Amazing Race Party -13yr- Decipher Messages

This plan was based on something we did for my daughter's 10th birthday and now that was turning 13 we took our old plans and materials and ramped it up a bit.  Most of this is has been incorporated into the Amazing Chase" plan you can get on Ebay but the description here gives you the general idea.  We decided on a four-leg race with roadblocks and detours.  We decided to hold the race in a in "Town Centre" down the street from our house which has a library a mall a park and a public pool all within walking distance of each other.  Kids were assigned to teams before the party and told to arrive in their team colours.  We met at the park where the teams were briefed on the rules. 

On the start signal they raced across a field to get their roadblock instructions which required them to find a leaf an item with a company logo or brand on it and a "something alive".  When they did that they got their detours which sent them on a chase from "country" to "country" (which were country maps posted on trees - each with directions pointing them to another country such that they have to race from country to country about 6 times).  The first team back from the "world tour" won the leg and got 15 points.  Second place got 10 points and so on.   

From the park we moved to library where we had hidded cipher keys in a bunch of books the day before.  Teams got to start their roadblock in the same order they finished the park leg (with 10 second delays).  For the roadblock the teams had to find a given book get the cipher key out decipher a secret message and recite it.  They then got their detours which allowed them to choose two kinds of info to look up (recognizing national flags or finding authors of certain books).   

After the library we moved to the mall had a quick bite at the food fair (we were already 2.5 hours in) then started the mall leg. This was the halfway point so before starting we gave the first place team the opportunity to buy prizes (T-shirts) for 10 points (which would have dropped them to 3rd place). 

They didn't take it so it was offered to the second place team and they did take it.  For the roadblock they had to gather information about store hours and mall ownership.  They returned with that information and got the detour which gave them $2 and required them to buy 10 items with receipts and collect 5 business cards or they could collect 10 business cards and buy 5 items.    

For the last leg we went to the pool.  Before we got started we had some random draws for prizes.  The roadblock got the kids to fill a cup with pool water but they had to do it by using either a mini portion cup (we go the ketchup cups from McDonald's) or a single sheet of paper towel.  The earlier they finished the more choice they had in their detour tasks (which were things like belly flops ask a lifeguard out on a date sing a song etc) - some of the tasks were much less embarassing than others!   

The race concluded with prizes for the winning team as well as a prize for the team that came closest to the "secret point score" (which we manipulated to ensure everyone won something). 

Then we had cake and presents at the poolside and the kids got to swim and play at the pool until their parents came to get them.  It was a long long day but the kids and the rest of the moms were talking about it for weeks!"