AmazingCo Mystery Picnic Review: What to Expect on Local, Self-Guided Food Tour

We had a great day out enjoying an AmazingCo Mystery Picnic, but the experience may not be for everyone. This is what to expect on local self-guided food tour.

AmazingCo Mystery Picnic Review, The Pros and Cons

If you have been looking for things to do when exploring a new town or region, then you may have stumbled upon AmazingCo’s Mystery Picnics.

AmazingCo is a company on a mission to deliver new and interesting experiences for people to connect over.

Mystery Picnics are one of their most popular products, providing a novel way to explore a region by visiting some of the best local producers in an area, collecting treats as you go to create your very own picnic.

So, does the AmazingCo Mystery Picnic live up to the hype? And is an AmazingCo Mystery Picnic worth it for your next date, family outing, or out-of-town trip with friends? We set out to answer these questions with our honest AmazingCo Mystery picnic review.

In the interest of full disclosure, we were approached by AmazingCo who asked us if we would be interested in trying out one of their mystery picnics in a location of our choice. They didn’t ask for anything in return nor did they offer to pay us for this review. All of the opinions within this AmazingCo mystery picnic review are our own.

We have tried to outline the positives and the negatives of the mystery picnic to help you decide if it is for you. If you do decide to try the picnic, and our post helped you decide, please book using one of the links below. Using these links won’t cost you any extra, and we will receive a commission.

How Does the AmazingCo Mystery Picnic Work?

In short, you will be provided with clues that will lead you on a self-guided journey through a region. As you go you will be directed to boutique producers, collecting treats (all included in the cost) as you go, building a delicious picnic, to be enjoyed at the final mystery picnic location.

The AmazingCo Mystery Picnic, begins on the website. Here you can search for experiences in your area. Currently AmazingCo has experiences in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States. Generally there are Mystery Picnics for couples and Mystery Picnics for groups and families. Keep in mind that you’ll need to book your experience a few days ahead of time.

Once you have found and selected the Mystery Picnic for you and your group some picnics will allow adjustments or customisations. Some picnics include a premium upgrade, or the option to add a bottle of wine or special desert. You can also indicate dietary restricitions and make any additional special requests. Once you have personalised your experience you pay and then wait for the day.

The day before you experience is the day you will receive digital access to the clues for the Mystery Picnic. And some information to get you started. AmazingCo will advise you an earliest and latest time to begin and finish the rounding up of your picnic based on their suppliers availability.

On the day of the Mystery Picnic, grab you hamper open your clues and begin your journey to the first destination. AmazingCo selects a variety of unique and delicious boutique providers to stock your hamper with. At each destination, they’ll be expecting you and will let you know what they have to provide you with. Follow the clues to each destination picking up a bounty brimming with picnic essentials like bread, cheeses, meats, and treats. By the end you’ll have more than enough for a delicious spread.

The final clue will lead you to a perfect picnic destination where you can enjoy the fruits of your labour at you own pace.

Generally the experience is designed to take around three hours, but it will be entirely up to you how long you spend at each location, whether you decide to do any of your own exploring along the way, and how long you end up picnicing for at the end.

Our AmazingCo Mystery Picnic

We had the opportunity to go on an AmazingCo Mystery Picnic in Swan Valley in Western Australia, and it was the highlight of our trip. A few days before we set out, we received a confirmation email with some basic information including a link to our first clue.

The things we enjoyed the most were the novel mystery aspect of the trip, the fact that we had control over our day, could set the tempo of our day, and add (or subtract) experiences to our day as we pleased. We also appreciated the opportunity to see new places we may not have visited on our own and the fact that it was all planned for us.

The drawbacks of the mystery picnic include the destinations (by virtue of being a surprise) cannot be customized, there are limitations and restrictions to the products you get as part of the tour, and the set cost may be more than you would normally spend on a day out like this.

In this AmazingCo Mystery Picnic review, we won’t go through the specific details of what exactly the mystery picnic will entail because, one, it is supposed to be a secret (duh!), and two, everyone’s mystery picnic will change depending on where you choose to have your picnic outing.

Our AmazingCo picnic review will outline some of the benefits and some of the cons we found on our very own mystery picnic.

AmazingCo Mystery Picnic Review: Pros

+ It Takes the Hassle Out of Planning

Let’s be honest, planning a day out can be a hassle. Even for people like me who absolutely love to plan, it can sometimes be exhausting. The sheer amount of choices and options can suck the life out of a trip.

