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_{Image Description: An open geocache container rests on the forest floor among brown leaves, recently discovered by a participant. A hand holds the logbook up from the container, showing where participants sign their names after finding the hidden cache. Source: https://www.bangordailynews.com/2017/11/20/outdoors/act-out/8-maine-trail-networks-with-geocache-treasure-hunts-2/}

Sometimes the best way to survive grad school is to get out of your head and explore and then come back to your research. Kingston is full of little treasures waiting to be discovered, from hidden art and secret wands to tucked-away books and playful museum hunts. This post is a guide to five ways you can seek treasure around the city. All you need is curiosity and a sense of adventure. 

Last Wednesday while walking through City Park I came upon a UPS package sitting on a bench. I thought someone may have left it there by mistake, but when I got closer I saw a sign that read FREE ART! Inside was a beautiful watercolour of orange and yellow lilies in a pitcher. It turned out the package was part of Art and Found Day, an initiative started by Toronto artist Courtney Senior. Before she found her footing selling her work, she began leaving original artworks around Toronto for people to discover. Each piece was packaged with a note explaining that it was free and in need of a home. The idea caught on quickly and other artists began joining in and leaving their own works around their communities for strangers to find. This year, 1,221 artists in 28 countries participated. Although this year’s event has already passed,  and begin preparing something special for a future treasure seeker. Start creating a piece of art now for someone to discover. 

For those who love a little magic, Skeleton Park has hidden wands waiting to be found. Flocks of black crows have been delivering wands and hiding them around the park. Clues are posted on the Kingston Ontario Community Facebook page, guiding young witches and wizards through riddles and photos to uncover their magical wand. Muggles need not try.  
 
One recent clue began: 
The world is scary, cold and dark  
But there is a secret in Skeleton Park 
A key to turn the darkest night bright 
A magic to turn what’s wrong to what’s right.  
 

March of the Museums is a fun way to uncover treasures throughout Kingston and is happening now. During March Break, from March 16 to 20, museums and galleries offer free or reduced admission and special activities. While designed for families and kids, it is also perfect for grad students on a budget. 

Some of the participating Kingston sites include: 

• Bellevue House National Historic Site 

• Canadian Museum of Health Care 

• Fort Henry National Historic Site 

• Great Lakes Museum 

• Miller Museum of Geology 

• Military Communications and Electronics Museum 

• Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre 

• Pump House Museum 

• Kingston Visitor Information Centre 

Hidden across all participating these sites are 40 Green Ducks. Snap a photo when you find one and mark the site off on your map. For a bigger challenge, look for 20 Golden Ducks. If you find 15 Golden Ducks, you can submit your photos for a grand prize draw. It is a playful way to explore Kingston’s arts and culture and discover treasures you might not otherwise notice. 

If you enjoy surprises in your neighbourhood and like to adventure into a good book, look for Kingston’s Little Free Libraries. These small book boxes operate on a simple idea: take a book, read a book, leave a book. It is a neighbourhood book club where free reading is always available. Part of the fun is exploring different streets and stumbling across them unexpectedly. Open the door, see what someone has left behind, and maybe take a book home. If you have one to spare, leave a book for the next reader. showing many of the library locations, although not all of them are listed. Explore a new area, find a little library, and see what you discover. Reading is always an adventure I want to take.  

When the weather warms up, geocaching is a perfect way to explore Kingston and the surrounding areas like a treasure hunter. Using GPS coordinates, participants search for hidden containers placed by other users. Sometimes they are small boxes with logbooks and treasure (see photo), sometimes tiny micro-containers tucked away in unexpected places. I have hidden two caches myself in Belle Park, although before I share the coordinates I should probably double-check on their status... Geocaching is something I have been meaning to get more into and a great excuse to explore in a different way. 

So How Do You Survive Grad School? Seek Treasure. 

Get out of the house and have a little fun. Follow a clue. Explore Kingston, visit a museum you have never been to, or walk through a park or neighbourhood and see what you might stumble across. Sometimes the treasure is a hidden golden duck in a museum, a wand tucked into a hollow tree, a book in a little library, or even a painting left on a park bench waiting for a new home. As Indiana Jones reminds us “X never, ever marks the spot.” The best discoveries are rarely clearly marked. You have to go looking for them. Explore the city, follow your curiosity, and see what treasures Kingston has in store for you.