Antique postcard reading Greeting from Jacksonville, Florida, with palms, orange blossoms, cranes, an alligator, and a toast to the land of oranges and alligators

Duval Treasure Hunt

I hid a treasure somewhere in Jacksonville. The map is a poem. Whoever finds it wins $1,000.

Status: still out there

Pay with PayPal, Venmo, or card. You'll see the poem as soon as you pay, and the transaction ID on your PayPal receipt is your player number. Keep that email.

Nick, smiling on a dock over the river at sunset

Hi, I'm Nick Freiling. I'm a local entrepreneur and a dad, and I love this town. I started the hunt to give Jacksonville something fun to do together: get people out to places they've driven past a hundred times, get families puzzling over a poem at the dinner table, and give somebody a great story.

It's just me, a poem, and a treasure that's really out there. I can't wait to see who finds it!

Signed, Nick

How it works

Buy the map. You'll see the poem right after you pay, and your PayPal receipt's transaction ID is your player number.
Solve the poem. Every line means something.
Go find it. It's inside Duval County limits, in a public place anyone can reach. No digging, no climbing, no trespassing.
Bring the treasure and your player number to claim the $1,000.

Only buy the map from this page

Copies of the poem may show up online, in group chats, or passed around town. Some might be real. Some might be fakes, and some might be "improved" by someone hoping to send you to the wrong spot. The only way to know you have the real map is to buy it here.

No receipt, no prize

To claim the treasure, you have to prove you bought the map. Bring your player number (and the treasure) to claim your winnings. If you find it but didn't buy a map, you can't claim the prize, so play fair and get your own copy.

Stuck?

The hunt runs until someone finds it. If it takes a while, I'll post extra clues on the Duval Treasure Hunt Facebook page.

The rules

You must be 18 or older to claim the prize. Kids can hunt with a grown-up.
Leave every spot the way you found it. Don't damage property or plants.
Keep the poem to yourself. When you buy the map, you promise not to post or share it.
One player number per purchase.
Sponsors and their employees can't claim the prize.

Read the full official rules

Want to sponsor the hunt?

If you own a Jacksonville business, get your logo at the top of this page and in front of every treasure hunter in town. Send me a note.

Contact me

Found the treasure, want to sponsor, or have a question? Send me a note and I'll get back to you by email.