Sometimes it feels as though you have spent so much time planning the trip that you cannot enjoy it. You spend your time making sure that everyone else with you is having a good time instead of being able to sit back, relax and enjoy the moment.

Worse still, if the trip you plan falls short and doesn’t meet your own, or your party’s expectations it can be even harder to enjoy the day

With an AmazingCo Mystery Picnic, the planning (and the responsibility) is removed. You get to simply enjoy the day.

+ It Isn’t a Guided Tour, It’s Self-Directed

One of the things that we loved about the AmazingCo mystery picnic is that it is self-guided and self-directed. No tour buses and no groups of people (although you may run into a few other picnickers along the way). It is simply you and whoever you choose to bring along with you.

While AmazingCo takes care of the organization, the destinations, the products, and the experiences, you control how you will experience the day. You can choose how long you stay at any given location, you can add in additional places to visit along the way, you can even skip something if you just really don’t want to do that one thing.

You have the ability to make it whatever you want it to be which was one of our favorite things about the AmazingCo mystery picnic.

+ A Novel Approach to the Day, Not Just a List

AmazingCo doesn’t just hand over a list of places to visit. One of the most fun aspects of the mystery picnic is in fact the mystery aspect.

The evening before your self-guided tour, you will receive an email notification with the clues to your mystery picnic. These clues will guide you to each destination, however, you will need to work out exactly where to go yourself.

While the clues won’t exactly require a Sherlock Holmes level of deduction and are quite easily solved, it is fun to not know exactly where you are headed until right before you go.

+ You May Discover Someplace New

One of the great things about someone else planning your mystery picnic is that you may discover someplace new. Places that you may not have known about otherwise or places that you would not have visited because it isn’t somewhere you would typically go.

We pride ourselves on our curation of trips. Traveling to new towns and discovering the best of what they have to offer is what we do. On our AmazingCo picnic, we visited places we may not have ordinarily chosen, and that’s a good thing.

+ AmazingCo Is Dedicated to Finding the Best Local Producers and Experiences

One of the things that were evident on our AmazingCo mystery picnic was the dedication of the team to sourcing the best local producers in the area and we were impressed with the experiences selected by the AmazingCo team. It is clear that the team at AmazingCo has cultivated the best of the best in the area so that you can have an enjoyable experience.

What gives AmazingCo an advantage over you is their ongoing presence in an area, connection to local vendors, and access to feedback from mystery picnic purchasers.

+ AmazingCo Is Great Value

With access to local vendors and the power of guaranteed foot traffic and bulk purchasing power, AmazingCo gets great deals on the products you pick up along the way.

Our picnic left us with a hefty hamper of treats that were more than enough for a great picnic spread with plenty of leftovers for later.

AmazingCo Mystery Picnic Review: Cons

– You Don’t Get to Decide Where You Are Going

As much as taking the guesswork out of a trip is liberating, it is also restrictive. If you like to be in control of exactly where you want to go or if you are extremely picky, then an AmazingCo Mystery Picnic just may not be for you.

That being said an AmazingCo mystery picnic can be done entirely at your own speed meaning you can add in other places along the way if you choose.

When we went out for our AmazingCo mystery picnic in the Swan Valley I had selected a few wineries that I wanted to visit as part of our day exploring. We were easily able to add in these additional stops to round out our mystery picnic experience.

– The Cost Could Be More Than You Would Typically Spend

You may be hesitant to book the AmazingCo mystery picnic because of the price tag.

The cost of the mystery picnic which can be around $50 or more per person may be more than you typically spend and may in fact be more than you would spend if you were to visit each of the places on your own.

If you don’t typically spend this much money on a day out, you may prefer to plan your own picnic, where you can have greater control over the budget.

However, if you are treating this as a one-off date, then the price is comparable to a nice meal out at a nice restaurant and may offer something a little longer lasting and more memorable.

– Your Choice of Products Is Restricted

The upside of the mystery picnic is that you don’t know where you are going. The downside for some is that you may not get the products that you want. Depending on your destination, you may not get to select the products you would have picked if you were not on the tour.

During our mystery picnic, some of the locations were very particular about which products you could get as part of the tour. They were not interested in swapping other products even when they were of equal or lesser value, with one vendor citing “all the extra paperwork” they would have to do as a reason.

At some of the locations, however, we were given a range of options to choose from.

– You Have to Set It Up Yourself

When we first heard of the mystery picnic, we initially imagined that we would go around to all of the different locations and it would culminate in a spot where someone had taken the time to prepare the most picturesque picnic setting ever imaginable.

