The Great Gnome Hunt: Frankenmuth’s Clever Way to Drive Visitor Spending and Overnight Stays

The Goal

The Frankenmuth Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau had created the Frankenmuth Gnome Hunt several years ago as a scavenger hunt that was printed on paper. It was successful, but Lydia Walker, the organization’s Director of Operations and Services said, “Because it had been around for so long, we were trying to find a way to keep it new and fresh.” The program is important to them because they need a way to keep visitors exploring local businesses and spending money. 

Despite their size, they welcome over 3 million visitors a year. That is great, but in addition to keeping people moving around town, they also want to give people reasons to stay longer. Since visitors need to find 15 gnomes, Walker feels the Frankenmuth Gnome Hunt is an initiative that helps drive longer visits. She said, “The more we can provide for people to do, the more likely they are to stay overnight or come back again. So anything that we can keep adding to our toolbox to get visitors to stay longer definitely helps.”

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Creating a Digital Version of the Frankenmuth Gnome Hunt  

The organization didn’t want to completely eliminate the paper version of the program, but they wanted to enhance the gnome hunt by making it accessible to more people. Walker said, “It's nice, because it gives our visitors options. You have some people that don't want to carry a paper around with them. So it gives them an option to still do it.” 

They partnered with Bandwango to create a check-in challenge that sends visitors on a journey through town to local businesses who have hidden gnomes. They also used the new quiz feature to amp up the fun a little more. As passholders check in at each location, they are instructed to choose the correct name of the gnome at each location – information they won’t know unless they go to each location. Some business owners take the hunt very seriously and hide them well within their locations, which adds more excitement to the “hunt” and also creates a need for the visitor to explore more within their store.

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The Frankenmuth Gnome Hunt Has Become a Part of Their Brand

The staff of nine at the Frankenmuth Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau weaves the message of the gnome hunt into everything they do. Walker said, “We talk about it as if it's just an attraction in our destination. It's really just part of our brand.”

While they’ve created a new product within their town, she shared, “We’ve done it without taking away from any of our businesses. We’ve just added something, and people can enjoy what we have here by just having a little extra fun.”

They include it within their destination advertising campaigns, but it’s also been a great amenity to share with visiting groups. They use the gnome hunt as an incentive when they are talking to motor coach groups, conventions, and field trips, and build it into itineraries when they get the opportunity. Walker added, “It’s another activity that they can do, and it's free – everybody loves that.”

How the Frankenmuth Gnome Hunt Has Been Beneficial 

When asked if the digital version of the gnome hunt has helped the overall initiative and helped keep people moving around town, Walker said, “It definitely helped accomplish the goal.” There are a few ways the destination is benefitting from the Frankenmuth Gnome Hunt. 

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Local businesses are seeing new customers 

The current digital version of the Frankenmuth Gnome Hunt launched in February 2025. As of August 11, 2025, their reporting data shows they’ve had over 9,000 visits to local businesses. Those numbers only reflect digital pass check-ins. The overall numbers for the Frankenmuth Gnome Hunt are higher, but exact paper pass check-ins are not able to be tracked. Walker said she does like that she can see actual check-in numbers for the digital pass through Bandwango reports, sharing, “It's been good to see the data. It tracks it a little bit more efficiently than we can on paper. So that's been nice.”

There has been one other interesting takeaway that the data for the digital pass has provided. Visitors only have to visit 15 locations to win their prize, but there are over 50 locations listed on the pass. Reporting data shows that hundreds of visitors haven’t stopped once they’ve claimed their prize. Walker shared, “They don't want to stop at 15. They want to find all the gnomes.” 

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It’s pushing visitors into the visitor center to learn more about the area

Once someone has found 15 gnomes, they accumulate enough points to earn a prize that can be picked up at the Frankenmuth Visitor Center. Walker shared that this has been an extra bonus of the initiative. “Getting people into our visitor center opens up their eyes to all that’s in Frankenmuth. You’ve got to talk to the staff when you pick up your prize, and that’s likely going to open up a conversation about something else in town – so it’s good to drive traffic into the Visitor Center.”

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People are spending money in their local businesses 

She said it’s easy to see the strong economic impact when they see visitors walk through the doors of the Visitor Center with arms full of shopping bags. She’s even heard some jokingly say, “Your plan worked. We spent a lot of money, but we had a lot of fun.” The local businesses are seeing that people come in looking for gnomes, but end up spending money. 

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It’s helped serve as a benefit for their members

As a membership-based organization, this was created to be an additional member benefit. Only members are able to buy in to participate. That is just one of the things they receive as a member of the Frankenmuth Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau. Since local businesses are reaping the rewards and seeing people spend money when searching for the gnomes, they are thrilled to be a part of it.

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Conclusion

Walker is happy with the initiative and said, “It drives business, and we know it works.” The Frankenmuth Gnome Hunt has become a part of the destination’s identity and is here to stay. However, they have also created other fun passes with Bandwango such as a Frankenmuth Mural Finder and a Christmas-themed pass. She said, “We like to do fun, free activities through the Bandwango platform. And it's worked really well so far.”

Frankenmuth’s Three Tips for Creating a Successful Pass 

Make it unique and have fun with it. 

Take a look at what makes your destination special and create an experience that highlights that. Walker said, “When you make it unique and intriguing that automatically sparks some interest.”

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‍Use it as an opportunity to provide a service to your local businesses. 

If helping local businesses is a part of your mission, this is an easy way to do it. She said, “We feel like we can benefit our members by taking on this cost, and by pushing business their way through these experiences.” This program has created enhanced benefits for their members and has increased the value of their membership.

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‍Create a reason to get passholders to go to your Visitor Center. 

Frankenmuth has visitors pick up their prizes at the Visitor Center. By pushing visitors there, they open another opportunity for their staff to have conversations with visitors and have them explore more in their city. 

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The Frankenmuth Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau says they  have ideas for more new passes in the future, too. We can’t wait to see what cool experiences they create!  

If you’re ready to learn more about creating an engaging experience in your destination, book a free demo to learn more.