“Like a scavenger hunt on steroids” Why so many Girl Scouts are headed for Savannah

Move over St. Patrick's Day. Savannah's about to go green -- Girl Scout green -- again this year.

The clever brainchild of the Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia (GSHG) council, QuestFest  has the makings of a classic scouting jamboree meets massive scavenger hunt set in the social media age.

From July 13-16, as many as 1,500 girls from around the country and Canada are expected to descend on the city where Girl Scouting literally was born and to share a truly interactive experience: With history and each other.

"This is where it all started, Juliette Gordon Low's birthplace is here," GSHG chief executive officer Sue Else said about Savannah, where Low founded the Girl Scouts in her carriage house 105 years ago. "Fifty thousand Girl Scouts come here from all over the U.S. and the world to visit those sites every year.

RELATED: Juliette Gordon Low gave Girl Scouts a Savannah start

The Historic Georgia council’s footprint extends from the North Georgia mountains to the Okefenokee and from the Atlantic coast to the Chattahoochee Valley. In all, it oversees scouting in 122 counties in Georgia, two in South Carolina and one in Alabama.

Still, Savannah occupies a special place in the council, and in the Girl Scouts in general. One that almost demands a special sort of gathering.

“We started thinking about, ‘What if we put together something really entertaining and fun, but also educational,” Else said about the genesis of QuestFest, for which planning began last year. “An event where girls could visit the historic district and get a sense of where Juliette walked, where they had that first meeting and see other Savannah monuments. They could get a really good feel for what that history means.”

So far, participants from 19 states and even a group from Canada have registered for the four-day event, which includes a Girl Scout Expo and a celebration concert (featuring female country duo Maddie & Tae) as well as optional events like a dinner cruise, movie night at the historic Lucas theater and a special Scout  "bridging ceremony" held on the iconic Talmadge Bridge. (Registration remains open until June 8. For complete information, visit www.gsquestfest.org).

But the undeniable centerpiece of it all is the Quest itself.

“It’s kind of like a scavenger hunt on steroids,” Else quipped about the two-day event on July 14 and 15, in which teams of 10 to 15 members (each will have 2 to 5 adult members, with the rest all Girl Scouts) will fan out across Savannah’s historic district in hunt of “experiences.”

Using a specially designed QuestFest smart phone app, the teams will select from a list of as many as 75 different quests and -- this is key -- submit photographic evidence of their completion. The more quests done and the more creative the submissions, the more points teams will snag in an overall competition for cash prizes that will go to their troop and council.

 Related video: The history of the Girl Scouts

The actual quests are being kept under wraps until things get underway, but if a few sample ones on the event’s web site are any indication, the seeds of creativity will be well sown.

“’The Land of Oz’ ain’t got nothin’ on the City of Savannah,” reads Sample Quest Item #1. “Except a Yellow Brick Road. Meet us in Lafayette Square to color your team’s section of the sidewalk.”

“It’s also a little bit like ‘The Amazing Race,’” chuckled Else, who said participants will receive a “packing list” of things to bring along that could help in some of the quests.

Ideally, organizers suggest that teams be made up of Girl Scouts from the same council; but if that's not possible, they say they'll combine smaller groups to form teams after registration closes. Registration costs $100 per person ($85 for GSHG council members), which covers the expo, two-day quest and concert; there are additional costs for the optional events, like the bridging ceremony where girls move up from one level of scouting to the next (there's an excellent FAQ section on the web site that covers everything from the quest and who can participate to recommendations on where to stay in Savannah and info on visiting Low's birthplace and the Girl Scout First Headquarters in town ).

And, from the sound of it, Savannah will be greeting the Quest-ers with open arms.

“They’re going to have banners on Broughton Street welcoming the girls and they’re going to turn the fountains green,” said Else, adding that some local businesses are even working with them on developing quests. “Savannah is the mecca for Girl Scout-ing and we wanted to create something where (the girls) would go, ‘Wow, we’re here, it’s awesome.’

“But we also want the people who live here to have their own wow factor: That feeling of, ‘I’m here, right where it all started.’”