The time I ran through the Louvre (and why you should too)

I stared at the clue in my hand. Surveying the room around me, I saw sculptures and paintings galore, yet no sign of THE ONE. I glanced back at the clue, then at my watch. Time was running out. Should we give up? 

Suddenly, a flash of color caught the corner of my eye. It beckoned us into another room. But we had already gone too far — did we dare venture further? One more room, then one more. Still nothing. This was it; we had to admit defeat.

Then a shout — “It’s HERE! I found it! Come quickly!” 

We all came running into the room. We quickly took a photo of our elusive beast. Then, with only minutes to get back to the Pyramid, we started running; running through the hallways of the Louvre….

———

I never expected to have this much fun at the Louvre.

I always assumed my first visit to the museum would find me wasting several hours getting lost and being overwhelmed. I never imagined I’d be running through the hallways, rushing past confused school groups and Asian tourists, breathlessly excited and having the time of my life.

So what was I doing that made the Louvre so fun? I was on a treasure hunt. 

THATLou, or Treasure Hunt At The Louvre, is a creative new way to see the Louvre and learn about its pieces: combining art and history with the competitive nature of a timed treasure hunt.

Daisy de Plume, who founded THATLou last year, creates each monthly treasure hunt through meticulous planning and research. Each month focuses on a different theme; recent ones have been titled “Angels and Wings” and “Money and Power”, and featured art works that fit into those themes.

The game is simple: Each team is given a copy of the same packet, which is filled with images of various paintings and sculptures, along with a short description of each piece. These are the “treasure” items you are hunting for. Each is worth a certain number of points — the harder a piece is to find, the more it is worth. The team with the most points at the end wins a small prize — and of course, bragging rights and personal glory.

Groups have an hour and a half to find as many pieces as possible from the Treasure Hunt list. When an item is located, the entire team must photograph themselves in front of it. (This is where I learned that it’s damn hard to take a photo of a painting on the ceiling while trying to fit four heads into the shot.)

There are also opportunities for bonus points: If you read each artwork’s description carefully, Daisy has included opportunities to earn extra points — which can make the difference between coming in first or second place (for instance, pointing at the butterfly in Chaudet’s Cupid and the Butterfly was worth an extra ten points).

The game is also about strategy. Daisy warns you from the beginning that it is impossible to find every item on the list, so your team must decide which items to hunt for and what sections of the Louvre to explore.

The targeted artworks come from all over the museum: from Egyptian artifacts and Dutch paintings to French sculpture and Near Eastern antiquities. So do you focus only on the ones that are worth more points, but more time-consuming to find? Or do you stick to the easier pieces that are worth less, and risk not having enough points at the end?

Outside help is prohibited; absolutely no talking to museum employees or consulting Google — you have to rely on your Louvre map and sense of direction alone. To make it even more fun, teams must stay together at all times — if you catch someone more than three meters away from their teammates, they lose 10 points per foot apart and your team gains those points!

This was my very first trip to the Louvre, and now I could not imagine visiting any other way.

If I had gone in as a normal tourist for two or three hours, I would have been incredibly overwhelmed, and probably would have stayed far too long in each wing and still would not have  seen as many collections, or learned nearly as much as I did through THATLou.

Of course, in two hours I didn’t see everything there was to see — I didn’t even scratch the surface. But I left feeling like I’d learned so much more, and gained new friends along the way — after all, nothing bonds people more than a good run through the Louvre (and the post-THATLou drinks help too)! I’ve heard entirely too many stories of travelers disliking the Louvre after one visit and seeing no need to return, so I am grateful to THATLou for making sure I did not become one of them.

For travelers to Paris, I highly recommend THATLou for anyone who wants to visit the Louvre and actually gain something from the experience besides feeling lost, clueless, or overwhelmed by enormity of the museum’s collection.

For those who consider themselves Louvre veterans or art buffs, Daisy’s hunts include both famous, recognizable works, and those that are lesser known, so I have no doubt they would still find the hunt both challenging and interesting.

THATLou runs the first Sunday of each month. It can also be held for corporate team-building exercises, school groups, birthday parties and upon personal request as well — so even if you can’t make the monthly Sunday Series, you can still participate in your own private THATLou. Whether you’re a visitor or a local, this is not something to be missed in Paris.

THATLou
Held the first Sunday of each month
Cost: 18 euros, includes a drink afterwards
www.thatlou.com 

Disclaimer: While I was invited to participate in a complimentary THATLou, all opinions are my own. It really is pretty awesome!