I didn’t mind retracing a lot of my steps, since PEC is always a good idea!
As a heads-up, if you plan to visit wineries, make sure you have a designated driver with you. While we did this scavenger hunt with Buick Canada, Buick in no way endorses drinking and driving, and since I was DD for the day, meant I didn’t drink at all.
I was so happy our second stop was The Grange Winery, a gorgeous, boutique-style winery that was on my list. You can do tastings, but one of the most unique features is that you can have a picnic on-site (the rolling hills and vistas overlooking the vineyards are the most idyllic backdrop!). Picnic baskets are only $35 and serve between 2-4 people, so a total steal! Inside our picnic basket was a puzzle that spelled out the name of our third stop.
Stop 3: The Parlour Studio
The cutest, little plant shop in all of Prince Edward County! The girls loved The Parlour Studio as much as I did the first time I visited. While inside the shop, we had to find our next clue hidden under one of the plants! Before leaving, the owner, Jessica, gave us all a little goody bag with a small succulent inside!
Stop 4: La Condesa PEC
We didn’t have to go very far for our next stop – La Condesa PEC, one of my favourite restaurants in The County! By this time, we were starving, so we feasted on a HUGE spread of tacos, queso fundido, tostadas, guac and chips! The girls were also super impressed with the cocktails (they told me “English Therapy” and “Zona Rosa” were standouts!)
It was nice to be able to chat with the owner, Sam Valdivia, and learn about how her authentic Mexican food is prepared. They make their tortillas fresh in-house with masa and source a lot of their ingredients locally.
Stop 5: The June Motel
Since no trip to The County is complete without a stop at The June Motel, it was only fitting that this was our last stop! Their patio had just opened up for the season, but between all the photos, charcuterie they had ready for us, and the wine for the girls, we spent most of our time inside their Instagrammable lobby!
Before we knew it, it was time to pack up and return home. We had such a fun day on our scavenger hunt and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to do something a little different. A huge thanks to Buick Canada as well for providing us with a stylish set of wheels to get us safely there and back!
For a one-of-a-kind experience with some of your closest girlfriends, why not try a scavenger hunt road trip this year?
*This post was done in partnership with Buick Canada. But as always, all opinions are 100% my own.