Understandably this is not exactly how it works.

You won’t be rewarded with the perfect picnic featuring a checkered blanket, wooden cheese boards, and comfy cushions to sit on unless you do it yourself.

Overall this didn’t detract from the whole idea, but make sure you come in prepared with the extra bits and pieces like hampers, cutlery, picnic rug, and everything else you need to make your perfect picnic.

AmazingCo Mystery Picnic FAQ’s

What to Take with You on an AmazingCo Mystery Picnic?

As we were currently on a lap around Australia in our van, we had everything with us that we were traveling with in our van. The things we would recommend taking on any mystery picnic are the following:

• Comfortable walking shoes
• Small cooler (or esky)
• Hamper
• Cutlery
• Cutting board or plate
• Wine opener (optional)
• Picnic blanket or camping chairs/table

Where Can You Book an AmazingCo Mystery Picnic?

AmazingCo operates in over fifty cities spread throughout Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The AmazingCo Mystery Picnic is one of the most popular experiences so much in fact, that in several cities, there is more than one Mystery Picnic to choose from! The team at AmazingCo has also expanded the mystery picnic series to include Mystery Picnics with Friends in some of the same cities.

We have included a list of all of the cities where you can book a mystery picnic below, but for the most updated list check out the AmazingCo website to see if there is a mystery picnic waiting for you on your next vacation!

Is an AmazingCo Mystery Picnic Worth It?

Yes, overall the Mystery Picnic is good value, taking care of the planning and booking a fun day out as well as providing plenty of goodies to enjoy on your day out, and likely enough to enjoy for sometime after.

If you are the sort of person who likes to experience something new but doesn’t necessarily enjoy the process of planning an AmazingCo Mystery picnic may be for you. Similarly, if you are looking for a novel way to explore an area with your partner, friends, or family, this could be perfect.

On the other hand, if you know you won’t enjoy relinquishing control of your day or perhaps are looking for a more budget-friendly way to experience a new place, planning your own picnic might be the way to go.

Can’t I Just Plan My Own Mystery Picnic?

Definitely! With a little research, you can easily line up a day of tracking down the best food in your region and taking it somewhere with a view to enjoy. The only difference is you need to do the planning and it won’t be much of a surprise.

Is the AmazingCo Mystery Picnic Good for First Dates?

The Mystery Picnic is actually ideal for first dates.

With a long-form activity and ever-changing scenery, the Mystery Picnic takes a lot of the pressure off a first date. It allows you and your date to work together on solving a problem, as well as enjoy the shared experience of uncovering some unique places in a relaxed yet totally intimate way as you explore the region at your own pace and leisure. It ensures a great experience, without you having to sweat out planning it, and you’ll definitely find out how well you work together!

Is the AmazingCo Mystery Picnic Good for Dates in General?

We enjoyed our day out on the Mystery Picnic and absolutely treated it like a date. We enjoyed not knowing where our next destination was going to be. We liked the clues even if they were a little simplistic they were a fun talking point. We enjoyed having someone else curate the experience for once and it allowed us to relax and enjoy each other’s company, we also had someone else to blame in case one of the stops was a dud (although we didn’t have to).

Is the AmazingCo Mystery Picnic good for groups or families?

While we haven’t personally tried a mystery picnic as part of a larger group, it would definitely be a lot of fun with the right group, be it old friends, family or new friends looking to bond over something. AmazingCo also has a number of other activities like challenge parties and murder mysteries if your group is looking for something more…competitive!

Is the AmazingCo Mystery Picnic Good for Singles?

The AmazingCo Mystery Picnic is generally designed for couples or groups so we would recommend grabbing a family member, partner, friend, or colleague to help you collect and finish this generous spread.

Is the AmazingCo Mystery Picnic a Good Gift?

Every year around Christmas people revisit this article to get the low down on whether they should purchase an AmazingCo Mystery Picnic as a present. In our opinion, it makes a pretty great present, we certainly prioritize experiences over things. Here are some of the pros and cons of giving the AmazingCo Mystery Picnic as a gift:

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Hopefully, this AmazingCo mystery picnic review helps you decide whether you want to book an AmazingCo mystery picnic for your next date, getaway, or outing with friends and family. If you do decide to book an AmazingCo experience and you feel we helped, please use the link above, it won’t cost you any more but we will receive a small commission.

If you have a question or a comment, please let us know below.

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